Did I pack my clean underwear?
When a movie franchise reaches 9 movies, with more to come, the individual movies can begin to flow together and lose some of their individuality. This wasn’t really true of the Harry Potter series, as each movie seemed to explore a different theme, and the protagonists were definitely growing and changing.
But it is somewhat true of Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017). It’s almost a checklist. Space battle? Check. Valiant deeds? Check. Self-sacrifice? Check. Nuggets of humor? Check. And thank goodness, because otherwise this would be unbearably sober.
But there is some variance. For example, plans are made – and then go disastrously wrong, and the survivors have to find a way – sometimes a trifle ridiculously – to wriggle their way out of a corner. It lends a bit of tension to the story which is far more effective than the making and executing of desperate plans, much like episodes IV, V, and VI.
But in the end, the magnificent special effects and self-sacrifice and narrow escapes just sort of blend together. They’re fun, but they’re not particularly meaningful. Perhaps it’s the unmitigated, and thus difficult to believe, evil of the bad guys. Perhaps it’s the lack of variety in themes. Maybe it’s a lack of character development, such as the attempt by one character to chicken out – that just sort of comes out of the blue.
So, go, have fun – but you won’t really remember this one.
