The Resistance is on the run from the First Order while Rey tries to convince a bitter Luke Skywalker to teach her. Finn and Rose chase a long shot on a casino planet. Johnson treats the series like a puzzle he wants to break. Watch how he sets up what you expect, then does something else.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a 2017 science fiction, action and adventure film directed by Rian Johnson. This breakdown covers 5 techniques (1 narrative, 1 sound, 1 editing, 1 psychology and 1 cinematography), each with the scene where you can see it. If you like how it is made, Lost in Translation uses several of the same techniques.
Building up the usual genre expectations, like the villain getting caught and the climax approaching, then refusing to deliver them. Your own anticipation is what makes the letdown hit so hard.
How this film uses it
Snoke is built up as the big mystery villain of the new trilogy. Johnson has him killed halfway through the film by someone you thought was on his side. You are left without the story you expected, which is the point.
Where to see it
Snoke's throne room. Kylo Ren kills Snoke, then fights alongside Rey against the red-clad guards.
Removing music, background sound or dialogue from a moment where most films would fill it. The quiet forces you to sit with what is on screen.
How this film uses it
At the most violent moment of the space battle, the sound drops away almost completely. A film with this much noise suddenly goes quiet, so the sacrifice hits harder than any explosion would.
Where to see it
The hyperspace ram. Admiral Holdo turns her ship around and sends it through the First Order flagship at lightspeed.
Cutting between 3 or more storylines happening at the same time in different places. The pattern draws out shared themes and usually builds to a single combined climax.
How this film uses it
The film cuts between Rey on the island, Finn and Rose on the casino planet and the fleet being chased through space. Each thread is about someone trying to find a way to hope, and the three come together at the Resistance's last stand.
Where to see it
Cutting between Ahch-To, Canto Bight and the fleet. Rey's lessons, the casino mission and the fuel chase run side by side.
Letting two characters share memories and feelings through a technology or power. Nothing stays private, so trust and old pain both show on screen.
How this film uses it
Rey and Kylo Ren find they can talk to each other across space through the Force. Neither can hide what they feel, so you see their pain and loneliness before either of them says it aloud.
Where to see it
The Force connection. Rey and Kylo speak to each other from different places and begin to see into each other's lives.
Limiting the film to a tightly chosen set of colors, or giving each place or state its own set. The colors tell you about the world and its mood without dialogue.
How this film uses it
The planet Crait is a white salt flat with red earth under the crust. When the speeders race across it, red trails kick up against the white. The two colors turn a battle into something stark and easy to read.
Where to see it
The battle of Crait. The Resistance defends a fortress on the salt flat, and the white crust breaks open to show red underneath.
Questions
Star Wars: The Last Jedi: quick answers
What filmmaking techniques does Star Wars: The Last Jedi use?
CineCode breaks down 5 techniques in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017): Expectation Collapse, Strategic Silence, Three-Thread Parallel Cutting, Mind-Link as Intimacy Device and Color Palette as Worldbuilding.
Who directed Star Wars: The Last Jedi?
Rian Johnson directed Star Wars: The Last Jedi, released in 2017. CineCode also covers Knives Out (2019).
What films are similar to Star Wars: The Last Jedi?
Films that share techniques with Star Wars: The Last Jedi include Lost in Translation (2003), Barbie (2023), Promising Young Woman (2020), Her (2013).
