Back in the ‘70s, it wasn’t an easy task to see a movie once it left the cinema. Videocassette recorders existed and though you almost certainly knew someone who had one, the chances are you wouldn’t be able to watch your favourite feature repeatedly and examine every single detail. And even if you could get the tape, you wouldn’t be able to access deleted scenes.
Except you sort of could, thanks to the magic of books. There was a time when rewinding a scene required turning the page. Even better, the books contained extras, because they were often adapted from the script rather than the movie.
Jason Fry’s The Last Jedi is an adaptation of the popular Star Wars movie that you may have heard of. In case you haven’t, The Last Jedi is a sequel to The Force Awakens and details what happened when Rey met Luke Skywalker, as well as covering how the Resistance deals with the inevitable reprisals from the First Order, given that the bad guys are clearly much better equipped and inclined to murder. The movie contained a number of sharp turns and tone shifts that disturbed a certain sort of fan, though it’s hard to deny that it was a critical and commercial success. Given that the movie is now easily accessible to pretty much anyone, why would you bother with the book?
Well, the simple answer is that the book continues to enjoy depth and immersion that exceeds the expectations of the reader. Jason Fry has produced a novel adaptation that captures the spirit of the movie and also brings clarity to the movie. It’s filled with little treasures that strengthen the narrative and themes of the movie.
For example, we open with a rather interesting dream from Luke Skywalker himself, one that (if it had ever come to pass) would irrevocably change everything. Instead, it sets up the themes of loss and purpose that run through the movie, as well as the notion that failure is not always a terrible thing. Other gems include the addition to the relationship between Finn and Rose and an inner monologue for BB8 (especially delightful is the notion of what an astromech does during an X-wing battle, and what Starfighters are actually like in a universe with intelligent machines).
Fry has carried on the fine tradition of tie-in novels that add to the movie and produced a book that fans will re-read in the same way that they will re-watch the movie. Recommended.
STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI / AUTHOR: JASON FRY / PUBLISHER: CENTURY / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
