* * *
The First Order is being well out of order and the Resistance is trying to resist them, with reclusive former Jedi Luke Skywalker training youngster Rey in the Force.
Starring Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Mark Hamill, Domhnall Gleeson
Written by Rian Johnson
Produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Ram Bergman
Duration 152 minutes
Released in October 2012, the official Disney announcement about the Mouse House’s acquisition of Lucasfilm includes the following line from George himself: "It’s now time for me to pass STAR WARS on to a new generation of filmmakers." Elsewhere in the statement, Bob Iger, Disney’s chairman/CEO, says of Lucas, "He’s entertained, inspired, and defined filmmaking for almost four decades and we’re incredibly honoured that he has entrusted the future of that legacy to Disney."
Lucas wanted to give up his baby; he’d watched it grow up and had decided that it no longer needed him. He was still hurting from all the (deserved) criticism his prequel trilogy had received from fans who thought they knew better, and so this man who was clearly uncomfortable in the role of director – six films across 30 years with none between 1983 and 1999 or since 2005 – finally cashed out and took his winnings home.
But he didn’t leave without (a new) hope. Clearly, George had not stopped caring about wars among the stars: the press release vaguely promises that he will carry on "as creative consultant" to Kathleen Kennedy, which may or may not have actually happened. And there is no doubt that he wanted the franchise to be carried forward by the right people, filmmakers who could "entertain, inspire and define", as Iger – or, more likely, Iger’s PA – had put it.
And it really seemed like Kennedy was on the same page, judging by the talent she was lining up to fill George’s boots. But then the following happened:
– TOY STORY 3 writer Michael Arndt is fired from EPISODE VII.
– Gareth Edwards directs ROGUE ONE but is fired during post-production.
– Phil Lord and Chris Miller are hired to direct SOLO but are fired during production and replaced by Ron Howard, who reshoots most of the film.
– JURASSIC WORLD’s Colin Trevorrow is brought in to helm EPISODE IX but is fired and replaced by JJ Abrams.
– CHRONICLE’s Josh Trank is hired to direct a Boba Fett movie with a release target of 2018 but is fired before production begins. He’s replaced by LOGAN’s James Mangold, but the film still hasn’t been made.
And that’s not even a comprehensive list.
And what of THE LAST JEDI director Rian Johnson? The BRICK, LOOPER and, latterly, KNIVES OUT man was the biggest auteur of the lot and had been entrusted to helm a whole new trilogy. But audience backlash to the risks he took with LAST JEDI (you know, the kind of risks that filmmakers who can entertain, inspire and define the artform tend to take) spooked Disney and word on parts two and three went quiet. And Johnson's fanbase-dividing decisions were then all reversed in the next episode.
My own reaction to the post-Lucas Skywalker trilogy, as someone who doesn’t really care about STAR WARS but who will go see a new instalment since they're such cultural events, was that I understood why Disney had gone so safe with THE FORCE AWAKENS. Sixteen years on from REVENGE OF THE SITH (the only watchable entry in the prequel trilogy), they needed to get the fans back onside with an onslaught of nostalgia and I thought Abrams pulled if off commendably.
Then THE LAST JEDI tried to do something different while still managing to be entertaining and yes, I did resent how Disney then abandoned Johnson’s refreshing anti-family-legacy direction for THE RISE OF SKYWALKER – especially because that time the ‘safety first’ approach really backfired. Oh my sweet Lord. SKYWALKER was just awful: boring, derivative and lacking any kind of energy or inspiration, with an incredibly lazy plot-point-to-plot-point ‘OK, we’ve got that thing, we may as well head off now to get the next thing’ narrative. There hasn't been a STAR WARS movie since and God only knows how they are going to recover from that travesty.
Meanwhile, my second viewing of middle-entry LAST JEDI for this review did little to alter my earlier impressions:
– It still has Domhnall Gleeson channelling Peter Cushing, alongside Eddie Hitler from Bottom.
– Ford is still gone, but Hammill is back (making brave character decisions while living off green milk straight from a sea mammal’s teat) and Fisher remains with us, for now.
– Laura Dern still turns up to work with a purple rinse, clearly modelled after Phyllis Pearce from Coronation Street.
– It still doesn't make sense that Kylo Ren would have his hair that long if he's going to sweat inside a helmet all day. Go for the number one all over, mate!
– It still has the courage to be STAR WARS while also being about STAR WARS, and its fans, with a candidness that made some of those fans uncomfortable.
– It's still the most political entry in this space opera by a large margin, as is typical of Johnson, which was another thing that antagonised some.
– It still manages to mostly make you forget that the reason it exists is to sell toys.
– And it's still probably the best one of these things since THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.
And so how does the future look for STAR WARS movies? Will Kennedy et al stop being so trigger-happy and let writers and directors follow through with progressive ideas that won’t please everyone but which may be the only way to keep this saga of all sagas alive?
Only time will tell. All I’ll say is, I hope that right at this moment George is enjoying his billions and that they are providing great comfort.
Three stars out of five.
Valid use of the
word ‘last’? These things never end; there will always be
more. There will always be more and you will always come to see them.
What would a movie called THE
FIRST JEDI be about? "According to the Legends universe, the first
Jedi ever was Prime Jedi, who founded the Jedi Order around 25,000 BBY (before
the Battle of Yavin) on the planet of Anch-To." So now you know.
Next time: THE LAST FIVE YEARS
Check out my books: Jonathanlastauthor.com
