Let's Talk About STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI Behind The Scenes

If you follow my social media, you may or may not have seen that I made a video essay abut Star Wars: The Last Jedi. If you haven't heard and are interested in watching it, I'll embed it right here for you:

Now that you've hopefully watched it, I'd like to share some fun factoids, sources of inspiration, and any other Behind The Scenes content that may interest you! For starters, I made this video because I love The Last Jedi and felt like I had a lot to say on it which couldn't be expressed through a blog post. Secondly, I'd been considering making the foray back into YouTube and decided this might be a good start. I made it my goal to find something about the film which I hadn't seen covered extensively online while sharing my own interpretation of the film, and I think I was successful.

I figured I'd start with a script because an unscripted ramble would probably be disastrous and go on for far too long. That took about a week, I shared it with some people via social media, took their feedback into account, and then made revisions from there. That went on for about two-three weeks before I began recording. I was honestly surprised how long I wound up recording some sections due to mispronunciations and me fumbling over my own words. 

Here's a funny example:

Hey everyone! Enjoy this out-of context minute long clip of me struggling to say “Earth’s myths.” pic.twitter.com/Ym72DdnJP5

— David Weiser (@weiser_david) October 29, 2018

On that note, an interesting tidbit is that I scrapped all my narration audio earlier this week and rerecorded the entire thing because I wasn't satisfied with the audio quality. It's honestly still not quite at the level I'd like, but I was pleased enough with it and wanted to meet the deadline of December 15th so I settled. I did this multiple times to be honest...

For those wondering, The Art of The Last Jedi was probably the best resource for me when writing the script aside from the film itself and requisite bonus features. I found a lot of information in there which helped the idea of the video take shape. If you loved The Last Jedi, I highly recommend the book as it's very insightful. It has plenty of gorgeous concept art and lots fascinating commentary from the filmmakers.

Other factoids:  

-I included many of the Star Wars trademarks such as an opening crawl and wipe transitions. The end credits are even in the style of a Star Wars film as well. In order to do that though, I knew I'd have to somehow use John Williams' main theme... Only if I used the actual audio, the video would surely get a copyright strike. I then decided to put together an a cappella arrangement as a work around by enlisting help from some vocalists at my local church. We recorded during the week of Thanksgiving break and it was the first part of the video which was finalized.

-Early on in the process I made the thumbnail and crawl. When writing the opening crawl, I looked to The Last Jedi's crawl as inspiration for the proper wording. As for the thumbnail, I made a more simplistic version, but it was recommended for me to work in a person's face because that would help the video get more views. I decided to impose Luke on top and then changed the lighting and coloring to better blend everything together. 

-If you watch Star Wars Rebels, you may have caught onto how the World Between Worlds aesthetic influenced this particular graphic. 

-The most time-consuming part of the process was probably searching for specific footage on the Internet. You would be amazed at how difficult it was to find certain clips without a watermark, and in some cases, I had to settle for standard definition because there was no HD version available. 

Otherwise, I don't have much else to share with you. I hope you enjoyed the video as well as this post, and I'll catch up on all my film reviews soon as I've seen about ten films since my last review.

'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Review

Well, well, well... The time has finally arrived for me to share my thoughts on my most anticipated film of the year... Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle... Wait a second, that's not right... Of course, I mean Star Wars: The Last Jedi, a film I've been eagerly awaiting since December of 2015. The two year wait has been long to say the least, but it's over with, and we now have a two year wait to eagerly anticipate the arrival of Episode IX, so without further ado, I proudly present my NON-SPOILER review of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Original Score.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi begins where Star Wars: The Force Awakens ended. The Resistance are evacuating their base as they flee from the formidable First Order, while Rey seeks Luke Skywalker to teach her the ways of the Force, so that she may use her extraordinary power to aid the Resistance in their struggle against the First Order.

If your biggest issue with The Force Awakens was that it played things too safe, then you'll be pleased to hear that writer-director Rian Johnson defies convention at every turn. I absolutely adore Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but even I can admit that film stuck to the safe side of things. Johnson, however, takes bountiful bold risks in his middle entry to this Star Wars sequel trilogy. Johnson implements ideas and style completely foreign to the franchise, yet manages to present them with enough assuredness that you'll quickly become convinced it was all meant to be. 

The new characters, creatures, and planets are incredibly abstract and unlike almost anything else that has ever existed in the Star Wars canon. It's difficult to express exactly how unique everything is while avoiding spoilers, but it reminded me of George Lucas' own original universe-building, and I loved that. It's no wonder Lucasfilm had the confidence to sign him on to oversee an entirely new Star Wars trilogy before The Last Jedi was even released.

