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Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Blu-ray Edition) Review
Image Credit: Lucasfilm
Loading...The Star Wars saga continues with the latest installment of the franchise, Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. Rey has traveled to a remote planet and discovered the long lost, Luke Skywalker to join the fight against the First Order. But it’s a fight that Luke Skywalker is reluctant to join. Rian Johnson writes and directs what became the most controversial and polarizing film in the franchise since The Phantom Menace.
The Movie: With my initial review of Star Wars: The Last Jedi after seeing it at Walt Disney Studios last December, I foresaw the film causing a lot of division and heated debate among fans. But it was really the understatement of the year. Ultimately, fans will always have a strong opinion about Star Wars. It’s really just that type of property.
I’m not going to try and convince people they are right or wrong about their feelings of this film. Understandably, the film does a lot of shocking and surprising things. However, some of those elements are ultimately satisfying. One issue with The Last Jedi is that fans let their imaginations get the better of them. Specifically, they let their fandom dictate their theories of what they thought should happen. As a result, the actual storytellers diverting from their own personal visions upset them.
It’s not that The Last Jedi is free of problems. There are a number of elements that are problematic throughout the film. However, none of them ruin The Last Jedi for me. Rian Johnson is a very good director, and I believe he overall did a good job. Do I think Johnson could’ve used a filter and taken some honest feedback to make some fixes here and there? Yes. At the same time, every indication appears to be Johnson made the movie he wanted it to make. And when Lucasfilm came under a great deal of controversy for corporate and artistic meddling with Rogue One and Solo, isn’t that what should be supported? The idea that Johnson was given free reign to make the movie he wanted, warts and all?
Mark Hamill puts in a fantastic performance in his return to the role of Luke Skywalker. His performance is the highlight of the film for me. Do I agree with all the narrative choices made for Luke here? No, I do not. However, the dramatic turn Luke’s character took in this trilogy makes sense. Luke Skywalker becoming a shut-in hermit who has removed himself from galactic conflicts makes sense. Finding Luke Skywalker as a defeated, broken individual is incredibly compelling, and Hamill did a great job with that.
What doesn’t work is the character arc’s ultimate conclusion. That is the biggest mistake that was made here. Had the film not taken things in that direction, then The Last Jedi probably could’ve saved itself from a great deal of anger and ridicule from fans.
The other big problem is the Holdo storyline and how that was executed. No matter what the excuses, that whole conflict came off as a very forced and contrived bait-and-switch that brought about the near ruination of the Resistance. So, it’s really in some of the second and third-act narrative choices where the movie makes a few missteps.
The rest of The Last Jedi is very strong. Adam Driver does great with Kylo Ren, who continues to become one of the most interesting characters of the new trilogy.
Is The Last Jedi flawed? Yes, it is. But is it a bad movie? Well, that’s up to whoever views it. I find it far from a bad or terrible experience. It’s still Star Wars. I found the reunion of Luke and another iconic character to be very moving. That scene expressed something very profound that underscores something that hardcore fans are having trouble accepting.
Luke is not the hero of the new trilogy. Other heroes have now ascended into that role. “We are what they grow beyond. That is the burden of all masters.” With the prequel trilogy, that was the burden of George Lucas. And now with the sequel trilogy, it is the burden of older fans of the franchise.
Blu-Ray Info: The Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy multi-screen edition release for The Last Jedi is a two-disc version: One disc is for the Blu-ray version of the feature film; and the other is completely dedicated to Blu-ray special features. It’s packaged in a standard Blu-ray clamshell case with translucent blue plastic. There’s a slip cover for the Blu-ray case. Besides two Blu-ray discs, there’s also an insert with a download code for the digital HD version of the film.
Video Info: The Blu-ray edition is pictured in 1080p High Definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1. The Blu-ray transfer for the film looks bright and pristine. The transfer really does reinforce a world where the Marvel comics and characters have come to life in live action and look lush and vibrant.
Audio Info: The main Blu-ray audio track for the combo pack release is presented in 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. There is also an optional English 2.0 Descriptive Audio track for those with sight issues. Additionally, optional French and Spanish language tracks in 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound are included, as well as optional English, French and Spanish subtitles.
The soundtrack and mix are all sound crisp and pristine. John Williams exceptional score and themes are greatly represented on the Blu-ray version. The classic sounds of Star Wars all really pop here.
Special Features: The Multi-Screen Edition is night and day better than the initial Blu-ray release for 2015’s The Force Awakens. That feature was double-dipped, and you didn’t get the really good material until the double-dip release. Here, fans are treated right off the bat to a whole second disc dedicated to the extra features.
