Two years have passed, and we Star Wars fans are finally blessed with the second film of the third trilogy (That is a mouthful, right?). The Force Awakens left us with so many questions and so many theories as to what would happen next. I personally was extremely anxious in that two-year span to see how it played out. It was only right that I bought my tickets for the night premiere.
We mourned the loss of Han Solo in The Force Awakens, which wasn't received too well by a few, and we were introduced to a new set of characters: Rey, Finn, Poe, Kylo Ren (aka Ben Solo, the son of Han and Leia) and BB8 whose storyline takes a complete turn than what we normally see in Star Wars. The main character is not a male but a strong, feisty, and fearless female lead. This was a great change in the dynamic of the story because it shows that not only males can be one with the Force or save the day, but a woman can too. I can also say I am grateful for the amount of racial diversity that is in this trilogy compared to the others.
The Last Jedi picks up exactly where The Force Awakens left off. While Rey is on Ahch-To trying to convince Luke Skywalker to help the Resistance and train her in the ways of the Jedi, the First Order has caught up with her friends. Aboard the First Order ship, Snoke confronts Kylo Ren about his unbalance in the Force, demanding him to prove to him that he is not just "a child in a mask" by finding Luke Skywalker. In anger, he crushes his mask, "letting the past die," as he says. (The mask honestly wasn't doing much for him. Us fangirls wanted to see Adam Driver's handsome face on screen more, so I'm glad they wrote it into the script).
During the invasion, Finn wakes up, the Resistance loses a good portion of their team, and Leia hurt, causing her to go into a coma. Once more, starting the chase between cat and mouse. (Did I mention they are being tracked through light speed?) After R2D2 pulls on his heartstrings by playing the old message from Episode I that Leia sent Obi-Wan & sensing the power Rey has, Luke agrees to train her. But it is only to show her why the Jedi should end. His fears are revisited when Rey has a vision of herself being pulled to the dark side while he attempts to show her how to feel the Force and control it.
With the knowledge that they are being tracked through light speed, Finn, Poe, and Rose make plans to disable the tracking system on the First Order ship. Back on Ahch-To, Rey and Kylo start to have a connection through the Force, allowing them to see each other (but not their surroundings) and communicate. During one of these "Force Skype" moments, Kylo Ren shares with Rey that the reason he tried to kill Luke was in self-defense. Luke saw the dark power growing in Kylo Ren and wanted to get rid of him before it became a problem. Rey confronts Luke; upon hearing the truth, she is convinced that she can get Kylo Ren to leave the dark side. She and Chewbacca leave to meet Kylo Ren. However, he takes her to Snoke instead. This scene leads to the death of Snoke, and a really epic fight scene with Rey and Ren on the same side, for the moment. After killing Snoke and his guards, Kylo, who is now COMPLETELY dark side, it seems, tries to get Rey to join him. She refuses him, and Kylo takes on his role as Supreme Leader without her.
Still feeling that the Jedi should end, Luke decides to burn the tree containing the sacred Jedi texts but is greeted by no one other than his master. Yoda, who has been gone for years, is back as a Force ghost to teach his old apprentice that his failures as a master are his greatest teacher and that he should help Rey by passing on what he knows before she is lost to the dark side. During their attempt to disable to light speed tracker Rose and Finn are captured by the Resistance but are saved by BB8, allowing the Resistance to get a head start on the planet Crait. This is where Luke finally shows up to confront his nephew and the First Order, giving the Resistance time to escape away with Rey and Chewbacca. Kylo and Luke go head to head, just for Kylo to learn that Luke is not actually there; he is only a projection of the Force. Luke is still miles away on Ahch-To. Much like the first film, I still see this storyline being played out as a romance. Even more so now because of their chemistry in the "Force Skype" sessions. I am secretly hoping that Kylo turns to the light, so they do not have to kill each other. I am really on this "Reylo" (Kylo+Rey=Reylo) train you guys, and I am not ashamed of it.
I can say that I love the fact that Rey's character is written as someone that says true to herself and isn't changing for acceptance. She stands by what she believes in, and we need more female characters written this way. I am feeling 50/50 on the reveal of who her parents were. I was really hoping she would maybe be a granddaughter of Obi-wan Kenobi, which would continue the Skywalker & Kenobi duo theme we have seen in the past two trilogies. I was heartbroken to see Luke go, but I am glad he died peacefully, unlike Han. I am glad that a love interest was written in for Finn. It would be kind of hard for Rey and Kylo to be a thing if Finn was in the way, just saying! My biggest concern is how the last film of the trilogy will be written now that Carrie Fisher, who has played as Leia since the start, is no longer with us. My hope is that they will find a way to write around her death without a lot of issues in regards to the role her character plays in the storyline.
Be sure to SHARE, SUBSCRIBE, COMMENT & SEND SUGGESTIONS or REQUESTS.
