Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)...

Right, ok, this is awkward, I'm going to say something that will be unpopular. I liked the Last Jedi. Now, I'm not out to defend Disney, I don't think I'm what Robot Head on YouTube described as the perfect Disney consumer because I liked it. I did and I apologise profusely.

I recently re-watched the sequel trilogy (re-watching everything in lock-down), and it's been an interesting experience. When the Last Jedi came out in the cinema I saw it a few days after its release. So I went in aware that there was a huge discrepancy between the critic's reviews and the fan's reviews. But, I keep away from spoilers as much as possible, so I went in without any real knowledge of the plot. I enjoyed it at the time, but it was hard not to overthink it afterwards when I finally delved into the plethora of videos and reviews that picked the movie apart scene by scene. It's very easy to get drawn into the narrative that surrounds a movie, and this one dragged a lot of people along with it.

But, nearly 18 months later I returned to watch the film with all of the controversy that surrounded it largely gone from my mind. We sat down (we generally watch things as a family) and watched it, and I became totally engrossed in it. I think it actually works really well. On a surface level, the film is genuinely stunning to watch. It's visually amazing, and all credit to the people who designed these amazing worlds and creatures, because they created a beautiful movie. The film has a wonderful message of hope, about keeping going, saving the people you love, and keeping the spark alive. I thought it cleverly expanded the universe away from a few families to everyone. The boy at the end who shows a little force ability shows that the galaxy is more than we thought (and from a story telling point of view means that a lot more can be told), and the idea of Rey being nobody also did this (yes, I know JJ. came a long and wiped over that idea in The Rise of Skywalker).

Contrary to what a lot of reviewers thought I liked Luke's story-line. It was a tragedy. Here was someone who had freed the galaxy, avoided turning to the dark side, old and alone and living a hermit's life, cut off from the force. It was sad. I know people wanted Luke to wielding a lightsaber and have amazing force powers, but this wasn't his story. It was Rey's. story, it was about her struggle. Let's not forget, Star Wars can be very tragic. None of the characters live happily ever after, and Luke is no exception to this. I enjoyed his struggle against what everyone wanted him to be. I liked how he returned to the force and how we got little glimpses of his power. A lot of people tout Luke as the 'greatest Jedi of all time', but was he really? No, I don't think so. He didn't receive training until he was an adult. He only had a few days with Yoda in a swamp, and if it wasn't for his father, he would have died at the hands of the Emperor. He wasn't the greatest Jedi, but he was of the right character to do what was needed. His ark was one of redemption for abandoning his life, and for turning his back on Ben Solo who goes on to be Kylo Ren.

Kylo's ark was also very satisfying. The fallout of having killed his father, and his relationship with Snoke make for a complex character arc, as does his growing connection to Rey. The will-they-won't-they story has been done many, many times throughout cinema, but here it also developed our understanding of the force. Again and again I read infuriated comments about how the film doesn't understand the force, but the force is what the film makes it. Turns out, there was more to the force than we knew.

Snoke was another interesting character. I found him menacing, and intriguing, and a good follow up to the Emperor. To be honest I never really expected to learn his origin. In the original trilogy, we never learned anything about the Emperor's background. He walked on screen fully formed and we just accepted that. It's the same with Snoke. There has been about 30 years since Return of the Jedi so we can easily imagine someone else stepping into the Emperor's shoes. The decision to kill him mid-way through the second film in a trilogy was certainly a shocking twist, and a brave storytelling decision, but it allowed Kylo Ren to develop. And that throne room scene was visually stunning...even if the choreography wasn't up to scratch.

Now, on to the criticisms! Oh, did you think this was just a besotted fanboy review? No, I realise that this movie, and indeed any movie, isn't perfect. I do agree, in general, with the criticisms regarding Canto Bight. It didn't work. Yes, it made Finn realise that things aren't just black and white. I do think something the Disney era films have done well is make things a little less good guys v bad guys. Rogue One did this well also. Sometimes good guys do bad things (think Cassian Andor), and here the good guys buy from bad weapons dealers. I liked Benicio Del Toro's character, but he was wasted. I also think that this could have been a good place to write Lando Calrissian back into the story. He'd have been brilliant as a code-breaking gambler. 

I thought Rose was an interesting character. It gave us an insight into the consequences of Poe's actions, that real people died, and their loved ones now have to deal with that. She was also a good foil to Finn's black and white view of the galaxy. However, she was stuck in the Canto Bight story! But, she saves Finn, showing her selflessness. I think it would have been interesting to let Finn die at that point as his arc was basically complete.

Another issue I had was the Mary Poppins moment. To be honest, Leia was basically redundant in this film anyway. They had no story for her so they put her in a coma for the majority of the movie. I do feel that Carrie Fisher's performance was not great in the sequel trilogy (I still love Carria Fisher, however). But, the Mary Poppins moment was over the top and took me out of the movie and made me realise that I was really was watching a Disney movie. They could have had her end up in a coma without being able to fly through deep space. And don't get me started on them killing Admiral Ackbar!

