The Last Jedi has been dividing fans since its release—some fans think it's the best
installment since The Empire Strikes Back, while others call it the worst thing to happen
to Star Wars since Jar Jar Binks.
One thing's for sure: it'll be a long time before anyone can agree on it.
But there must be balance in the Force, so let's take a look at both the worst and best
moments from The Last Jedi.
Let's start with the best and work our way to the Dark Side of The Last Jedi.
Spoilers ahead!
Holdo's sacrifice
Although the various mishaps leading up to this dramatic scene leave much to be desired,
Vice Admiral Holdo's heroic decision to take the Resistance flagship on a kamikaze hyperspace
jump directly into Snoke's ship was one of the most shocking parts of The Last Jedi.
The amazing visual effects of the collision made for a particularly impactful moment,
and there's no question that Holdo's selfless and awe-inspiring maneuver will go down as
one of the most incredible Star Wars moments of all time.
Kylo & Rey's fight
The battle between Rey, Kylo, and Supreme Leader Snoke's Praetorian Guard was one of
the definite highlights of The Last Jedi.
Sure, many Star Wars fans probably wanted a traditional lightsaber clash between Kylo
and Rey, but between the exceptional fight choreography and the thrill of seeing the
two come together to defeat Snoke's bodyguards, this unique battle was a standout moment for
the movie and the franchise.
Escape from Canto Bight
While many of Finn and Rose's scenes were a point of division among audiences, the duo's
escape from the casino at Canto Bight was probably the most rewarding part of their
time together.
Aided by slave children, the pair climb aboard one of the space horses and ride it to freedom,
smashing through the casino and streets in the process.
After being pinned down by the local police on the cliffside, Rose removes the saddle
from her Fathier and sets it free.
She and Finn share a moment, reveling in the damage they did to the wealthy resort city.
Yoda trolls Luke
Star Wars fans hungry for some original trilogy nostalgia were probably pleased by the fact
that practical puppetry effects were used for Yoda's Force ghost appearance, and Frank
Oz also returned to voice the character.
Also returning for The Last Jedi was Yoda's trademark quirky sense of humor—a Yoda quite
unlike the serious Jedi Master seen in the prequel movies.
Yoda surprises both Luke and the audience by calling down lightning to strike the tree
containing the Jedi Order texts.
We later learn that Rey stole the ancient Jedi texts and hid them aboard the Millennium
Falcon, but Luke doesn't know that.
Yoda's just doing what he did back on Dagobah—teasing Luke for the fun of it.
"haha."
Luke trolls Kylo
Luke's final scenes in The Last Jedi were among the best in the entire film.
After mysteriously appearing on Crait, Luke has a short visit with his sister Leia before
walking out alone on the salt plain to confront his nephew.
Luke toys with Kylo, giving Leia and the others time to escape.
After promising to haunt Kylo and telling him he will not be the last Jedi, the truth
is revealed: Luke has been using the Force to project an image of himself across the
galaxy.
Back on his secluded island, Luke passes away peacefully from the massive effort, presumably
becoming one with the Force.
And while these scenes represent the best of The Last Jedi, there are plenty of moments
that may have made the audience cringe.
Skywalking
One of the most surprising moments of The Last Jedi was when Leia uses the Force to
pull herself back through space to the damaged Resistance flagship.
We've never seen Leia use the Force like that--at least, not in a movie...
"Now I am a Jedi."
It's long been known that she has the same potential power as her twin brother, Luke,
so the concept itself didn't come out of the blue.
What really made this one of the worst moments of The Last Jedi was the way it was executed,
with Leia looking kind of like a sci-fi Mary Poppins as she flies back into the shattered
bridge of the Raddus.
It came across a little silly, and we already had one incredible Mary Poppins scene this
year anyhow.
"I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!"
Poe's mutiny
After Leia is incapacitated during the attack on the Raddus, Poe seems surprised when Vice
Admiral Holdo steps in to command the Resistance.
They soon butt heads when Holdo refuses to tell Poe what her plan is, so Poe impulsively
sends Finn and Rose on a risky mission with very little chance of success.
But that's not enough.
Later, Poe becomes convinced Holdo is preparing to abandon ship, and he initiates a mutiny
against her.
While failure was a major theme of The Last Jedi, it was extremely painful to watch Poe
fail so badly and get so many people blown up in the process.
The casino
Rose and Finn's escape from the casino on Canto Bight was entertaining, but their time
spent at the gambling den hunting for a master code breaker was another matter entirely.
First, Rose and Finn wear their scruffy Resistance uniforms in the high class joint and go mostly
undetected until a simple parking violation gets them caught.
That's unbelievable enough.
Then they coincidentally happen to meet a different code breaker in their jail cell,
who just happens to have the same set of skills as the person they were trying to find.
While code breaker number two, DJ, ended up being an interesting character who offered
some important elements to the plot, audiences couldn't help but wonder why he wasn't the
main focus of the mission to begin with, instead of relying on such an implausible coincidence
to get him involved.
Snoke's exit
One of the most controversial moments from The Last Jedi is the demise of Supreme Leader
Snoke at the hands of Kylo Ren.
The scene itself was played out pretty well, but some audiences definitely felt let down
by the Supreme Leader's anticlimactic end.
After Snoke was introduced in The Force Awakens, fans feverishly speculated about Snoke's backstory
and identity, only to be disappointed when he kicked the bucket so abruptly.
It didn't particularly help that Andy Serkis, who plays Snoke, fed the speculation by revealing
tidbits about Snoke's tortured past and implying he'd have a much larger role to play in the
future.
Rose's heroics
One of the biggest strengths of The Last Jedi was its character development.
Finn began the film terrified of the First Order and ready to run, and his only motivations
are protecting himself and Rey.
Meeting Rose and joining her for their abortive quest teaches Finn a lot about himself and
what it means to stand up for what's right.
By the time the Resistance makes its last stand on Crait, Finn is a completely changed
man—one totally ready to give his life for the cause by going Independence Day on the
First Order.
"I'm baaaaaaack!"
Then Rose saves Finn at the last moment, putting a quick stop to that redemption arc.
But there were no consequences.
Rose survives, and Finn somehow gets her back across the active battlefield safely, despite
crashing right in front of the whole First order army and their millions of lasers, leaving
many viewers asking,
"Rose, will you stop being an idiot?"
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