If I were asked to choose one line of dialogue from the film to encapsulate the experience of watching The Last Jedi, I would certainly choose Luke's warning that "This is not going to go the way you think!" Johnson continuously took me by surprise with every ballsy decision made. The story flows naturally, but Johnson brilliantly subverted my expectations time-and-time again over the film's two and a half hour runtime. 

It's worth noting that The Last Jedi echoes certain elements from The Empire Strikes Back, but Johnson never rehashes the quintessential sequel in any way, shape, or form. In fact, I'd go as far to saying Johnson distances his film a great deal from the structure of The Empire Strikes Back. The closest The Last Jedi gets would be that the First Order bounces back triumphant after a critical loss of a super-weapon similarly to the Empire after the first Death Star's destruction and the plot centers on the training of a Jedi who's only just discovered their extraordinary abilities. Other than that, I can't think of any other startling similarities... Even the Force training narrative drastically differs from what has come before. I won't go into too much story or character detail though since this is a spoiler-free review, but I can assure concerned fans that there will not be an outpouring of fans claiming The Last Jedi ripped off The Empire Strikes Back like what happened to The Force Awakens in relation to A New Hope. 

In the technical area, the departments responsible for the film's visual effects, sound editing/mixing, production design, and costuming prove to once again be remarkable, as we've come to expect from Lucasfilm. However, it's Johnson's cinematographer, Steve Yedlin, and editor, Bob Ducsay, who interject a frenetic energy and style to the action sequences that truly make The Last Jedi stand out among its franchise family members. This is just as much a Rian Johnson film as it is a Star Wars sequel, and Yedlin and Ducsay ensure that his stylized sensibilities shine through this installment. And, of course, I cannot go without applauding John Williams on another spellbinding score. Williams is a legend, so what else could you possibly expect the man to compose other than another musical masterpiece?

Among the exceptional ensemble of performers, there are many notable characters worth discussing. However, seeing as this is a non-spoiler review, there will likely be many I'm either purposely vague in describing or leave out all together. Daisy Ridley delivers another show-stopping performance front-and-center as Rey, further fleshing out her character while traversing the tricky path between the Light and Dark sides of the Force. 

Mark Hamill's long-awaited return as Luke Skywalker is just as amazing as you could have possibly imagined. Luke Skywalker has always been one of my favorite Star Wars characters, so seeing him onscreen actually speaking this time around was a real treat. Johnson's interpretation of the character at this point is quite different than the Luke fans are accustomed to seeing. Hamill himself has mentioned in interviews he didn't at first agree with the take on the character. However, the Luke we know and love is still in there... He's simply been reshaped by experiences that took place in the thirty year gap between Return Of The Jedi and The Force Awakens. What Hamill's able to accomplish through this is simply astounding. It's not only his best performance as Luke, but I believe it to be the best of his entire career. If there's any justice, he'll get an Oscar nomination at the very least. 

Oscar Isaac's Poe Dameron flies straight back into the mix with the charming, cocky attitude that won audiences over in the opening minutes of The Force Awakens and his trusty droid, BB-8. Isaac has a substantially larger role this time around as Dameron in comparison to The Force Awakens, so those who wanted more from him and BB-8 will be overly exuberant. On that front, BB-8 rolls in right alongside his suave master, and is intent to bestow audiences with as much joy as a droid can possibly provide. People made a big deal out of his First Order counterpart, BB-9E, but I'll outright let you know the First Order droid is insignificant in the grand scheme of things as I suspected. 

Now for the tough part... Carrie Fisher's tragic passing last year probably affected me more than any other recent celebrity death because she was just as integral to this franchise as Hamill and Ford. While I won't quite go as far to saying Leia has a "substantially larger" role, she certainly feels more important this time around and some scenes were very emotional for me because of what had happened (if you sit through the first portion of credits, there's an especially sweet dedication to her). Fisher once again imbues Leia with the traits that had audiences fall for a Alderaanian Princess in the first place. She's strong, insightful, and most importantly of all, she inspires hope. 

Elsewhere among the Resistance, John Boyega's back as Finn, and his pleasant personality is very much the same. Alongside him, Kelly Marie Tran enters the fray as we're introduced to Rose, and I'll say she really impressed me as what I can only assume will be the break-out performance of the film. While she won't be the character everyone talks about upon leaving the theater, she won't be easily forgotten either. Laura Dern and Benicio Del Toro are two especially accomplished actors who join the franchise in the intriguing roles of Vice Admiral Holdo and DJ respectively, but I won't say anything else about them for fear of unintentionally spoiling something.

