Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Review


Title: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Distributor: Lucasfilm (Disney)
Director:  Rian Johnson
Writer(s): Rian Johnson
Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence.
Running Time: 152 min
Synopsis: Rey develops her newly discovered abilities with the guidance of Luke Skywalker, who is unsettled by the strength of her powers. Meanwhile, the Resistance prepares to do battle with the First Order.

What Others Are Saying? 

Rotten Tomatoes: 93% "Fresh", Top Critics: 96% "Fresh", Audience: 57% "Liked It"
Metacritic: Critics: 86 out of 100, Users: 5.1

My Review

Preface: At the time this goes up I’m sure a lot of you have already seen the movie, but for those of you that haven’t this review may contain SPOILERS. I would like to freely talk about the movie in my review.

Source Material:
 A continuation of the Star Wars saga. Some story elements are clearly inspired by to the original trilogy.

Entertaining Value: 
7.5
  • Action Elements: This movie is jammed packed with action. It has three or four big action set pieces, each taking up a good chunk of the film. The film also sprinkles in a few smaller action scenes for good measure.
  • Comedy Elements: The humor in this film felt fairly Marvel-esk. A good amount of the jokes were direct references to other Star Wars films, which were more or less “inside jokes.” The film also had some characters that should be the “straight man” telling jokes. Adding this type of humor was the least of my problems.
  • Dramatic Elements: I think the dramatic tension was one of weakest parts of the movie. There were a few scenes that got me choked up and made feel true sadness because they involved Carrie Fisher and nostalgia to the original trilogy. All those scenes were through the filter knowing that Carrie Fisher isn’t with us anymore.
  • Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: This film like all other Star Wars films before it, showcases both fantasy and sci-fi elements. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some visual effect accolades be given to this film.
Cinematic Value:
  • Acting and Dialogue: 6.5: To be honest this may be both Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill’s best on-screen performance. Granted that’s not saying much because our sample size for both of them is basically Star Wars. There were a few times I distinctively heard hints of the Joker’s voice coming out of Luke. Personally, I think the new character that we were introduced in The Force Awakens did a good job in their respective roles. I didn’t much care for any of the new character introduced in this film, but that is more of a writing issue. For me, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, and Domhnall Gleeson were the performers that stood out the most.
  • Cinematography: 8: Rian Johnson is more of a visual storyteller and knows how to compose beautiful cinematic shots. I also appreciated the attention to details that were happing on screen. Being a filmmaking nerd, stylized or cool camera tricks, turns my crank. A films composition can affect how much I enjoy a film or not. This film delivers on that department.
  • Direction: 6: Rian Johnson filmography is short, most of them leaning more on the side of a lower budgeted indie movie, which includes Looper. With that being said, he wouldn’t have been my first choice to direct a Star Wars film. During the early stages of this film, I remember reports say this film was going to be darker in tone, like how Empire Strikes Back is darker in tone to A New Hope. I think Rian Johnson overall did a decent job capturing those darker tones.
  • Editing: 5: Editing is where the story comes together. It’s the editor’s job to keep the flow of the story moving. This film is paced a bit on the slow side. I think that the slow pacing is due to two factors. Frist, there’s no focus on the main character and their journey through the film. The film has three or four different viewpoint/storylines happening relatively at the same time. They cut between Rey & Luke, Poe &The Resistance, Finn& Rose, and Kylo & The First Order. All These storylines do converge in the third act, but by that time I was a bit worn out. The second is one to many large action set piece. I would have cut the Finn & Rose side adventure on Canto Bight aka the casino planet. I felt what they “accomplished” during that scene didn’t press the story forward.
  • Screenplay: 5: The overall story was okay at best. The major problem I had with this film is it didn’t feel 100% like a Star Wars story. I’m okay with a genre film set in the Star Wars universe that type of idea gave birth to one of the best Star Wars films ever, Rouge One. I can even get behind a director/writer who wants to bring something new to the universe. I’m okay with expanding upon / exploring an old concept in said universe i.e. The Force. I’m okay with averting some of our expectations, but I’m not pleased with throwing away story tropes that are at the heart of Star Wars. When I go to a Star Wars film I want a “Hero’s Journey” type story. Call me a purist if you want, but that’s what I expect from a Star Wars film. I have the most faith in a filmmaker who can be original but still play in the confines of the Star Wars sandbox, especially when dealing with the saga films. I wanted/needed a “No, Luke I’m your father” type moment. I know others will argue that there where multiple moments like that in this film, but I believe all the payoffs to those big reveals were cheap. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
  • Sound and Music: 9: I always love the score to Star Wars. It was nice actually hearing John Willimas’ scoring Star Wars again. The only real negative I can think of is I don’t really have a rememberable theme in this film like The Imperial March, or Duel of Fates. The sound design was fantastic. There is one scene where one of the new characters destroys another ship by jumping into hyperspace. They cut the sound completely and it was one of those defining moments of the film.
  • VFX: 7: The visual effect was top notch. I said it before, “I wouldn’t be surprised to see some visual effect accolades be given to this film.” You may be asking, "If they are that good, why the score of a 7 then." Well, I personally didn’t like all the overly CGI creatures, like the space cows or native species on Ahch-To. I also didn’t much care for the Porgs in general. They didn’t ruin the movie like the “Roger-Roger” battle droids, and the Gungans from the prequels. I was fine with them being space puffins on Ahch-To, but they began to annoy me later on in the film. Out of all the new creatures, I enjoyed the crystalline foxes on Crait.
Overall: 6.5: Overall I thought the movie was good but as a Star Wars film it was very disappointing.

Sunday, May 7, 2017

Ranking Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)

Now that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is in theaters, I thought it would be fitting to let you know where it ranks on my list of "best" MCU films. 

  1. The Avengers
  2. Guardians of the Galaxy
  3. Captain America: Civil War
  4. Doctor Strange
  5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
  6. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
  7. Ant-Man
  8. Iron Man
  9. Avengers: Age of Ultron
  10. Thor
  11. Captain America: The First Avenger
  12. Thor: The Dark World
  13. The Incredible Hulk
  14. Iron Man 3
  15. Iron Man 2