Star Wars: The Last Jedi’s 5 Best 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. 

So by now, hardcore fans and general movie-goers alike would have run out to the cinema to see the latest entry in this sci-fi series, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Some people loved it, others hated it, but the important thing is that it expanded the Star Wars universe and got people talking.

To seek a balance in the force, I’ve decided to pen what are my five absolute favourite moments featured in The Last Jedi. This is an entirely subjective list, though I imagine there’ll be a consensus on some of these; people do love a good lightsaber fight, after all. Let’s delve right in:

 

LUKE SKYWALKER – ALL OF HIM

Say what you want about the new characters introduced in The Last Jedi, but I’d find it hard to agree with anybody who wasn’t a fan of Mark Hamill in this film.

Not only did we get moments of classic Luke in his fight with Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) towards the end of the movie, but Hamill brought a consistent sense of levity to the role that made the best Skywalker more than just a do-good archetype.

Particularly with the (brief) flashbacks to Luke’s time with Ben Solo, we got a real glimpse into the layered nature of Luke’s character. His potential attempt to kill Ben wasn’t the only shocking reveal in the film, however…

 

REY’S PARENTAGE (OR LACK THEREOF)

Eesh, this is going to be controversial.

Ever since The Force Awakens, fans of the Star Wars franchise have been clamouring to learn who Rey’s (Daisy Ridley) parents are. Specifically, for me at least, one of the most interesting scenes in that film is when Maz Kanata asks Han Solo, “So, who’s the girl?”, only to have the scene cut immediately before he can answer.

And we finally learned that they were…nobody. At least, that’s what Kylo Ren affirms when the two have finished fighting all of Snoke’s bodyguards. It’s an incredible subversion of expectations, and goes against everything people thought – for the most part.

Don’t get me wrong: I can completely understand the frustration with this reveal. It defies theories and could lead some to think that everything in these films is pointless. However, instead, I’d much rather look at it like this: Star Wars is a universe in which all important people are only such because their parents were important. If Rey’s parents truly were nobodies, then her abilities and eventual heroic actions are all the more momentous; she has accomplished everything without any preconceived steps-up in life.

But back to that fight.

 

REY & KYLO REN KILL EVERYTHING

What an amazing fight this was! Not only is there the shocking twist of Kylo killing his master – akin to Vader’s execution of The Emperor – but we’re then treated to an amazing tag-team in which Rey and Kylo Ren fight all of Snoke’s red-suited bodyguards.

It’s a fight which would have been unheard of following the conclusion to The Force Awakens, and is an awesome, action-packed sequence that showcases how stylised and visually exciting a lightsaber fight can be.

It’s not a complete cakewalk, either; the best moment in the scene occurs when Kylo is being held by a guard, and Rey throws him her lightsaber to finish the job. It’s bold, exciting, and exactly the kind of action we want from a Star Wars film.

 

POE DAMERON’S DEVELOPMENT

Of all the characters who changed over the course of this film, it is perhaps Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron who was the most believable and realistic.

He starts the film as the hot-headed, cocky pilot we all know and love; deftly flying through space and extinguishing countless tie-fighters. But, on returning back the Rebel ship, the question is raised by Leia (Carrie Fisher): At what cost? Several resistance ships exploded in the firefight, and countless lives were lost.

This point is then accentuated when Leia succumbs to her injuries (and, y’know, space), and Vice Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern) joins the fray. Lacking the knowledge of Poe’s expertise like Leia had, Holdo instead dismisses him as nothing more than a “flyboy.”

It isn’t until the end of the film that we really start to see how Poe could take over the role of the Rebellion’s commander-in-chief; especially with the tragic, real-life passing of Carrie Fisher.

 

SURPRISINGLY, PORGS

I don’t think anybody saw this coming: porgs aren’t the worst thing in the world.

In fact, I really started to like them as the story progressed. What begun in the trailer as a clear money-grabbing creature that could be marketed to children ended up being an adorable little beast that is far from the atrocity of eye-blinking ewoks.

They even had something of a narrative throughout The Last Jedi, beginning by being eaten by Chewbacca, and eventually acting as a dashboard-mounted souvenir for good luck. Sure, the puppetry that brought them to life was occasionally a little wonky, but otherwise I’d be happy to wear a shirt confessing my love for them.

What were your favourite moments in The Last Jedi? Feel free to chuck them in the comments below!

Enjoyed this? While we have you here, you should probably also check out the worst moments from The Last Jedi, too.