Tour de Force
Johnson makes the skywalker saga his own…
Has there been a more divisive blockbuster this decade than The Last Jedi? It’s a film so brazen in its willingness to “let the past die” that it enraged a subset of fans who like their Jedi corporeal and their bad guys with backstories. But Rian Johnson’s wildly surprising, emotionally complex middle chapter defies knee-jerk reactions. With the snow-white salt of Crait now settled, it stands as tall as a Gorilla Walker, a bravura chapter in modern cinema’s most potent mythology.
Johnson’s most controversial decision remains his treatment of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), the hero of the Rebellion ‘reduced’ to an exile drinking green milk from the teat of a space cow. Admirably, Anthony Wonke’s 90-minute Makingof doc The Director And The Jedi – the centrepiece of the Blu-ray extras – doesn’t skirt around Hamill’s own misgivings. For anyone with even
a passing interest in the making of a Star Wars film, it’s a must-watch.
Running just an hour shorter than The Last Jedi itself, it inevitably cuts a few corners. But Wonke’s priorities are in order; for one thing, there’s some touching, and highly amusing, footage of Carrie Fisher in her final appearance as General Leia. Remarkably candid, it saves the best for last, as Wonke captures the moment where Johnson reveals the film’s title to Mark Hamill. His reaction will melt your heart.
There’s a whopping 13 deleted scenes (the 14th is B-roll footage from Canto Bight), totalling 23 minutes, each scene coming with a Rian Johnson commentary. An extended version of the fathier chase eats up a significant chunk, but there are three substantial cut scenes (including Rey’s third lesson, Tom Hardy’s stormtrooper cameo and an alternative end for Captain Phasma) that are well worth seeking out.
The 10-minute Balance Of The Force featurette and three ‘scene breakdowns’ feel like off-cuts from the main doc. Andy Serkis Live (One Night Only!) showcases Serkis’ performance as Snoke minus his digi-double. Johnson’s feature commentary is full of trivia gems, including the fact that he personally stomped Kylo Ren’s helmet till it was sufficiently shattered.
The only major oversight is that the porgs go criminally ignored – baffling given their ubiquity pre-release. Like The Last Jedi itself, it’s a package worthy of the Star Wars name. Jordan Farley