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andrewbenesh1 's review for:
The Last Jedi
by Jason Fry
A New Layer to The Last Jedi
When authors set out to write novelizations of film, they're often in a tight spot. They must capture the story shown on screen, while infusing it with their own ideas and content. They must translate the visual language of film into the written word, all while being careful to honor the meaning and ideas of the original material. When, as is the case for Jason Fry, you're also given license to build on the narrative presented in the film, the challenge becomes even more complicated. Although I had seen other positive reviews of the novelization, I was hesitant to read this one.
I feel like Fry ultimately succeeded in his task. The novel retains the feel of the film, and the new scenes work well. These additions often also help provide more context to scenes in the film, and highlight how the characters have changed over the course of the franchise. While none of these are so groundbreaking that those who don't read the book will be lost in the next film, they do help draw out motivations and relationships more clearly. This is particularly evident around the characters of Hux, Snoke, and Luke.
Unfortunately, this also leads Fry into something of a trap. By adding more depth and richness to these characters, some other characters feel underdeveloped by comparison. Whether this is a decision by Fry or a reflection of Lucasfilm priorities, the effect is the same - Finn, Phasma, and Holdo all feel a little one dimensional in contrast to their costars. I found myself torn with the portrayal of Rose. The greater attention to her feelings about losing her sister and her gradual understanding of Finn as someone who is learning to care about the larger universe are well developed, but make her feel like a less hopeful character than seen on screen. It also ends up casting Rose more in terms of her contrast with other characters rather than her relationship with them. I ultimately enjoyed it, but I feel like there's another layer to be told still.
My favorite part of this book was the way Fry crafts references and parallels to other Star Wars properties, both written and filmed. Whether through overt references or well crafted parallels, they help ground the book in the Star Wars universe in ways the film's focus on individual characters sometimes obscured.
This is an example of what a good film novelization can look like, and I look forward to investigating Fry's other writings!
When authors set out to write novelizations of film, they're often in a tight spot. They must capture the story shown on screen, while infusing it with their own ideas and content. They must translate the visual language of film into the written word, all while being careful to honor the meaning and ideas of the original material. When, as is the case for Jason Fry, you're also given license to build on the narrative presented in the film, the challenge becomes even more complicated. Although I had seen other positive reviews of the novelization, I was hesitant to read this one.
I feel like Fry ultimately succeeded in his task. The novel retains the feel of the film, and the new scenes work well. These additions often also help provide more context to scenes in the film, and highlight how the characters have changed over the course of the franchise. While none of these are so groundbreaking that those who don't read the book will be lost in the next film, they do help draw out motivations and relationships more clearly. This is particularly evident around the characters of Hux, Snoke, and Luke.
Unfortunately, this also leads Fry into something of a trap. By adding more depth and richness to these characters, some other characters feel underdeveloped by comparison. Whether this is a decision by Fry or a reflection of Lucasfilm priorities, the effect is the same - Finn, Phasma, and Holdo all feel a little one dimensional in contrast to their costars. I found myself torn with the portrayal of Rose. The greater attention to her feelings about losing her sister and her gradual understanding of Finn as someone who is learning to care about the larger universe are well developed, but make her feel like a less hopeful character than seen on screen. It also ends up casting Rose more in terms of her contrast with other characters rather than her relationship with them. I ultimately enjoyed it, but I feel like there's another layer to be told still.
My favorite part of this book was the way Fry crafts references and parallels to other Star Wars properties, both written and filmed. Whether through overt references or well crafted parallels, they help ground the book in the Star Wars universe in ways the film's focus on individual characters sometimes obscured.
This is an example of what a good film novelization can look like, and I look forward to investigating Fry's other writings!