DIRECTOR:
Rian Johnson LEAD CAST: Daisy Ridley,
Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Mark Hammil, Carrie Fisher SCREENWRITER:
Rian Johnson PRODUCERS: Kathleen Kennedy, Ram Bergman EDITOR: Bob Ducsay
MUSICAL DIRECTOR: John Williams GENRE: Action/Adventure CINEMATOGRAPHER: Steve
Yedlin DISTRIBUTOR: Press Play Pictures, Inc. LOCATION: Croatia, Ireland,
Bolivia, England, North Carolina RUNNING
TIME: 152 minutes
Technical assessment: 5
Moral assessment: 3
CINEMA rating: V13
The
Resistance is decimated, and Rey (Daisy Ridley) is sent by Princess Leia
(Carrie Fisher), leader of the Resistance, to find Leia’s brother Luke
Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and seek his help. Rey finds Luke in self-exile in an
island, living in remorse and wanting to end the Jedi line. Feeling the “force”
strong within her, Rey persists in getting Luke to train her in the way of the
Jedi, and Luke gives Rey a glimpse of the force. Meanwhile, Kylo Ren (Adam
Driver), son to Leia, is becoming stronger and darker, yet with moments of
vacillation, as an apprentice to Supreme Leader Snoke of the First Order. The
Order wants to rule the galaxy, and annihilate all threats to it, especially
the Resistance. Despite massive loss of lives, the Resistance gains support
from a multitude of oppressed citizens, many of them young. The battle
continues.
There’s
a lot of drama and soul-searching in this eighth installment of the Star Wars saga. Adam Driver says it
well: “Rian [the director] slows the pace and there’s not a moment that’s taken
for granted. It’s always broken up into little pieces and the story comes
first, before an explosion.” Scenes are extended, clearly with the intent of
conveying the conflict within the characters. There’s a zen-like silhouette of
Rey at the top of a mountain swishing her lightsaber. There are closeups of
Kylo Ren who has the face of an angel, a stark contrast to the consuming thirst
for power within him. The treatment of the story plus a sprinkling of twists
and humor (there are a lot, but we’ll hold off on the spoilers) opens up a lot
of possibilities in future Star Wars
movies. The last scene shows a boy wearing the ring of the Resistance making a
broom move without touching it. Kylo Ren and Rey can read each other’s mind:
are they related? There’s a marked departure from the black of previous Star
Wars to now bloody red, like the red Stormtroopers. In the final battle, red
oozes out of the rusty planes of the Resistance, and red underneath the ground
of salt and snow in the face-off between Kylo Ren and Skywalker. Might this be
a foreshadowing of more deaths in the next installment? We enjoyed the visuals
and special effects. Take a close look at the intricacies of Snoke’s macabre
and sorrowful face. There are new creatures introduced here, the curious little
ones called Porgs, which are getting a lot of attention from fans. And it’s a
treat to be reunited with the much-loved C-3PO, Chewbacca, R2-D2, and even Yoda
who makes an appearance. The film is carefully designed to demonstrate the
internal struggle of the characters: should I succumb to my basic desires, or
should I offer my life so that others may live? Luke Skywalker intimates to it
when he explains the tension between good and bad, keeping the balance between
light and dark, and hence balance in the universe.
That
in what we consider is the most evil person, there is good within, in all of
us. And that there is redemption, but that it is a choice. That’s the storyline
of Star Wars. Which is a rather
adult theme. Also resonating to many is women power, Afro-Americans and Asians
who have big and positive roles in the movie—a very good take on transcending
gender and race. As to the action, we don’t think children will do as director
Rian Johnson says: “but it also means that it makes you come out of the theater
wanting to run in your backyard, grab your spaceship toys and make them fly around.”
The conflict in the story may be too deep for young audiences. There’s less
action, more introspection. CINEMA gives this a V13 for adult guidance,
especially in explaining the relationship between children and their parents.
Kylo Ren’s wrath against his parents and Rey’s resentment for being abandoned
are sensitive subjects. We hope you enjoy the movie, this is a different Star
Wars, which retains some much loved elements in the series but clearly is
exploring a different path now.
