Why I Love The Last Jedi
For anyone who at least knows of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, there's also a good chance that you are aware of the amount of controversy that surrounded the film after it premiered. On one side of the Star Wars fanbase, The Last Jedi is seen as a forgettable movie that definitely could have been done better; some people consider it straight up bad. On the other side, people see it as a great film that not only took a considerable amount of risks but executed them quite well. I consider myself to be in the latter half of the fanbase. In fact, not only is The Last Jedi my favorite Star Wars film, I'd even consider it to be one of my all-time favorite movies.
Just a fair warning, this article will contain spoilers for pretty much the entire film. Also, I will admit that the first half of the movie does feel rather slow; things don't really pick up until the latter half.
Near the start of the film, Resistance commander and pilot Poe Dameron is demoted to Captain due to his apparent negligence and refusal to follow an order to retreat from a superior officer. Dameron's stunt caused innumerable Resistance casualties and lowered the number of Resistance fighters to only a few hundred. Both scenes do a good job of portraying Poe's character and foreshadowing his arc throughout the film.
After being reprimanded by Supreme Leader Snoke, Kylo Ren smashes his helmet into the elevator wall, destroying it. It's not only a literal act of rage but a symbolic act of self-actualization. Kylo realizes he will never live up to the legacy of Darth Vader. Instead, he finally begins to figure out his own identity and create his own legacy.
Luke Skywalker plays a fantastic role in the film as well. When Rey hands Luke his lightsaber, he simply tosses it away---almost as if he was offended by the gesture. At first, Luke simply ignores Rey and walks back to his hut on the island. Only when confronted by Chewbacca does Luke finally begin to speak with her. Rey tells him the Resistance needs his help, only for Luke to shut her down, saying, "You think what? I'm going to walk out with a laser sword and face down the whole First Order? [...] What did you think was going to happen?" He makes it very clear that he's done fighting. The scene, and most of the film in general, wonderfully shows the contrast between the Resistance's mental image of Luke and the man he actually is.
Skywalker eventually gives in and agrees to teach Rey three lessons about the force the next day. During the first lesson, Rey sees darkness calling out to her through a deep crevice in the island; it promises what Rey desires the most: the identity of her parents. The next morning, Rey decides to go into the crevice to finally find out who her parents really were. It becomes apparent that Rey's parents were complete nobodies; they sold her for drug money and left her on the planet of Jakku. The fact that her parents weren't anyone special was a common criticism of the film. However, I believe knowing that Rey's parents had no real identity in the end makes her a better character, as she doesn't have to live to anyone's expectations and instead does things on her own terms. It's not the conditions you were born in that defines who you are, it's what you do with your own life that matters.
By far the most controversial part of the film was Vice Admiral Holdo's temporary command of the Resistance while Leia recovered from her injuries. Holdo plans to refuel the transport vessels in order to evacuate the remaining resistance troops and to escape from a First Order fleet. Poe and some others resist as they believe it's an act of cowardice, but they are eventually forced onto the transports and set course for the mineral planet of Crait. It's in this scene where Poe's character arc finally resolves, as he sees Holdo remain in the main ship for her to use the last of the ship's fuel to fly light speed into the armada, sacrificing herself to destroy the entire fleet instantly. Poe now understands that it's better to simply live to see the next day than it is to die fighting.
The scene of the fleet being destroyed is visually stunning. The audio is completely silent, almost as if the entire armada of First Order Star Destroyers was just obliterated before the sound itself had not even enough time to register what had just happened. Unfortunately, it's a scene that can only be truly experienced in theaters, but it's still spectacular nonetheless.
On Crait, the remaining resistance troops stay locked inside a massive metal stronghold to call for escort away from the planet. A First Order platoon has them cornered as they prepare a battering ram to force the door open. Despite resistance, the door is eventually blasted open. It appears all hope is lost until Luke projects himself onto the battlefield using the Force. By doing this, Luke successfully stalls the First Order to give the Resistance enough time to find a way to escape the planet. However, this causes Luke to die from exhaustion, albeit peacefully, and becomes one with the Force. Luke told Rey he was done fighting, and he was. However, during his final moments, Luke was still helping those in need and the people he saw as friends. I believe it was the best way that you could kill off Luke Skywalker.
If I were to write everything I love about The Last Jedi, I would be here for hours, as there's so much more that could be mentioned. By no means is The Last Jedi a perfect film. However, it genuinely is one of my favorite all-time films, and I wish more people could see it as I do.