Star Wars: The Last Jedi’s 5 Worst Moments

It should hopefully be apparent with the title, but this list will delve into full spoilers for the latest Star Wars movie. If you haven’t seen the film yet, then I would heavily advise against reading on. If you don’t care, then let’s get going. 

Full disclosure: I really liked Star Wars: The Last Jedi. I thought it had some great character development for heroes new and old, and boasted some of the prettiest visuals ever to emerge from a galaxy far, far away.

However, I don’t think it’s a flawless film – few are. In fact, there were some eye-rolling moments throughout that honestly detracted from the overall experience of the film. And because this is the internet, I feel I should reiterate: I did not hate this movie. But I wanted to take a look at some scenes and sequences that will definitely act as talking points for fans of the series. Here we go:

 

FINN AND ROSE’S ADVENTURE

Okay, so Kelly Marie Tran’s new character, Rose, was actually a pretty solid inclusion in the Star Wars universe. Wide representation for everybody is always a plus, so seeing the American/Vietnamese actress in a prominent role alongside fan favourite Finn (John Boyega) was great!

However, their adventure to the casino throughout The Last Jedi’s second act was an absolute chore; especially considering the fact that it continuously stole the focus from Rey and Luke training on the island, which is arguably the best sub-plot of the film. Couple this with some wonky CGI animals that were one step off of “Now this is pod racing!”, and you’ve got yourself some troublesome action.

It did lead to some great moments later on, though, when the two were captured on the First Order ship. But even that had its own issues…

 

CAPTAIN PHASMA – AGAIN

Back in 2015’s The Force Awakens, fans were disappointed by the lack of Gwendoline Christie’s Captain Phasma. Essentially, the chrome-plated stormtrooper commander had been Boba Fett’ed – that is, built-up to be a dangerous villain, but then vanquished at the first sign of combat.

So rejoice! When the first trailer for The Last Jedi dropped back in October, it seemed like Phasma and Finn would finally have their climactic face-off. One would win, one would die. It seemed like really exciting stuff.

A shame, then, that it really amounted to around a minute of smacking each other before Phasma fell, fatally, into a fiery explosion of death. Sure, there was a quiet moment of acceptance in which we saw beneath Phasma’s intimidating exterior, but when all was said and done it just felt a bit anti-climactic. However, Phasma’s death wasn’t the worst in the film.

 

THE DEATH OF SNOKE

I can completely understand this one, but still think it was a real shame. At least it led to an awesome double-team fight, though.

So yes, unfortunately, Supreme Leader Snoke dies about midway through The Last Jedi. In an act of defiance and personal development, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) slices through Snoke’s gut and severs him in twain. It’s a fun death, and has huge implications for Ren’s character as the final instalment in this trilogy nears.

But, I just wish they hadn’t killed him. Snoke was an interesting character teased via hologram in The Force Awakens, and fan theories about his origin were rife. Was he the Emperor? Was he Darth Vader? Was he Jar Jar?

Well, it’s unlikely we’ll find out any of that, because he’s now, y’know, dead. Snoke could have been the trilogy’s overarching villain that would only become more menacing with each instalment, but instead we’re now left with the morally ambiguous Kylo Ren as a leading antagonist. Director J.J. Abrams could still make things interesting with Episode IX, but I doubt we’ll get another Snoke by then.

 

LUKE SKYWALKER DRINKING BREAST MILK

Personal taste, this one.

It’s obviously not the film-ruining moment that some might state it to be. But the scene in which Luke (Mark Hamill) psyches-out Rey by squeezing the breast of a strange creature, extracting green milk, and then drinking it with (apparent) glee is an odd one.

It’s obviously intended to offer some levity to the film, and develop Luke’s character to the audience – some of whom might not even know who he is. But it was just…weird. Not as weird as this final entry, though:

 

PRINCESS LEIA FLYING THROUGH SPACE

Again, I get it. I understand the significance of this moment, and how it’s meant to highlight the power Leia has with the force. In terms of storytelling, it makes sense.

It just looks so laughably peculiar in execution. Don’t get me wrong: The Last Jedi is a respectful sendoff for Carrie Fisher – one of the franchises most lovable actresses. But the moment in which she is blown out into the colds of space, only to fly – like Superman – back to the ship is incredibly peculiar.

I suppose I can’t come up with an alternative way that director Rian Johnson could have done the scene, but as is, it looks downright strange in the midst of a very serious sequence of events.

As I said, though: I think Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a really great movie.

Want to read the flipside of this? Be sure to check what we thought were the best moments of The Last Jedi. Alternatively, if you need some Star Wars gift ideas, we got you.