On the Dark side of things, Adam Driver continues to extrapolate plenty from the rich character of Kylo Ren. Kylo Ren goes through a lot in this film, and Driver portrays it perfectly. I doubt he'll win over those who vehemently hate him because of what he did in the last film, but he was a magnificent malevolent presence and I think they might at least agree with that sentiment. Alongside him, Domhnall Gleeson reemerges as General Hux to reignite their bitter rivalry, and he's quick to remind audiences that he's a Nazi-esque First Order leader.

As for Snoke, I think those who wildly speculated about his identity and backstory will be extremely disappointed with him, but we do finally see the Supreme Leader in the flesh quite a bit and he's certainly powerful. Andy Serkis offers as incredible of a motion-capture performance as you'd expect from the man, but I wouldn't go as far to saying Snoke holds a candle to Caesar or Gollum among Serkis' magnificent motion-capture career.

Gwendoline Christie returns to desperately redeem Captain Phasma, and while she plays a part in the story, her character's role is minute once again. To me, this doesn't really matter because she was cool when onscreen and had enough of an authoritative presence to satisfy me. However, if you're eagerly awaiting a tremendous return for the chrome-plated captain, you may be dreadfully disappointed. Her battle with Finn is awesome though. For that matter, this film has some of the greatest action sequences in the entire saga, and that's really saying something... 

Last, but certainly not least, I've left space to briefly discuss droids and creatures. C3PO and R2D2 are both in the film, and there are some especially satisfying moments for both droids that will delight fans. The mighty Chewbacca roars his way onscreen again, and is strong and lovable as you remember. Meanwhile, the Porgs are as adorable as you'd expect them to be, and never in an obnoxiously overbearing sense, so no problems there.

If you know me at all, you'll know that I don't say this lightly... Star Wars: The Last Jedi is perhaps the first Star Wars film to truly be in contention for besting The Empire Strikes Back as my favorite Star Wars film, and the implications of that statement are huge for those of you who have know My Fifty Favorite Films... I'm sure there will be those who disagree with me, and this sentiment could certainly change over time, but that's my current stance fresh out of the theater. Regardless, the Force is indeed strong with The Last Jedi as it intrepidly ventures outside the traditional Star Wars story structure while maintaining the essential identity of Star Wars. I laughed. I cried. I was genuinely surprised. I have no idea how J.J. Abrams is going to follow up this masterpiece.

Film Assessment: A+

Star Wars Speculation: 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Trailer Analysis

Hello loyal readers! As I seek to find new content to replace the lacking reviews of new releases this fall, I thought to myself "Why do I not already have a series of posts dedicated to Star Wars?" Then it hit me! I decided right then and there I would start a weekly series dedicated to discussing various topics regarding Star Wars. This series will change radically week-to-week and just encompass all things Star Wars. It felt like a perfect time to get it rolling and what better way to kick this off than by sharing my takeaways from this latest Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer! So let's break it down!

**Keep in mind that these are just my theories and interpretation of the scenery. I could be way off mark in regards to speculation, but provided I'm correct, potential spoilers lie ahead.**

'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Trailer Analysis

This trailer was very Kylo Ren-centric. It seems clear that Supreme Leader Snoke will be setting him out to snuff out the light within himself. The above shot seems to show him in some First Order facility where they're manufacturing weapons, vehicles, etc. This could possibly be him in recovery after he took a nasty saber swipe across the face in The Force Awakens, as I noticed there was some sort of tape obscuring his scar throughout the trailer. Snoke narrates saying "When I found you... I saw raw, untamed power... and beyond that... something truly special." Could be talking to Kylo Ren or Rey. Your guess is as good as mine.  

Next, we're treated to a look at the new AT-M6's marching on Craft. The AT-M6 designation stands for All Terrain MegaCallibur 6 and they appear to be an evolution of the standard Imperial AT-AT's most are familiar with from The Empire Strikes Back. It's also worth noting that this takes place on Crait, a new location to the Star Wars universe. Crait will house a Resistance base and the First Order appears to be coming full force! Also notice that Kylo Ren's First Order shuttle from The Force Awakens is flying above in the background.

Then we have Kylo Ren marching on through some cave/chasm with several First Order troops following suit. Very reminiscent of Anakin's march on the Jedi Temple during Order 66 from Revenge Of The Sith.

Here we have Kylo in what seems to be some First Order facility, likely in the presence of Snoke considering the red robes behind him. 

These are most likely the robes of Snoke's personal guards, the Elite Praetorian Guards. These guards are inspired by samurai and an elite group of Roman guards who protected the Roman Emperor. 

Going back to the trailer, we have Rey igniting her lightsaber.

More shots of Ach-To, the planet Rey found Luke on.

