We know you’ve been excited to see The Last Jedi hit the shelves of the stores. We too! We invite you to read our Blu-ray Release Review.
ABOUT THE MOVIE:
The Star Wars Saga is currently perhaps the most popular and intergenerational series in the history of cinematography. After the brilliant “New Hope”, “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi”, a good “Phantom Menace” and the very average “Clone Wars” and “Revenge of the Sith”, it was the turn of the new installments from the Disney stable. While I was pleasantly surprised by “The Force Awakens” and Rogue One, I approached “The Last Jedi” with some reserve. “The Force Awakens” drew heavily from the oldest parts, while “Rogue 1” presented quite a nice war cinema. It might seem that “The Last Jedi” will be a combination of both, but is it? Yes and no. We have a great spectacle here, correct special effects, humor, spectacular battles and twists. However, it is the script that the fans have the most comments about. In short – the film is very uneven – some scenes are breathtaking, others are downright embarrassing.
It would seem that the death of Carrie Fisher (who played the role of Lea Organa) during the filming of the film forced the filmmakers to quickly and quite unsuccessfully editing. Some scenes are unnecessary – I have the impression that they are supposed to fill in the script gaps, for example scenes in “******” or a scene with Leia in outer space. I can’t understand why Lea’s thread wasn’t finished at this point. By the maneuver used by the director instead of Carrie Fisher’s epic ending to “the role of life”, we have a rather comic version of Superman. However, we learn from the bonus material that Rian Johnson was overseeing editing for the first time in his life, so it was his debut, and the scenes that “didn’t fit” were written into the plot from the beginning. Some moments, however, are phenomenal – most of all the fight in Snoke’s throne room. The interior design, great costumes and the original weapon of the Supreme Commander’s Guard, as well as the exemplary choreography and combat mechanics – these elements made the greatest impression on me. The fight with lightsabers in the throne room is, in my opinion, one of the best filmed, most original and spectacular fights in the entire Star Wars universe! The final scene, on the other hand, left a certain distaste, despite the element of surprise. Kylo Ren’s fight with Luke is much less spectacular. I just wanted a more “sophisticated” fight from the legendary Jedi Master. The final battle on the Salt Planet is also noteworthy – the combination of white and red looks phenomenal. Machines walking against the background of the setting sun – the perfect wallpaper theme. In turn, in the case of the plot on the Jedi island – I was counting on the “wow” effect, and both the training and the “secrets of the dark and light side of the force” were treated superficially. The island of Jedi lacked an envelope of magic and mystery. In return, we got bitter Luke and comical indigenous peoples of the island and Porgi hamster-birds. It is a pity that the topic of “balance of power” has not been developed, but I hope it will be done in E9. Also, the new video did not explain fans’ expectations for the REN order, or for Snoke himself, etc.
In one of the scenes Luke says to Rey: Where there is great light, there is also great darkness. It is identical with the last installment of star wars. Sometimes the film keeps us in suspense, other times it is boring, sometimes we have interesting plot solutions, other times – even bizarre. The downside of the film is primarily the plot – very linear and schematic – the escape of the rebel ship from the New Empire cruiser. The “pursuit” of the rebel ship is the most boring pursuit in the star wars canon. The bad guys chase the good guys for over two hours, and the side-stories have absolutely no bearing on the end of the story.
Disney produces films primarily family oriented and aimed at younger viewers. Comic elements are neatly integrated into the plot. The cute Porgi on the Jedi island and the temple guards deserve attention. The funniest element, however, is undoubtedly BB8, which we already met in “The Force Awakens”.
I am most disappointed with the acting of Daisy Ridley and Mark Hamill. Her accent and “reciting” dialogues left much to be desired – it was simply artificial, which was not seen in the previous episode. Likewise, Luke’s facial expressions were just very annoying. This is not the Luke from the good old star wars…. On the plus side, the always phenomenal Laura Dern as General Hodo, John Boyega as Finn, Oscar Isaac as Poe, Kelly Marie Tran as Rose (a positive surprise – and I’m probably one of the few people who really likes this character) and Benicio Del Toro as a DJ . Ridley does not do well in relations with Adam Driver (Kylo Ren). While in the first part I lamented the choice of the actor for the role of Kylo, in “The Last Jedi” Driver showed quite interesting dilemmas of the main character, torn by doubts. The actor made a very clear difference between the light and dark side of human nature. Honestly, I supported Kylo Ren more than Rey …
Music and sound keep the level as always, although there were no fireworks. The moment of destroying an enemy ship as a result of a hyperspace jump is fantastic – the perfect sound play that stabs you in the chair. Special effects? Here we have a certain dissonance, because on the one hand, the viewer is inundated with fantastic effects of battles in space (the opening scene) or outdoor battles in the salt desert, and on the other hand clear green screens on the Jedi island. Models of spacecraft (e.g. bombers, desert chasers), interior designs (throne room), costumes – everything seems to have a new, more interesting version. The set design is not as original as in “Rogue 1” – but it is still delightful. I only have a reservation about Snoke’s ship. It is not a “war machine” of the Death Star or Starkiller Base.