Lastly, the humour spoiled some of the moments. Luke tossing the lightsaber over his shoulder ruined the moment. The end of The Force Awakens was a fantastic suspenseful moment with Rey holding out the saber to Luke who has been absent for years. It's also the saber that disappeared along with his hand in The Empire Strikes Back, it was Anakin's before his. This saber fought Obi Wan, killed younglings, and now it's tossed away for a cheap laugh. The audience has been waiting for two years to see this emotion filled moment fulfilled, and that's what we get. No! It didn't work for me. Also, the moment on Krate when the First Order fire on Luke and he emerges from the dust unscathed is a brilliant dramatic moment, but it's again ruined by a cheap laugh by having Luke brush the dust from his shoulder in a 'is that all you got' moment. It completely ruined a potentially brilliant moment. 

But, these are small complaints in an otherwise good movie. I thought it took brave decisions, and pushed things to a new level. It wasn't just a rehash, and fan service. It did something new, and that's what I want from Star Wars. I don't want the original trilogy again. If I want that I'll just watch the original trilogy.

Legion score: 8.17/10

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Should Roger Waters have access to the Pink Floyd website and social media channels...

So, it's not all reviews here, sometimes something will catch my eye and I'll write about it here. Roger Waters has recently posted a video to Facebook arguing that as he was a member of Pink Floyd his solo work should be mentioned and promoted on the Pink Floyd website and social media channels. You can watch the video below.

I'm going to agree with Roger here and say yes, he should be included on the website and social media accounts. My reason is that Pink Floyd is officially over, and has been since 2014. Therefore, anything now is a retrospective, of which Roger was a part. If Pink Floyd were still an active band, producing material, then yes, I would understand excluding the promotion of ex-members' solo work. But since its not, then a more retrospective approach should be taken. I'd like to see all of their work, past and present, promoted, right the way back to Syd Barrett. 

Plus, it has to be said, that the official Pink Floyd Facebook page has become a de facto David Gilmour and family promotion tool. David's wife, Polly Samson, seems to be shared more than anything Pink Floyd, and if its not her, then it's David, with the occasional mention of Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets project. They do share some interesting old concerts, posters and that type of thing, but Roger is curiously absent. I think he should be part of that. He was the dominating creative force in Pink Floyd throughout its golden age. He should be recognised. 

Sparks: A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip (2020)...

Well, considering my 'dad' taste in music, it's not often I will get to review a new album. And it doesn't get newer than this...our less than 48 hours! This is Sparks' 24th studio album, and Ron and Russel Mael never fail to impress. Something I love, as you will see across my reviews, are artists who continue to produce new music. I don't like when artists take the greatest hits route and just relive their old songs again and again. No, I like new! And Sparks are the masters of reinvention. They are now producing the best music of their career. Their 21st century period has been the most inventive of their 50 year spanning productivity. And to top it all off, they're very nice guys as well. I had the pleasure of seeing them play live a few years ago in Dublin on their 'Two Hands, One Mouth' tour and it was one of the best, funny shows I was ever at.

Now, to the new album. I have been following the build up to this album in Instagram and have loved the songs they're released so far, and album doesn't disappoint. Like most Sparks albums it's catchy from start to finish. It opens with the instantly likable 'All That' which starts as an acoustic number that build to a satisfying anthem-like conclusion. 'I'm Toast' is darker and heavier, but equally as engrossing. Every song builds on this strong start to a very solid ending to the album. The final four tracks of the album really round things off nicely, with 'iPhone' being my personal favourite of the entire album.

The only criticism I would offer if that the album is a tad too long, and seems to drag a little in the middle which is something I find with a lot of Sparks recent albums. I think that anything over 45 minutes is too long for an album (unless it's a double), and I think the album would have benefited from shaving 9 minutes from its 54 minutes runtime. But, don't take that as an indication that I didn't enjoy it. I've listened to it about 5 times in the last two days, and I think it will be at the top of my playlist for some time to come. I can't see anything else topping this album this year!


High Points: 'All That', 'I'm Toast', 'iPhone', and 'The Existential Threat.'

Low Points: 'Lawnmover' - this just didn't land with me.


Legion rating: A solid 6.29/10

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David Bowie (1967)...

Well, we've all got to start somewhere. Normally I find that debut albums are a wonderful thing. It catches the artist before fame an expectation take over. You find them in their raw state, so to speak, and it's nearly always thoroughly enjoyable. This may be the exception to the rule. David Bowie did not arrive in a blaze of glory.

It is really difficult to know what to make of this album, considering Bowie's later catalog. It doesn't seem to fit in anywhere. Nowhere can you discern what the man would become. But, we shouldn't judge it because of what he produced later on. We should just look at it as an album of its time. I think this album suffers because it's not sure what it wants to be. Maybe Bowie didn't know what he wanted to be yet.

Bowie's manager at the time, Ken Pitt, was pushing for him to be a more mainstream cabaret entertaining as opposed to a rock 'n' roll star, and this is clearly reflected in the songwriting. However, possibly the only indication that Bowie was not suited to this model is some of the lyrical content. The track 'We are Hungry Men' alludes to abortion and cannibalism which certainly aren't the subject matter of a cabaret singer.

You can hear the Syd Barrett influences on this album, but it doesn't have the same charm and whimsy of Barrett. It comes off wanting. The album starts well enough with 'Uncle Arthur', 'Sell Me a Coat', and 'Rubber Band', but then settles into a dirge of nonsense that, quite frankly, I find hard to listen to.


High point: Rubber Band - and I'm being generous.

Low Point: Join the Gang - it ends with fart sounds, don't ask me why.


Legion Rating: 3.92/10

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