Letter to Rian Johnnson: The Last Jedi, an Honest Review

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Too Much Honor in My Heart to Let The Mickey Stuff Fly

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Dear Rian,

I have been meaning to write this letter to you for quite some time. I hope this letter finds you well. I am a fan of a great story where I can see some of myself, and the world I live in, through the eyes of a character. Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a story sending a message to our youth from one galaxy to the next. The originator himself, the creator of the lightsaber, gave you high praise for your interpretation of his world and its growing philosophy. Your interpretation placed the third trilogy in the right direction. In a science fictional world you helped us see the positive aspects of our own future and what we need to do to get there. In a strange way, you also provided a catharsis for not only Lucas' vision but his impact on a fictional world much larger than himself. The theme unravels almost as a commencement speech Lucas would say to a child or anyone wanting to step in his footsteps. I would compare the theme to Steve Jobs' 2005 commencement speech. The Last Jedi will be praised down the line in pop culture because of its themes and the practicality it brings to our own world. The film immediately establishes the tone that in this universe characters must let old things die. Some were disheartened by the action, but Luke Skywalker tossing his light saber over his shoulder made way for a new ideology. As Master Yoda states in the movie, "We are what they grow beyond. That is the true burden of a master."

We are what they grow beyond. That is the true burden of a master - Yoda

This was a beautiful moment in the story. Whether it was for Kylo, Rey, or for our very own generation this was an important message: our successors will have their own identity and with our teaching and their experience they will have to shed away from our limited knowledge in order to push the agenda forward. Our path is not about saving books of old texts, and worshipping a supreme master. Our path is about blazing our own trail. Some critics have criticized you for the actions of characters intentionally being the complete opposite of what the audience expects. This small detail does not deter away from the personal connections I made with each character. A great story makes an antagonist vulnerable and relatable, while hinting at a hero's distinctive flaws. In episode seven I could not take Kylo Ren seriously. In episode eight he became one of my favorite antagonists of all time. I trust your writing process. The way the themes and undertones wrap into various characters shows me you have a true gift for storytelling. Is there room to believe that subconsciously stories take on a life and meaning beyond the one first interpreted by the creator? At times, the creator relives moments through its characters and scenes to the point where even the subconscious decision to tie loose ends becomes a prophecy in itself. Maybe I am reaching, but your themes trickled down even to some of the one-liners in the story. Whether by design, or ^ by design, I rooted for Kylo Ren in episode eight because he was writing pages in his own history book. Kylo's destiny actually anchors the third trilogy, much like Anakin's destiny in episode three and Luke's in the original trilogy. The difference is, Kylo breaks a conventional storyline throughout the franchise. He almost breaks the fourth wall in the movie by not choosing sides, but giving himself the freedom to be his own person - whether this means seeking revenge on Luke, slaughtering Snoke, or building with Rey. When Kylo and Rey have a moment right after they team up to defeat Snoke and his henchmen, the force is perfectly aligned. The crescendo of The Last Jedi is so precious you almost want it to stop there. In this moment, the theme became larger than the director or the characters at play. The force was perfectly aligned, like when Rey tapped into darkness and light on the deserted island with Luke. In this precious moment, I did not judge any character. Kylo's darkness was just as important as Rey's light. The powers were controlled by two that were picked for this destiny and in this moment darkness was just a different perspective on, "the will of the spirit." Kylo unchained himself from the strings of the dark lords, and Kylo tries to, "wake up Rey from her naivety." In this very moment, our antagonist is vulnerable. He tells her to join him, which is a hypocrisy to his valiant effort to free himself from the rule of others. The thief in the story who helps Finn and Rose and then betrays them, echoes an underlying yet pessimistic approach to the overall theme, "Don't join." Kylo does this through action, but ironically in words tells Rey to join him. From DJ's character saying, "Don't join," to Hux repeating Kylo's orders to the rest of The Order slightly symbolizing how foolish some traditions can be, your writing does a great job of showing theme through dialogue and action, in a subtle way. It sounds like a no brainer but some movies mindlessly use dialogue. Critiques of The Last Jedi, were so focused on plot that they overlooked the brilliance of your ability to make characters vulnerable through action and dialogue, and connect ideas in a sequence to themes. Are critics so used to action, linear based plots? I have shied away from publicly praising Abrams take on the first installment of the newest Star Wars trilogy. When I saw it for the first time, It felt a bit lifeless. The portrayal of Kylo Ren felt juvenile, and I cringed at how the plot and tone were too "Disney" for me. The whole movie felt like it submitted itself to drinking from the same old well. The franchise immediately showed a sense of stagnancy and an unwillingness to take risks. The most dreadful part of episode seven was its inability to establish location. The CG animation felt rushed, and the planets or spaces the characters were in throughout the movie felt once again lifeless. I remember there being only what three locations in the movie? Random planet, snow, inside a ship somewhere. With this being a totally different galaxy, especially in the world of Star Wars, we want to feel as if we can write chapters for McGraw Hill on these planets if need be (air/oxygen levels, species on planet, clothing worn, humidity, past-times, dry/cold/temperatures, etc..). In hindsight, I overlooked the overarching theme in The Force Awakens and I believe with a better perspective on the movie, eliminating some of the red herrings I may have slipped into throughout the new trilogy, I may appreciate the movie and how it relates to your take on episode eight. It just felt as if The Force Awakens was a culmination of Act 1's, a black hole I never got out of until the beginning of episode eight. When Luke Skywalker threw the lightsaber on the ground in the beginning of The Last Jedi he was pulling me out of the black hole. After watching your take on the franchise, I am willing to go back and ride Abrams black hole to find his version of our galaxy... to get a better perspective on where the franchise is headed. Like is Rey a Kenobi or what? If so, episode seven would be the greatest sleeper to a sequel of all time. Similar to Rogue One, The Last Jedi placed an emphasis on location before our characters were thrown into action. As viewers we had an opportunity to be immersed in a planet or a location's ambiance in the Star Wars Galaxy before anything else. I appreciated this as a fan. Maybe you had more time than Abrams, maybe it was emphasized more. It definitely played on the grandeur of a sequel. And yes, as previously expressed by several outlets from positive and negative reviewers the film immediately made a point on its themes. Watching this film awakened the force in me and upon careful review our galaxy can use it as a tool to help our youth find their place in society. Similar to the Black Panther, I believe it is important to express to the youth we need more Trail Blazers that will carve their own path in society and leave their mark on the world. Thank you for having the courage to step outside of the limitations perceived onto you. There was so much clarity in the ideas you presented and how each character brought a different DNA to the life of your themes. I saw you and your visions through the dialogue and the characters, and this message was very important to our youth. Even supplementary themes like, "That's how we're going to win. By not fighting what we hate, but saving what we love." Out of respect for the courage and execution of your film I am using a quote from the rightful successor of Jay Z, Nipsey Hussle. My blog will indefinitely be titled using quotes from Nipsey Hussle.

Too much honor in my heart to let that Mickey stuff fly No Pressure | 07. Blueprint Nipsey Hussle 02.11.18 - MCMXX