It might seem that I didn’t like the movie. I didn’t quite get the Star Wars I expected. I must admit, however, that there is still a high-level entertainment cinema – just a “popcorn” cinema, where the plot and existential dilemmas of the characters do not count, but the number of explosions, gags and blaster lights … I just have a sentiment to “old” star wars. However, “The Last Jedi” is a movie that I can watch every day, and this is the greatest honor that the production can count on for me.
BOX EDITION AND ADDITIONAL MATERIALS:
The packaging is, as always, the standard elite model. On the front is a promotional image of the movie with the words Star Wars The Last Jedi. The heroes are bathed in white and red. There are no major actors listed at the front. I have a big reservation about the side, which lacks a square with the silhouette of one of the main characters. Instead, we only have the title of the movie. The back cover is quite poor, there is only an illustration of the Kylo Ren vs Luke duel and the faces of the main characters. The release menu is in English with spaceships graphics on a white and red background.
We also have the steelbook edition, which has two graphics on the front with the main characters. Noteworthy is the fact that both Rey’s and Kylo Ren’s swords shimmer at different angles of view. The side of the steela is standard with standard character portraits. Unfortunately, the height of this collage clashes with the steelbook “The Force Awakens”. In the middle, under the plates, there is a graphic from the Salt Planet. As you can see in the photos below, the steelbook has 3 discs, two of which are in the standard edition. The third disc is a 3D version of the movie.
Let’s move on to the additions, which in short – they do not disappoint, on the contrary – this is probably the best-realized bonus material that I have ever been able to watch. From working with interns, through funny private conversations, to special effects and organizational matters. Rian Johnson is simply a big kid who had a great time on the set, but at the same time was very professional in terms of the film. A huge number of interesting facts await you, which are really worth knowing. Everything has an extraordinary continuity that is as good to watch as a feature film.
- Director and Jedi (1:35:23) – A huge and well-made documentary about working on a film from the inside out. We go through virtually all stages of production one by one and we get to know the true face of the director – visionary. The documentary, as you can call it, sheds a completely new light on “The Last Jedi”.
- Balance of power (10:17) – What is power really? It is the energy that connects all living entities. But why did Luke come to the island? What is the symbol of power for Rey? How was the mirror scene filmed? What’s with the power combination? You will get the answer to all these questions in this material.
- Scenes behind the scenes (33:01) – The technical aspects of producing the three individual scenes
- Lighting a Spark: Space Battle – From storyboards to special effects. Bringing life to your initial space combat. Only after such materials are we aware of how much work has been put into such scenes. The secrets of Snoke’s ship, Holdo’s cooperation with Poe and, above all, the curiosities of the general’s sacrifice.
- Snoke – Creating a monster is not that easy. About Andy Serkis’ work in performance capture technology.
- Showdown on Crait – Behind the scenes of taking shots on the beautiful Salt Island. Definitely one of the best spots. The shots made of this material are breathtaking.
- Andy Serkis Live! (5:49) – What was the work of Andy Serkis, who portrays Snoke? It is after this material that you will appreciate the actor behind the mask.
- Unused scenes (23:02) – A multitude of unused scenes, including hilarious moments on Luke’s Island, a long sequence at the ******. Additionally, you can turn on a director’s comment about why these scenes were cut out and which he regrets the most.
ISSUE SPECIFICATION:
- Distribution: Galapagos
- Plate variants: DVD, Blu-ray (2 discs), Blu-ray Limited Edition “Resistance” and “Supreme Order”, Blu-ray 3D (3 discs), Blu-ray 3D Steelbook (3 discs)
- Movie duration: 152 minutes
- Language versions of the film: Polish dubbing, English, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Roman, French, German
- Original Movie Sound: DTS-HDHR 7.1
- Sound of the Polish version: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles: Polish, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, French, Romanesque, German
- Additional materials: in Polish (Polish subtitles)
- Version for the hearing impaired: English
- License: retail movie without a license to rent
Blu-Ray for review was provided by distributor – Galapagos