Overall, the Blu-ray release for The Last Jedi has a nice and more well-rounded amount of extras than the first Blu-ray release for The Force Awakens. The filmmaker audio commentary is also available here as well. That makes this an infinitely more appealing standalone home video release.
Audio Commentary: The main feature disc also includes a full-length audio commentary with writer-director Rian Johnson. As with most filmmaker commentary tracks done as of late, this track was recorded before the film’s release and some of the ensuing fan hysteria. For the sake of this release, that might be for the best, so you aren’t listening to Rian Johnson having to defend his decisions or worrying about him making excuses.
Johnson does offer a nice deal of insight into his creative process and why some of his decisions are made. It’s a solid commentary track, and Johnson does a good job of keeping it light and breezy throughout the runtime. However, if you are looking for him to present juicy tidbits to support your theories about Supreme Leader Snoke, that doesn’t happen.
The Director and the Jedi: This is very much the crown jewel of The Last Jedi Blu-ray release. This is a full, feature-length documentary that covers almost the complete production of the film from pre-production until the wrap of principal photography. It’s essentially Rian Johnson taking fans on a journey throughout the making of the film.
It seems rare to get such a meaty behind-the-scenes or making of documentary for a film as of late, especially one that gets this amount of time. It mixes lots of interviews along with very juicy, interesting onset moments. I’d recommend fans who don’t even like The Last Jedi to seek out this documentary because it’s that interesting.
The documentary even takes time out to address the issue with Mark Hamill “hating the story” which was basically misconstrued and became a clickbait news story throughout 2017 and 2018. It addresses that while Hamill definitely had some concerns and disagreements over the direction for his character, he was always onboard with Johnson’s vision.
Hamill stated while he didn’t agree with the direction, he sought to put forth Johnson’s vision. Plus, actors hating their roles or characters in Star Wars is nothing new. See Sir Alec Guinness and Harrison Ford.
There’s also some great, candid onset footage with the late Carrie Fisher working on the film before her tragic passing in December 2016 and Johnson providing some emotional anecdotes regarding the actress who brought Princess Leia to life. Basically, this documentary alone makes the Blu-ray release a must buy for all Star Wars fans.
Deleted Scenes: For the Blu-ray release, there’s about 23 minutes worth of deleted scenes that can be viewed with or without commentary by Rian Johnson. To be perfectly honest, most of the ones are not ones that are highly missed. Some are some extra beats and extensions to battle. There’s a really good moment that should’ve been left in the film. It’s a short, but emotional moment where you see Luke Skywalker grieving the death of Han Solo and the state of the galaxy. There’s another scene that shows Luke Skywalker’s “third lesson” to Rey that’s setup in the film, but never shown. That was always a major problem for me. I’m not sure if the scene should’ve stayed in, but setting up that Luke will teach her three lessons and never showing it was very problematic. There’s an unfinished version of a much longer take on the Fathier Chase scene that many fans will likely appreciate got trimmed, considering it was many critics’ least favorite part of the film.
I’m especially glad the scenes with Rose biting Hux’s hand and the stormtrooper scene with the Tom Hardy cameo were cut. They were just way too goofy. Yes, this movie did receive criticism for some of its comedy. With that in mind, it’s great these two scenes were thankfully cut. The deleted scene with Phasma definitely should’ve been kept in. It adds a bit more to the Phasma and Finn fight, and it actually provides some decent development to Phasma’s character. Phasma was basically the biggest waste in this entire trilogy. The character was way over-hyped and basically had nothing to do in the films. This extra scene with Phasma at least added a little bit of dimension and development to the character, even if we never do see her again.
In conclusion, if I was to pick anything from these deleted scenes that should’ve stayed in, it would be “Luke Has a Moment” and “Phasma Squealed Like a Whoop Hog.” Additionally, those scenes wouldn’t have dramatically killed the pacing or extended the length more than what it currently is. So, those additions would’ve been very economical.
Andy Serkis Live! (One Night Only): This provides a look at the scene of Rey confronting Supreme Leader Snoke in his throne room, but you get to see it with actor Andy Serkis performing as the Snoke character in his motion capture suit before the Snoke CG visual effects have been added in. This is a cool, little feature. The scene is edited as it is in the film, but just without all the Snoke CG effects. However, it appears the final ADR for the scene has been mixed in, and the dialogue doesn’t always match the movements of Serkis’ lips when he’s performing the scene pre-visual effects. It’s a neat little video as you see how meticulous Serkis is with creating a full physical performance as his characters despite the CG makeup.
Scene Breakdowns: This is a comprehensive behind-the-scenes look at the creation of several key sequences in the film, including the Space Battle, the Snoke scene, and the Showdown on Crait.
Balance of the Force: This is a short, 10-minute behind-the-scenes featurette with Rian Johnson discussing some of the film’s story elements and narrative choices.
