Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

Can't Bight is an integral part of the story not because it is an adventure for Finn Rose and BB8, but because it shows us the state of the Galaxy as a whole. Rich people off partying, the lower classes being kept low, no one much cares for the fact that the New Republic government got blown to bits or that the First Order is taking over. Life, for them, goes on as it has before and so long as you don't piss off too many people with guns you can live perfectly content.

There's a lot that gets communicated here: the New Republic wasn't a grand new Utopia following the horrific years of the Empire's rule... It was just another government and one that didn't really do much for anyone save the people at the top.

On the flip side we have Luke who is tired of all the bullshit about the Sith and the Jedi and all of it and even goes so far as to call out the Jedi order for their implicit role in creating Sidious. He knows the Force is separate from the Jedi religion and wants to just let the Jedi part die off. His mistake is in assuming that the Jedi and the religion that spawned them are the same. As Yoda points out the original foundations of the Jedi we're not particularly great or particularly wise, they we're just old and adherence to that is what lost them everything. The power of the Jedi is not the Force but the Hope they bring. Nope he isn't going to stop the First Order with a laser sword and moving some rocks, but the legend of Luke Skywalker and the Jedi is what captures the hearts and minds of those who will resist as we see in the kids who are recounting the battle of Crait.

Rey's story is one of personal introspection. She is as caught up in the legends of the Jedi as anyone else and believes that Luke holds the answer to her problems. He doesn't. She believes that she feels good in Kylo and she's probably right there is some there, but she misinterprets her vision of the future. She thinks Kylo turns from the dark side and strikes Snoke down and then joins her. Kylo, on the other hand, sees a future where Rey turns and joins him in striking down Snoke. She does strike Snoke down but not because she has embraced the dark. That whole sequence of them fighting together against the Praetorian Guard is amazing because each thinks the other has come over to their side when in fact theirs was an alliance of convenience against a common foe. Rey's thoughts go straight to the dark hole on the island without any preconceived notion about the light and the dark. This scares Luke because he's well versed in the teachings of the Jedi which call for strict vigilance against the darkness and that cutting oneself off from emotion is what protects you from the darkness. Turns out that was bullshit as well. Rey enters the cave and finds darkness but also her question of her origins is revealed. That's it. Note that unlike Luke entering the tree on Dagobah she doesn't enter with fear of the darkness, rather curiosity and in so doing finds her answer: she's Rey. She isn't fancy Skywalker or whatever royalty. She doesn't come from some Force power lineage, she is just a junkrat from nowhere. She is who she is and nothing more. She knows right from wrong and learns that the Force isn't part of her, she's a part of it and being a Force user doesn't give you divine right, it just means you have a more specialized role to play in things.

Ultimately Luke brings hope back using his long distance illusion to great effect. He inspires people and serves as a symbol for standing up against the First Order, but it is just a trick. His illusion takes no real action other than simply being seen.. but it's enough to distract Kylo long enough for everyone to escape. At the end he has worn himself ragged, the trick he pulled took a lot more out of him that he ever showed with the illusion and he passes into the Force as we see twin suns setting. In so doing he has fufilled the prophecy, the son of suns has indeed brought balance to the Force...just not quite the way that the old Jedi Order intended. He has created a new Jedi in Rey, one who accepts the Force for what it is...free of the mantra and misconceptions.

The final shot of the kids playing shows us the ultimate power of Hope in helping to combat the forces of tyrrany. Some unknown kid hears the story of Luke Skywalker and goes out to stare up at the stars, but not before grabbing the broom with the Force, perhaps unaware that it happens.

I wonder if Snoke is Emperor, Super Awesome old Sith 1 2 or 3? Nope, he's dead
I wonder if Rey is daughter of the force or Jedi 1 2 or 3? Nope, she's a nobody
I wonder if Luke will join the resistance and be a super BA and begin training Rey and/or other Jedis? Kinda but nope, he's a hologram and dead
I wonder if Leia will get a glorious send off? Nope she floats like Mary Poppins and episode 9 will have to deal with it
I wonder if Phasma is going to kick butt and take names? Nope she fell
I wonder if Finn is related to Lando? Nope, he's in love with the new girl
I wonder if Finn, Poe, and Chewie are going to be the next Lando, Han, and Chewie? Who knows? Chewie hangs with Porgs now
I wonder if Kylo and Rey are bro and sis? Nope, Kylo is Supreme Leader now and screams inside of AT-ATs and keeps losing to a junk dealers daughter. He did kill Snoke however who again is some arrogant nobody who died to the guy that can't beat the junk dealers daughter

I get it... everything TFA handed us and planted in our minds was pretty well abandoned. Again, outside of Phasma, i'm intrigued now. I don't think I would have been. I wanted Rey to be Qui-Gon's kin honestly and I wanted Snoke to be the ultimate, near undefeatable villain. The more I think of it though, it wouldn't have lasted. They have to breakdown StarWars some if they have 20 years of this in mind. I'm going to stick by that 9 has to be the pay off. If you're going to throw away the obvious, then the unexpected better be freaking good because if it sucks, I would have rather had the predictable fan service.

Didn't find the funny bits objectionable. Dig Rey but unfortunately didn't give a shit about other side characters. One friend of mine absolutely hates it, hardcore Star Wars fan. We were joking about his buttmad suicide watch. Rest of us thought it was fine so yes, the movie is polarizing. Would have liked Kylo to be even more petulant, autistic and unstable. Iron man Leia poppins was dumb but it was great seeing Carrie Fisher. Hamill's performance was good. A bunch of other shit.