Entertaining and Disappointing: The Last Jedi

0. Introduction

Just watched the newest iteration of Star Wars series, the Last Jedi yesterday, at a local theater. The theater itself was hardly filed, and most of the viewers were young couples from nearby collage. If I had a chance to choose I would not see this movie in 3D. I don't like those 3D glasses and the screen tends to be too dim to notice small details in the background, when the movie itself becomes boring.
I thought the Last Jedi would miss China market. After it was out in the North America, it was still missing in the movie schedule here in China. It was right around Christmas that we knew the date, Jan 5th. But before that, I have to deal with all kinds of spoilers online that Youtube was an impossibility.

1. My personal history with Star Wars

Most of the early Star Wars were watched on VHS tapes when I was really young. Back then VHS tapes were something new and growing up in China, it was basically the only way to watch foreign films. But I was too young to understand any plots and stuff. It was around Spring Festival, that the family decided to watch some movies together. After figuring out the VHS machine and the TV we all sit around before the screen and here came the Star Wars. After all those years I can hardly remember anything, including those fancy light sabers, except one thing, that is those giant Walkers. They were amazing.

2. Star Wars reboot, The Force Awakens

Fast forwards about 20 years, I have watched all the Star Wars series for a number of times, and of course lots of Star Trek and other stuff, the Force Awakens comes. It was exciting and all to find some old characters in the film but for someone new to the series, like my girlfriend sitting besides me, it was not so interesting at all. She fell asleep. She could not be blamed though. After all the excitement, there is little chance that I would watch that movie again. It was alright, but not classic. Filled with filler contents intended to introduce a new gen of Star Wars. Fine by me.

3. AAA entertainment, The Last Jedi

So it would be wise to watch this movie by my own this time. There is no need to drag my girlfriend again through a sleepy 2 plus hours with something not at all interesting at all. Well I was wrong. She would somehow enjoy the Last Jedi, like any other mass produced American superhero movies nowadays. Unlike the Force Awakens, I had a feeling of something not in the right place, while watching it for the first time.

3.1 Upgraded graphics

I guess any Star Wars fun would love to watch this newest movie, just for the new graphics. All those new ships, space battles, big canoes! Nowadays burning money would always gives fantastic computer generated graphics. Although it was exciting to watch some space battles, I could not help but notice there is hardly any scenes that are grand and, beautiful. At least the Force Awakens has some breathtaking sceneries. For this one? The only scene I can remember is the battle on the salt lake.

3.2 Finally we have some jedis

After all the plots in the Force Awakens, we have some jedis to fight the dark force. Knowing force and able to use force do not mean someone a jedi. In this movie after some VERY brief and somewhat incomplete trainings at least we have a jedi. That's nice. A new generation of jedi. A generation that knows how to use force yet do not share jedi traditions and do not get trained by the last jedi master properly. Some grass root jedi, I suppose.

3.3 Confusing background stories

The last 2 movies spend some serious time talking about the unknown background stories of this heroin. And somehow nobody knows how to fill that big plot hole in with some proper stories. In the Last Jedi we know somehow there is nothing to it. She was born out of nowhere. Oh god.

3.4 More confusing plots and meaningless twists

Typical AAA movie style we have a lot more confusing plots and twists. And there are enough analysis online out there that I can't agree more. The problem is, those plot shortcomings, they just don't hide themselves. I can tell there is something wrong while sitting in the theater watching, frowning.

3.5 Nihilistic wars

The worst problem of all, from my point of view, is that the Last Jedi tells us nothing. It has no grand meaning, above space battles, chasing on strange horses, and fancy swingings of lightsabers. All we can see is 2 factions fighting each other and that's all. There is no right or wrong, just different ways of doing things. There is hardly any depiction of the empire suppressing the people. And after all it's just one army trying to fight out the other. No wonder no one responds to the distress signals the rebels were sending. There is nothing worth fight for in this movie, except for survival of some, personal reasons for a couple of people, anger and other primitive emotions for others. The wars in Star Wars should have some meanings, but here they are just some nihilistic wars. And this disappoints, and to be honest bothers me the most.

4. So... What's the point?

It should be hardly surprising that Star Wars turns into just another triple A francais. After all, those AAAs are everywhere. And they are some good business as well. If I could have a chance to invest in a movie like this I would. There is hardly a business like this that would never lose money. Don't expect too highly of a movie like this in 2017, or 2018, it's just a business.
Would I want to watch the Last Jedi again sometime? Yes. I like to watch in 2D just to enjoy some details that I missed. Would I want to watch the next one when it's out in 19? Of course. Don't be so serious. It's just a business, a nihilistic business.