Last year, Disney and Lucasfilm started experimenting a bit withStar Warsmovies by making a standalone, totally separate from the Skywalker saga.Rogue Onetold us the story of how the Rebels managed to get their hands on the plans for the Death Star. Many fans absolutely love the movie, as they should. ButStar Wars: The Last Jediis finally in theaters and, in many ways, the latest chapter in the Skywalker saga is better thanRogue One.
Star Wars: The Last Jedipicks up right whereStar Wars: The Force Awakensleft off and gives us a lot of the old mixed with a lot of the new. We get to see Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, interacting with the likes of Rey, Finn, Kylo Ren and Poe Dameron. There are new worlds explored. There’s a whole lot of the Force being used. Exploration of the Jedi order and mythology, as the title implies. And lightsabers. Lots of lightsabers. It may not be a perfect movie, but it does a lot of things right.
Director Rian Johnson was brought on board to take over for J.J. Abrams, who ushered the franchise back into the world withThe Force Awakens. Bringing in a fresh, smart perspective, he’s proven he knows how to craft a good sci-fi movie, and that turned out to be a very good move. Not only because it’s going to make Disney and Lucasfilm a lot of money, but because fans are treated to a lot of great things as a result. When compared toRogue One, there’s a lot to love here. So, here are all of the ways thatStar Wars: The Last Jediis better thanRogue One.
12Last Jedi has a clear vision.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Storyis a good movie, but themassive reshootsneeded in order to get the movie ready for the big screen are quite well known at this point. Tony Gilroy was hired to come in and helped Gareth Edwards shoot new scenes and reshoot other scenes to get the final product we have today. In as much as it is a good movie, there is a lingering sense that the movie doesn’t have as clear and distinct of a vision asStar Wars: The Last Jedidoes. Despite any personal feelings toward either movie, Rian Johnson clearly has a vision that was executed flawlessly inStar Wars: The Last Jedi. He made the movie he wanted to make and the movie he set out to make. There’s a clear vision to it through and through. Hence, Lucasfilm seemed to be very happy with his work. This is, without a doubt, one of the best things aboutStar Wars 8.
11The Force is utilized better.
With characters like Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen), the Force was explored inRogue One, despite the fact that there were no actual Jedi in it, with Darth Vader only appearing in a few, key scenes. However,Star Wars: The Last Jediis absolutely loaded down with revelations about the Force. Rian Johnson doesn’t just show us what’s familiar. He gives us a lot of Force-wielding and a lot ofJedi action, while expanding upon our deeper understanding of the Force. Surprisingly, after seven episodicStar Warsmovies, the deeper ideas of the Force and the Jedi hadn’t really been explored on screen. This is an absolute pillar ofStar Wars: The Last Jediand the movie is better off for it. In fact, futureStar Warsmovies, in general, will be better off for it, as the Force playbook has been opened up quite a bit. This adds toStar Warslore in the best possible way.
10Last Jedi has a better main villain.
There is no better villain thanDarth Vaderin the history of cinema. Period. SoRogue Onegets an immediate bonus point for having him in the movie. Especially with that epic scene at the end. However, he’s hardly the main villain ofRogue One: A Star Wars Story. That honor belongs to Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn), who does a fine job with what he’s given. The problem is, he’s not given a lot to do. It’s one of the frustrating parts of that movie, without a doubt.Star Wars: The Last Jedi, on the other hand, has both Snoke and Kylo Ren. Not only were they one of the best parts ofStar Wars: The Force Awakens, but because we get to dive very deep into their characters in this latest chapter, it makes them much stronger villains. Literally. And with Kylo Ren, his character arc is not at all something predictable. It’s easily one of the more interesting parts ofThe Last Jediand Ben Solo’s fascinating villainous turn, which keeps you guessing the entire time, makes him far and away a better villain than Orson Krennic could ever hope to be.
9There are more familiar characters.
Rogue Oneproved that aStar Warsmovie can totally work without relying on familiar characters to drive the story. The movie largely deals with an ensemble of characters never before introduced to us in a galaxy far, far away. It works. But there’s just nothing like seeing Luke Skywalker with a lightsaber in his hand. There’s nothing like seeingCarrie Fisher as Leia Organacommanding the Resistance in the way that only she can. Also, in this movie Rey, Finn, Poe and Kylo Ren are familiar to us, since we got to know them inStar Wars: The Force Awakens. That makes the journey we take with these characters more special and, forStar Warsfans who have been waiting for more than 30 years to see some of the things we get to see inThe Last Jedi, it’s impossible for a movie likeRogue Oneto hope to compete with the advantage familiar characters provide.
