Star Wars: The Last Jedi is quite possibly one of the most scrutinized Star Wars films ever. When I gave the film a favorable review in December, never did I imagine that others wouldn’t feel the same way. But watching the film again at home, my feelings about the film have changed.
First, it’s amazing how Finn and Rose’s storyline is a big part of the film. This despite the fact that their storyline bears no impact on the overall story arc at all. Not to mention, the scenes at Canto Bight take up a good amount of the film’s runtime and every bit of it is uninteresting. As a result, you can say that Rose Tico is a useless addition to the franchise. It’s a shame though because she is a likable character. You can pretty much say the same thing about Benicio Del Toro’s character too… Just without the likable part.
Rey’s storyline isn’t as useless as others believe it is, it’s just not the path that they would’ve liked. The hype about who Rey’s parents were enormous. Therefore, it’s commendable that Rian Johnson decided to not take the easy way out and choose a legacy character as one of her parents. The reveal flipped Rey’s world upside down the same way that Luke’s world turned upside down when he found out who his father was. Unfortunately for Kylo Ren, he doesn’t really have an arc of his own in this film. Thus, he’s unable to develop as a character.
As for Luke, his storyline became better this time around. The sacrifices that Luke made in the film makes me love the character more. Unfortunately, I just wish Carrie Fisher had more to do in her final film. She was essentially put aside to let Poe develop into the next leader of the resistance.
Overall, Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a well-acted and different kind of Star Wars film. After all, it is a bit refreshing to see a film that hasn’t followed the formula of past films. Unfortunately, the film simply tried to do too much with too many characters. Although I didn’t (passionately) hate the film like a lot of you out there, I can see that some of your points have some truth to them. Nevertheless, it’s still an enjoyable film despite its flaws.
Movie Rating: 3/5 atoms
Video
Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits 4K Ultra HD with a Dolby Vision/HDR10 4K transfer and a 2.39:1 aspect ratio. The Ultra HD Blu-ray is absolutely stunning. Not to mention, it fixes all of the issues found on the regular 1080P Blu-ray. First, the brightness is high on the regular Blu-ray. In contrast thanks to the HDR on the Ultra HD Blu-ray, it’s the right amount of brightness without any of the bloom. There is also a great amount of grain on the regular Blu-ray which is non-existent in the Ultra HD Blu-ray. Thankfully, the film is incredibly clear in both iterations. You won’t even find any softness in any 1080P upscaling.
The contrast is great in both editions as the black levels are inky and deep. Of course with the Ultra HD Blu-ray, you get more of the pure black instead of the milky gray-black. The colors are nice and vivid on the regular Blu-ray while it’s more natural looking without having it look too saturated on the Ultra HD. As for the skin tones, they look natural in both iterations. Overall, you can see a pretty big difference between the Ultra HD version of the film and the regular Blu-ray. It’s definitely worth the upgrade.
Video Rating: 5/5 atoms
Audio
Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits 4K Ultra HD with a Dolby Atmos and a core 7.1 Dolby TrueHD track. The review will reflect Star Wars: The Last Jedi‘s core 7.1 Dolby TrueHD track. Much like the video presentation, the audio presentation of this film is fantastic. The sound effects and music both effectively envelope the entire soundstage. It’s not just during the loud scenes either. John Williams’ score subtly plays during the quieter moments in order to keep the immersion alive. Despite everything that’s happening in the surround and front channels, the dialogue can still be heard clearly throughout. Considering there isn’t much action in the film, the subwoofer doesn’t really get much work here. When it does, the low-end bass booms through the subwoofer. Overall, this is an excellent audio presentation.
Audio Rating: 5/5 atoms
Special Features
Star Wars: The Last Jedi‘s 4K Ultra HD disc doesn’t have any special features on it. However, you can find the following special features on the release:
- The Director and the Jedi (Bonus Features Disc)
- Balance of the Force (Bonus Features Disc)
- Scene Breakdowns (Bonus Features Disc)
- Lighting the Spark: Creating the Space Battle
- Snoke and Mirrors
- Showdown on Crait
- Andy Serkis Live! (One Night Only) [Bonus Features Disc]
- Deleted Scenes (Bonus Features Disc)
- Audio Commentary (1080P Blu-ray Only)
- Music Only Version of Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Digital Only)
A part of me wishes that “The Director and The Jedi” was never made. Primarily, it’s because the documentary has forever ruined all other behind-the-scenes featurettes for me. Every home release should come with its own feature-length documentary. What you’ll immediately see is how much tender, love, and care went into the making of the documentary. It’s astonishingly well-made and a very intimate look at the making of the film. In addition, the doc covers every facet of the filmmaking process including the boring process of signing off on the film’s budget.
“Balance of the Force” is another must-watch featurette on the bonus disc. Here Rian Johnson eloquently explains the reasoning behind some of the film’s most controversial storylines. It may not sway your opinion on the film but it might help you understand why he did it. The scene breakdowns are great for anyone that has any interest in how a scene is created. As for the deleted scenes, there are a lot of them. Some are good and some are not. If you’ve ever seen any of the bonus features on the Planet of the Apes reboot films then you’ve probably seen just how good Andy Serkis is in that mo-cap suit. This is essentially what you’re watching with Andy Serkis Live.
No matter what you think of Rian Johnson after The Last Jedi, you can’t deny that he is quite a character. He has a quirky personality and it definitely shows in the audio commentary. Lastly, the music only version of The Last Jedi is a fun, yet gimmicky, version of the film. It’s nice to play this version in the background but it’s not something that’ll keep your attention for the entire runtime. Overall, this home release is worth it just for the “The Director and the Jedi” documentary.
Special Features Rating: 5/5 atoms
Overall, Star Wars: The Last Jedi isn’t the best Star Wars film but it isn’t the worst either. It’s a fun and different type of Star Wars film. The video and audio presentations will definitely showcase your home theater system. Also, this is easily one of the best special feature compilations in recent memory. Buying the film itself is worth it just for the “The Director and the Jedi” documentary.
Overall Rating: 4.5/5 atoms
This Blu-ray was reviewed using a retail/advance copy/unit provided by Walt Disney Home Entertainment.
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