3 Reasons Why "The Last Jedi" May Be the Best Star Wars Score. Ever.
In the summer of 2016, I researched 1977’s Star Wars score and picked it apart - I studied every note and decided what there was to like and dislike about the music. A task such as this is not accomplished without a thorough understanding of the film score and of the film; with that in mind, you can imagine my level of critique upon entering the theater to watch Lucasfilm’s latest entry, Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
I had a bit of negative critique for the original Star Wars score, and to some extent on the other film scores preceding The Last Jedi. While the music is brilliant in the saga, there were some flaws in development and continuity that were hard to reconcile. The Last Jedi proved me wrong. Any other film composer with thematic continuity over seven films in a franchise (if that even exists) would struggle to find new ways to breathe life into an eighth film, and yet Williams has managed to do so. He has created a wonderful musical score for The Last Jedi, and proved my previous criticisms to now be foolish and unwarranted.
1. LEIA'S THEME FINALLY WORKS
In previous Star Wars films, I found Leia’s theme to lack diversity - a character that is a princess, leader, war general, and symbol of hope should not have one unchanging iteration of her theme. In The Last Jedi, Leia’s theme finally underwent significant development and brought depth to her character, which I might add is a fitting farewell to the late Carrie Fisher. Williams added nobility to her theme by giving it to the french horn, added tension to the theme by playing it over high dissonant strings, and created a hauntingly beautiful moment with her theme on a keyboard instrument when Leia uses the Force for the first time (viewers of the film will easily recall the scene, regardless of whether they enjoyed the moment or despised it). This was the Leia theme I had always wanted, varied and multifaceted, just like her.
2. THE FORCE THEME MAKES SENSE
I have always laughed at the inconsistency in the use of the Force theme in Star Wars films - it was used in so many places that it was hard to give the theme any meaning at all. The Force theme is used quite frequently in The Last Jedi as well; however, these moments are justified and give meaning to the Force. As one can imagine, many scenes in which Luke trains Rey, speaks of the Force, or uses the Force are accompanied by variations of the Force theme. These arrangements are never significantly different, but the slight changes are evident merely because of what is occurring onscreen. I can’t mention the Force theme in The Last Jedi without mentioning (vaguely, for those who still haven’t seen the film) its usage in a scene towards the end of the film, paralleling a scene from 1977’s Star Wars. I spent more than 500 hours working with the original film when I was completing my research, and so when the Force theme played during this scene in The Last Jedi, clearly harkening back to the famous binary sunset scene, I was in tears. The scene was beautifully constructed, but Williams’ music elevated it to an ethereal level.
3. MUSIC PLACEMENT IS DELIBERATE
Musical placement was quite deliberate and impactful in The Last Jedi, which has not always been the case in other Star Wars films. In the past, a scene’s lack of music oftentimes made for laughable sections such as lightsaber fights, while other times music was included where it should not have been. In The Last Jedi, several scenes in the film were memorable purely because of absolute silence - audience members around me were gawking at these moments, and if music had been present I doubt the impact would have been the same. Furthermore, old and familiar themes would enter with precise timing to create a sense of nostalgia, sadness, mystery, or excitement. Hearing Yoda’s theme, Luke and Leia’s theme, and even brief traces of Han and Leia’s theme was incredibly effective given the scenes they accompanied. The movie may not have suffered with a different score, but it tremendously benefitted from having this one.
At 85 years young, I have no idea how long John Williams will continue to score Star Wars films - I was pleasantly surprised in 2015 when he even returned for the new trilogy. That being said, I couldn’t be happier that he is still an active participant in making Star Wars magic; he is the glue holding these eight episodic entries together. The Last Jedi proves that Williams is not merely “painting by numbers;” he is continuously reinventing himself and his music to create a forty year legacy that not only thrives, but improves and excels each time he picks up his paintbrush.