8It’s part of the Skywalker saga
Yes,Rogue Onedid give us the first ever standaloneStar Warsmovie and that’s something that will allow Lucasfilm to explore all kinds of stories moving forward in a galaxy far, far away. That said, there’s still something so comforting and special about movies in theStar Warssaga.Star Warsis more than a series of movies to a great many people and seeing this story still evolving after more than four decades is something truly special. Especially in the case ofStar Wars: The Last Jedi, given some of the things we get to see. Mark Hamill gives quite possibly his best performance to date as Luke Skywalker, this is the last time we’re ever going to see Carrie Fisher as Leia Organa and we got Frank Oz back as Yoda. These are things that simply can’t happen in a standaloneStar Warsstory and have an impact that can’t be matched. There’s a lot of weight, emotionally and narratively speaking, to a movie in the Skywalker saga.Rogue Onecould never have hoped to compete with that sort of thing. At least not on an emotional level.
7The Last Jedi uses nostalgia right.
Hollywood has become a nostalgia machine. Everything that is old, the industry is trying to make new again, if only to give audiences a familiar feeling and use that feeling to get butts in seats. Often times, this nostalgia doesn’t really work. Think of the newGhostbusters, for example. However, Rian Johnson brilliantly uses nostalgia to makeStar Wars: The Last Jedia better movie. Yoda just doesn’t show up to remind people that Yoda exists. He shows up at a crucial time to help guide Luke Skywalker, which has been his most important role in the saga. Luke doesn’t just use his lightsaber to remind us that he has a lightsaber. He only ignites it for important and compelling story reasons. Legacy characters don’t just show up as a nod to the audience. Just look at what they did to Admiral Ackbar. Johnson takes the familiar, uses it in a nostalgic way, but makes that nostalgia work for the story. This is the best way to eat member berries, people.
6The Last Jedi doesn’t have a Death Star.
If there’s one and only one thing that we never need to see in aStar Warsmovie again, it’s Jar Jar Binks. But just behind the most hated Gungan in the galaxy on that list is the Death Star. Or some version of a Death Star with a different name. We’re looking at you, Starkiller Base. TheStar Warsuniverse is massive and yet, so many of the movies have relied on the Death Star as a plot device. If not a central one, it even appears as a minor element, like inStar Wars: Attack of the Clones. The entire plot ofRogue Onerelies on the Death Star and tells a story fans have wanted to see told for a very long time. That said, it is so unbelievably refreshing to haveStar Wars: The Last Jedinot actually feature a Death Star. The closest we get is that canon at the end that uses some version of the Death Star cannon technology. So there’s a name drop, but we don’t have to deal with another version of the planet-killing weapon.
5John Williams' Score.
Michael Giacchino is one of the finest composers working in the business today. If you don’t believe it, just check out his IMDB page. So why not have him be the first man to score aStar Warsmovie not named John Williams? That was the thinking when he was brought on board, sort of last-minute, to scoreRogue One: A Star Wars Story. All due respect to Mr. Giacchino, but the score inRogue Onedoesn’t quite feel like aStar Warsscore. John Williams is, in many ways, the heart and soul of theStar Warsfranchise and listening to the score inStar Wars: The Last Jedimakes that very clear. He won’t be able to do these movies forever, but we need to enjoy it while we can. This score inThe Last Jedireally makes it feel like aStar Warsmovie. So much so that you might not have even thought about it while watching the movie. But that speaks to what Williams brings to the table. He knows what he’s doing with these movies and this unquestionably givesThe Last Jedia point overRogue One.
4The Last Jedi has Better Character Development.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Storyhas a lot of characters worth loving. The problem is, this band of Rebels has to be assembled so quickly and the mission has to start in order to keep the plot moving, leaving very little time for character development. Gareth Edwards does what he can, but the time constraint does get in the way of truly fleshing out these characters. Rian Johnson, however, has the benefit of playing with characters we’re already familiar with and, with that, is able to give some incredibly satisfying character development inStar Wars: The Last Jedi. Specifically, looking at a character like Kylo Ren, Johnson is able to very satisfyingly take his character in new, exciting directions. Luke is also a character who, despite being a pillar of the franchise from the very beginning, gets to head in brave, new directions in this movie. Top to bottom, this is a movie about character and, as a result, the character development is hands down way better.Rogue Onewas never meant to be a movie hinged on intimately developing characters, butThe Last Jediwins out in this respect as a result.
3The new aliens are way better in The Last Jedi.
Can you name one truly cool alien that was introduced inRogue One? Are there really any people out there who loved Bor Gullet?Rogue Onehas a lot of strengths, but introducing us to new, exciting aliens wasn’t one of them.Star Wars: The Last Jediis loaded with cool, new alien creatures all across the galaxy. The Porgs are just part of that equation, but it’s worth mentioning that the cute little birds didn’t become the new Ewoks. Porgs are great. You should love Porgs. But there’s also the space horses, know as a fathiers, which are truly fantastic. Even many of the new aliens in the background ofThe Last Jediseemed to be more noteworthy and compelling than those featured inRogue One. Rian Johnson really did right byStar Warsfans in this respect.
