Star Wars: The Last Jedi-Bold Swings, Complex Morals, and Unconventional Choices

The Last Jedi, for all its faults, makes some bold swings that I immensely respect. Rian Johnson made a Star Wars film of much more complex morals compared to the binary black-and-white morality of most Star Wars movies. In many ways, The Last Jedi is one of the only Star Wars movies with all the moral complexities of actual war. Characters make rash decisions that lead to devastating consequences. Characters withhold information, thinking it is the right thing to do, only to backfire. These are all the kinds of complex moral decisions you would expect to see in a movie about war and conflict, and in my eyes, it's what makes the film work so well.

That sense of complexity stretches not just to the large-scale conflict but also to the personal, character-based conflict. The characters here are no longer a binary, good or bad. They're complex individuals, caught between their external and internal conflicts. No better is this seen than what the film does with Luke Skywalker. I find something compelling about how the film characterizes Luke as a man who, after becoming a legend after the original movies, doesn't know how to deal with one major event of failure, leaving him feeling bittered and directionless. In many ways, I find Luke at his most complex and human in The Last Jedi. 

That complexity stretches to the other characters as well, as Rian Johnson takes the sequel trilogy characters in some interesting directions. Kylo Ren chooses to abandon the binary of the light and the dark side, choosing to go down his own path. Rey is left struggling for purpose in this conflict and, like Kylo, decides to go down her own path by helping the people around her. The reveal regarding Rey's parents, while disappointing to many, works a lot for me, unearthing a message that, to me, has always been at the heart of Star Wars: that a Jedi can come from anywhere and be anyone, as long as they have the strive to do good and aid in conflict. The film's final moments accentuate that message in a way I find so incredibly moving. 

It helps that Rian Johnson is a masterful filmmaker, and he showcases that prowess behind the camera within every minute of The Last Jedi. Johnson incorporates some very dynamic camerawork, especially in the action scenes. There's also a phenomenal use of color and lighting, be it the luxurious lighting of the Canto Byte scenes, the naturalistic look of Ach-to, or the bold uses of whites and reds on Crait in the final act. There's an immense scope to many scenes, especially ones set in space. Many may argue about the logistics of the Lightspeed Ram, but for me, it's one of the boldest, most cinematic images in Star Wars. 

While not entirely purposeless as I once thought it was, I still do get the complaints regarding the B-Plot with Finn and Rose. It does work to hone into the complexities of the film's conflict, showing the part of the Star Wars galaxy that actively benefits from conflict and, through the character of DJ, subverting the expectation that every character the heroes interact with is there to help. However, I find that the B-Plot goes on too long and slightly distracts from Rey, Kylo, and Luke, which are the much more compelling aspects of the story. There's also some mishandled humor throughout the film, particularly those involving General Hux, which makes him less intimidating than he was in The Force Awakens, and some other jokes here and there that slightly weaken the impact of some of the more dramatic moments. 

Many may have their issues with The Last Jedi, and many of those issues are valid. However, I can't help but respect The Last Jedi and all the bold, complex choices it makes. It's a Star Wars movie that explores the more complicated side of its universe, characters, and conflict, and I greatly admire that about the film. While I understand people's issues with the film, a part of me also feels slightly disappointed that a movie that makes such bold, unconventional choices and is so well-crafted has such a divisive reputation.

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