Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Here there be spoilers, so if you are one of the last people to see this movie, and you don't want to be "spoiled," you've been warned!

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We went to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi a week ago. We went to the Valley View theater, and the sound was LOUD. Deafening, even. That in and of itself was enough to spoil the movie for us, as we both came out of the theater with a massive headache.

Otherwise, the accommodations were fine. But I do hope my next movie IS NOT SO LOUD.

Star Wars is one of those things that I have mixed feelings about. I loved the original first three movies (now called movies IV, V, and VI). I saw them in the theater and was fascinated by the CGI, the story line, and the world. What was there not to like, aside from the minor role of women in the thing. At least there was Princess Leia, who was not a Disney princess by any stretch of the imagination.

I did not see the next three (now I, II, and III) in the movie theater. I eventually saw them on TV and agreed with critics that they were not on par with the original movies. It is hard to mess with perfection, after all.

Star Wars returned two years ago with Star Wars: The Force Awakens. We saw that and I enjoyed it. I liked the addition of the new characters and was particularly glad that the newest Jedi was a young woman. Girl power! I did not like the new Darth Vader or his parentage, and the fact that he could kill off his father was too pat (and too circular, since the original Vader was Luke Skywalker's dad). The character was not Darth Vader material, in my opinion. (He still isn't.)

With Carrie Fisher's death, this last Star Wars took on a poignancy that the film wasn't meant to have. We knew that this was Fisher's last appearance in the films, so I was keen to see how her character developed and what they did with her. I was pleased that she didn't die in the film, but the changing of the guard was apparent. Princess Leia is old and while still fighting the good fight, it is time for younger faces to take over.

I was terribly unimpressed with the writing regarding Luke Skywalker. I was not pleased that he was portrayed as a madman, more or less. I do not believe that he would have done what the film said he did and ultimately "create" the new Darth Vader by sending Solo's son over the dark side. His refusal to deal with Rey upon her arrival was frustrating and went on too long.

In the end, he died a hero's death, though a long distance one. Still, it was a good death and he remained on the side of the light.

The Resistance lives on to fight the fight as evidenced in the last scene, when a young boy looks to the sky and then at a ring on his finger that has the Resistance logo. (Do they hand those out in Cracker Jacks throughout the galaxy or something?) As long as there are underdogs, there will be a Resistance.

Now the story passes to a new generation. I will not go see any more Star Wars movies in the theater, no matter how much I may like Rey. She was unimpressive in this last film, for one thing, and for another, I feel like the series has become nothing more than a cash cow for Disney. They will milk it for all it's worth but it was obvious that the mythology and lore is not being embraced in these new films. I am sure I will watch them when they are on the small screen, but that's it.

I went to this last film mostly to see how the writers ended the lives of the main characters. It is fitting that Leia be the last one of the original group still standing (along with Chewbacca - but maybe Wookies live forever), but I did not find the movie inspiring and thought it fell short of a goal of good storytelling as well as movie canon. But it is what it is and no one consulted me.

Doesn't mean I can't have an opinion, though.