A continuation of The Force Awakens' cliffhanger where Rey hands Luke his former lightsaber. I'm pretty sure he will return it to her and it will become her lightsaber based on all the training footage. Rey says "Something inside me has always been there..."

I have no idea where this is located or what the significance of this is, but my best guess is that it's some hidden area of Ach-To and it ties into Rey's training.

LUKE'S LIBRARY!! As I've been reading various the Star Wars canon material, it seems evident that Luke was seeking as much knowledge and as many Jedi relics as he could possibly obtain. I think these are some books he's gathered or these books are ones found in the abandoned Ach-To Jedi Temple. "But now it's awake..."

"And I need help." Some more saber swinging. Very cool.

Okay, I believe a lot can be gleaned from this short moment. First off, Rey's training and she seems to have startled Luke with her strength in the force. He seems taken aback by this and I believe it's for good reason... Luke says "I've seen this raw strength only once before..."

"It didn't scare me enough then..." I think this is referencing Kylo Ren's betrayal and subsequent destruction of Luke's new Jedi Order. He saw this same strength in Kylo Ren, and wasn't worried at the time and many payed for his trust in Kylo. Above we seemingly see Luke emerge from the wreckage of Kylo's destruction and watching it all in grief alongside R2-D2. This second shot was also featured in the last trailer and I believe it's the same shot of Luke with R2 from Rey's vision in The Force Awakens, just from a different angle.

"It does now." Luke's reluctant to train Rey, because he's still reeling from what happened with Kylo Ren. Rey seems disappointed in Luke's reluctance. 

Kylo Ren says "Let the past die." as he's shown smashing his helmet. Potentially bringing his Vader fanboy days to an end? 

The trailer proceeds to Kylo Ren piloting his own Vader-inspired starfighter, the Tie Silencer. He's in the middle of some space battle opposite the Resistance and the voice over says "Kill it... if you have to...that's the only way to become who you're meant to be" as he devastates some Resistance cruisers and sets his targeting computer on the bridge of a Resistance cruiser seemingly with Leia onboard. This is when the feels creep in as you must watch a conflicted Kylo Ren decide whether or not he even wants to complete his journey to the Dark Side by killing his own mother, Leia. I can't imagine he will go through with it here, because I highly doubt the Lucasfilm marketing department would let that pivotal moment slip into a trailer. However, I don't think that means Leia's completely off the hook. It's been stated that Lucasfilm will not be shoe-horning Leia into Episode 9 via CGI or recasting out of respect to Carrie Fisher.

 The Millennium Falcon is being pursued by Tie Fighters in a cavern full of red crystals. I'm curious to see if this takes place on Crait... and if those crystals are red kyber crystals. For those that don't know, kyber crystals are the force-attuned crystals that power a Jedi's lightsaber.

Chewbacca and the porg have a screech-off! Porgs will be the Star Wars equivalent of Puffins and are native to Act-To. Adorable, aren't they?!?

Poe Dameron in distress.

 A look at Poe's upgraded X-Wing. The engine's gotten a major boost.

And lookie-there! Carrie Fisher's daughter, Billie Lourd, in the background reprising her role from The Force Awakens.

 Fin vs. Captain Phasma!!!

Captain Phasma still looks really cool here. I love the light reflecting off her chrome armor. Incredible.

Oh no!!! BB-8's been electrocuted. I'm sure he'll shake it off, but it's never good to see that droid in peril.

"This is not going to go... the way you think!" Luke's likely talking to Rey or Kylo Ren. I have no idea what the context could be, but I'm excited to find out!

Ice wolves? Don't really know what these are called as of now... but they sure do look cool!

More Leia!! 

Underwater force training. Visually reminds me of the force tree scene from Empire Strikes Back.

 Finn undercover with the First Order.

First Order lining up inside some base. Looks to be the same facility from the opening shot.

Battle of Crait. The First Order seems to be overwhelming the Resistance. 

"Fulfill...Your... Destiny" SNOKE IN THE FLESH!!! Ok, place your final bets on his identity now. 

Snoke's exhibiting some Dark Side force ability on Rey here. I have no idea what it is, but she's definitely in excruciating pain. 

And last, but not least, THAT ENDING!! Rey says "I need someone... to show me my place in all this." and the trailer cuts to Kylo reaching his hand out. After many rewatches, I'm convinced that this  an intentional misdirect. Could be really clever editing and Kylo may not even be in frame with Rey here. BUT if Rey turns to the Dark Side, that would be absolutely insane. 

Well... that's all I have to say about the new trailer as of now. I hope you've all enjoyed this and are looking forward to the next Star Wars Speculation post!!! 

-May the force be with you!