Almost a decade later, and you still can't mention Star Wars: The Last Jedi without somebody getting ready to fight. It’s wild. Most movies just come and go. They’re "fine" or they’re "bad," and then we move on to the next shiny thing in the Netflix queue. But Rian Johnson’s 2017 middle chapter? It’s a permanent scab that the internet refuses to stop picking.
Honestly, I’ve seen families almost stop speaking over whether Luke Skywalker should have thrown that lightsaber over his shoulder. Some people call it a masterpiece of subversion. Others think it’s a $200 million middle finger to George Lucas.
The movie basically follows the Resistance trying to run away from the First Order in what is, essentially, a slow-motion car chase through space. While that's happening, Rey is on a rainy island trying to convince a cranky, milk-drinking Luke to come back and save the day. It sounds simple, but the way it’s told—with all its twists and "your parents are nobodies"—is what caused the massive rift we see today.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi and the Great Fan Divorce
When the movie first dropped, the critics went nuts for it. It has a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes from the pros. But the audience score? That plummeted faster than a Resistance bomber. It sat in the 40s for a long time. People felt betrayed. You’ve got to remember the hype coming out of The Force Awakens. We had two years of "Who are Rey’s parents?" and "Who is Snoke?" theories.
Then Rian Johnson walks in and says: "Doesn't matter."
That’s the core of the drama. The movie isn't just a sequel; it’s a deconstruction of what Star Wars even is. It tells us that you don't need to be a "Skywalker" or a "Kenobi" to be special. It says the past should die. Kylo Ren literally screams it. For fans who grew up on the "chosen one" trope, this felt like a punch in the gut. But for others, it was the first time Star Wars felt fresh since 1980.
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The Luke Skywalker Problem
We have to talk about Luke. Mark Hamill himself famously said he "fundamentally disagreed" with Johnson’s take on the character. Seeing the galaxy's greatest hero as a cynical hermit who contemplated murdering his nephew in his sleep was... a lot.
It was messy.
However, looking at it now in 2026, there’s a real argument that this is the most "human" Luke has ever been. He failed. He felt shame. He ran away. That’s a very real thing that happens to people, even heroes. The scene where he finally faces Kylo on Crait—not even really being there, just a Force projection—is probably one of the most "Jedi" things ever put on film. He wins without ever swinging a sword. He saves everyone through peace and sacrifice.
What Actually Happened with the Canto Bight Subplot?
If there’s one thing everyone seems to agree on, it’s that the casino planet, Canto Bight, feels like a different movie. Finn and Rose head there to find a codebreaker, and it’s basically twenty minutes of horse-racing and rich people being evil.
It’s clunky.
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The pacing dies a little bit here. But, if you look closer, it’s where the movie tries to say something about the "real world." It shows that the people selling X-Wings are the same people selling TIE Fighters. It’s the military-industrial complex in a galaxy far, far away. Does it fit perfectly? Maybe not. But Rose Tico’s line about "saving what we love" instead of "fighting what we hate" became the defining (and most polarizing) moral of the film.
Why the Visuals Still Hold Up
Say what you want about the script, but Star Wars: The Last Jedi is objectively the best-looking movie in the entire franchise.
Steve Yedlin, the cinematographer, did things with color that most blockbusters are too scared to try. The red salt on Crait? The stark white? The throne room fight with the Praetorian guards against that deep crimson background? It’s stunning.
I think we take for granted how much of this was practical, too. There’s a lot less CGI than you’d think. Those Porgs were animatronics on set. The crystal foxes were real puppets. It gives the movie a "lived-in" texture that the later films, and even the TV shows, sometimes lack because they rely too much on "The Volume" (those giant LED screens).
The Holdo Maneuver Controversy
Remember when Admiral Holdo rammed the Raddus through the First Order fleet at lightspeed? The theater went silent. It was a beautiful, haunting shot.
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And then the physics nerds lost their minds.
"If you can do that, why not just put a hyperdrive on a rock and kill the Death Star?" they asked. It’s a fair point. It sort of breaks the "rules" of Star Wars space combat. But honestly? It’s a movie about space wizards. Sometimes you just have to enjoy the spectacle. The movie prioritizes emotional resonance over a technical manual, which is why it’s so divisive. It doesn't care about your lore; it cares about how you feel.
The Legacy of The Last Jedi in 2026
Where does this leave us today?
Lucasfilm has clearly been "playing it safe" ever since. The Rise of Skywalker felt like a panicked apology for this movie, undoing almost everything Johnson set up. Rey went from being a "nobody" to a Palpatine. Rose Tico was sidelined. Snoke was just a clone in a jar.
Because of that, Star Wars: The Last Jedi stands out even more as this weird, brave outlier. It was the last time Star Wars actually tried to be about something other than "Remember this character?" or "Look, a lightsaber!" It challenged the audience. Sometimes the challenge worked, and sometimes it fell flat on its face.
If you haven't watched it in a few years, it's worth a re-visit without the 2017 baggage. You might find that the things that annoyed you back then—like the humor or the subversions—actually make it one of the most interesting big-budget experiments in Hollywood history.
Next Steps for Your Rewatch:
- Watch for the Sound Design: Pay attention to the silence during the "Holdo Maneuver"—it was a massive technical achievement at the time.
- Compare the Themes: Look at how Luke’s arc in this film mirrors Yoda’s exile in The Empire Strikes Back; the parallels are deeper than people give them credit for.
- Check the Practical Effects: Look for the behind-the-scenes footage of the Canto Bight creatures; the craftsmanship is incredible.