A Review of the Last Jedi -- Is Blood Thicker Than Midichlorians, Be They Dark or Light?

A Review Of The Last Jedi -- Is Blood Thicker Than Midichlorians, Be They Dark Or Light?

I happen to be on vacation when I went to see the Last Jedi and I was doubly happy because, not only is the movie a testament of visual and emotional catharsis that ran the gamut for the fan of the Star-Wars saga, my teen-age daughter came along with me for the ride to see the latest happenings in the Galactic soap opera. Those of us who are blessed with children know how difficult it is to have teenagers hang out with their respective old men -- but I digress, on to the review of The Last Jedi, which is basically a continuation of what I wrote in this very forum on the last Star-Wars movie review -- whereby, I said then and it is still so now that the past is frighteningly prologue.

When we last saw Rey, she was delivering a personal SOS from the battered resistance, as led by Princess Leia to the latter’s twin brother, Master-Luke-Skywalker. Rey had succeeded in finding the self exiled Jedi’s master home and offered him his now fabled light-saber, as proof of Rey’s resistance credentials. However, even though contact is made with the fame Jedi Master, Luke-Skywalker, and the fact that the war effort is going badly for the Resistance, Luke is adamantly reluctant to get back into the fray, which, many, including his twin sister, Leia, think can motivate the Resistance and even defeat Snoke, Kylo Ren, and all who make up the formidable Dark Side of the Force. In essence, the enduring question running through the Last Jedi is blood thicker than Midichlorians -- the building blocks/DNA of the Force -- be they Dark or Light?

Much of the themes of the Last Jedi mirror our lives/History too. In the movie, Snoke, the current Emperor-like character -- and for the umpteenth time, props to Andy Serkis, who gives life to Snoke, just like he did to Gollum (Lords of The Rings) and Caesar in (The Planet of The Apes) -- is no different than Adolf Hitler… Snoke’s attempts to cobble together his intergalactic version of Eugenics, whereby, Snoke tries to fashion the perfect priest/warrior/ Jedi/Sith… made up of light (Rey) and darkness (Kylo Ren).

Another area where the Last Jedi mirrors our lives is its themes borrowed from the Christian Bible: take the scene where Kylo Ren brings Rey before Snoke and the latter says: well done good and faithful… Snoke does not say ‘servant’ like the Bible reference to those who will make into the Biblical heaven; take the constant theme of having to face your enemy, which is akin to the Christ being taken out to the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil; and the very theme of Light (Christ) warring against Darkness (Satan)… with the enduring theme of free will and being able to choose what path one can take and the attendant consequences.

The ongoing refrain in the last Jedi is the debate between nurture and nature. Let us suppose that Luke, via the Force, can see darkness in someone -- even if that someone is a close family member -- who has not committed any atrocities, should Luke kill that person to prevent the certain, exponential, dire tragedies to come. To make this scenario close to home, suppose we knew for certain that killing a young Hitler, who then was an aspiring painter, would prevent the millions who died when Hitler became the goose-stepping Fuhrer, should we have done so (kill), especially those of us with Jewish heritage?

I wished I could get deep into the plot of the Last Jedi - but that would give too much away to those who have yet to see the movie. However, it is movie rife with ironies: watch a mature Princess Leia chastising a young fighter pilot about being impetuous and demoting him… with our sage princess opining further that being a ‘hero’ meant that many had to die to garner that hero status. Speaking of hero, it must be noted that Han Solo’s death was all in furtherance of his son’s, Kylo Ren’s, plot to sell his loyalty to Snoke and to secure ultimate power -- I say again that I cannot go further without conveying too much, but it is ingeniously diabolical…. Incidentally, when Snoke meets his demise, it is surprising, shockingly treacherous, and rip-roaringly satisfying… it is one of many entertaining seminal moments in the Last Jedi when all of the human emotions come to the fore simultaneously: dread; fear; shock and awe; satisfaction; and the fear of turning the page (seeing the future).

All the players are back from the original reboot, except, of course Han’s Solo, whose death plays prominently in the plot of the Last Jedi. After all, we must remember that this is a family (Leia’s) that is akin to Shakespeare’s Hamlet on steroids. In addition, we are assured to see a final chapter between the forces of Light (Rey) and that of Darkness (Karlo Ren) because the nectar of power is now an acute addiction to Ren. The question -- who is Rey’s parents -- everyone wanted to know, is, apparently, put to rest and it is an answer that says that Midichlorians do not discriminate, notwithstanding what Snoke was trying to concoct in what he thought would be the perfect weapon.

Lest I be remiss, to entice fans and others, I must also convey that the wise old Master Yoda makes a crucial appearance, but the question that begs itself is if those who have died, who represented the Light side of the Force, can commune from their abode of rest… why can’t those who have died, representing the Dark Side of the Force, commune with their followers too?

As it is my wont, I have chosen music, here, Ray Charles’ cover version of Paul McCartney’s, Yesterday, to help flesh out the themes of the blog. It is a song that mirrors the themes of the Last Jedi, which include the previous, lingering movie death of Han Solo and the real life death of Carrie Fisher, who played the iconic Princess Leia’s character -- drill down into the hyperlink to follow and enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzk0n7h6I-o