Star Wars: The Last Jedi Soundtrack

The music of Star Wars has become just as synonymous as the films themselves and the score of the newest film The Last Jedi is no exception. I should preface this review by saying that I am in no way any sort of music aficionado with the exception of playing the trumpet through high school so I’m not really up with all the technical terms associated with music but I do know a thing or two about the music of Star Wars so hopefully this review will assist anyone who reads it to gain a deeper understanding of the music used in The Last Jedi. 

Another thing worth noting is that the soundtrack for Star Wars films is typically arranged in a way that only certain key parts of the score are included with a lot of what is actually in the film not being included on the soundtrack. More can be found on the For Your Consideration CD that floats around during the awards season but even then the vast majority of the music featured in the film can only be found there. So unfortunately only a small fraction of the music can be found on this particular soundtrack and it may be many years if ever before we see an ultimate edition of the score. We’ve yet to see this for the prequel films but fortunately have them for the original trilogy. 

One last thing before we unpack this soundtrack is that there is only one concert piece on the album,“The Rebellion is Reborn” which is in stark contrast to what we were spoiled with for The Force Awakens which gifted us with at least 5 new concert pieces. For those that may not know a concert piece is music that would be played by a conductor if a concert was held for lets say The Force Awakens, the orchestra would perform Rey's Theme and not The Scavenger as it appears in the film, whereas the track Rey's Theme found on The Force Awakens soundtrack never appears in the film itself.

The score for The Last Jedi was once again composed by the legendary maestro John Williams in what is his eighth Star Wars score. 

The film itself goes off in many new directions, the score however, is much more firmly rooted in the familiar, with less new material than we are used to hearing and considerable amount of heavy lifting done by the existing themes established in The Force Awakens and the Original Trilogy.  

Themes and motifs from The Force Awakens, most notably Rey & Kylo Ren’s Themes, March of the Resistance and The Jedi Steps just to name a few make sizable returns in which Williams is able to flesh out, extend and further develop them. Along with the fantastic inclusion of a number of key themes from the Original Trilogy that bring a sense of nostalgia that really added to the overall excitement of the film. These included themes such as Yoda’s Theme, Princess Leia’s Theme, the Rebel Fanfare, Luke & Leia’s Theme and the TIE Fighter Attack Theme. 

A criticism I have with the score/soundtrack is Poe Dameron’s Theme is entirely absent from the album even though he has a much bigger role in this time around. It was a very uplifting and heroic theme so to see it not make any kind of appearance was a slight letdown. 

In true Star Wars fashion the album opens with the iconic Main Theme. There’s not much to be said other than it’s fantastic and gets in right into Star Wars mode. It's interesting to note that the after the Main Theme concludes the same motif from A New Hope is again used here. It then leads into the second portion of the track called “Escape”, a fast and furious action track full of very staccato and frantic beats that is classic Star Wars. Many familiar themes are present here including both of Kylo Ren’s, the Rebel Fanfare and some really interesting and unique spins on March of the Resistance first coming in at a quick, fast and hurried pace but then working its way back into the bombastic theme we came to know in The Force Awakens. Alongside these come a couple of new action motifs, including one real belter which most people have decided to call the Resistance Escape Theme. The orchestration throughout is just stellar and gets you really geared up for what’s to come next.  

“Ahch-To Island” is easily one of my favourite tracks on the album as it features two of my favourite themes from The Force Awakens, that being The Jedi Steps and Rey's Theme. It opens with a reprise of that magnificent theme heard at the end of the previous film and serves as a nice musical reminder that we are finally returning to where we left off. It's such an amazing piece!! It then moves into some colourful dramatic writing with the introduction of Luke's new Island Theme or Luke & Rey's Theme the fan community hasn't really decided on a name for it as of yet but it seems to represent either their time together on Ahch-To or perhaps Luke's relationship with Rey. It is a really huge and dramatic piece that can actually be split into two sections one of which may be a theme for the island itself. It is heard quite frequently throughout the film but may be one that requires a few listens of the soundtrack or viewings of the film to fully realise it is there. The Force Theme follows and eventually Rey’s Theme blasts through in a full bodied presentation. It's a really great track that takes me back to the anticipation I felt at the end of The Force Awakens, however it would have been nice to have heard a bit more of The Jedi Steps shine through as it only makes a very brief appearance at the start and that is it. And I really do hope that isn't the last time we hear it in a Star Wars movie.

The track “Revisiting Snoke” is up next and it starts off by doing exactly what the title implies, a reprise of Snoke's Theme using that deep chorus that still reminds me so much of what was used musically for The Emperor. The piece also features both of Kylo Ren’s Themes blending them nicely with Snoke's Theme and then letting the big motif shine through in all its glory. In among all of this is the only rendition of The Imperial March which is always a nice surprise whenever they add it into these new films.

“The Supremacy” initially continues to focus on Kylo Ren with his theme returning along with a very ominous and dark action score before the Resistance fighters join the battle and March of the Resistance blares through in fantastic fashion. Then there is some amazing action music that accompanies the battle taking place on screen showcasing the incredible talents of the strings section of the orchestra. Then all of a sudden after The Raddus is bombed by the First Order the most outstanding version of Princess Leia’s theme begins to play and then it becomes so delicate and beautiful that it brings a tear to your eye. A tiny blast of the Force Theme is played and then Leia’s Theme absolutely  roars away making a scene that I felt was a bit strange seem so much better. At the very end of this track we get a very sweet rendition of Rey's Theme as Finn looks at his homing beacon thinking about how he will find her. The way Princess Leia's theme is played here is so damn good, it blew me away the first time I heard it in the theatre and is easily the highlight of this very good piece.

Next we hear "Fun With Finn and Rose" which introduces what I believe is the score's most significant new theme that ends up permeating throughout the whole film. It's a very upbeat, light hearted and whimsical piece that instills a lot of optimism and hope onto the listener. It also features passages of March of the Resistance in these different beats which begs the question. Will these themes eventually combine into one big theme for future films? We also get treated to yet another reprise of Princess Leia's Theme when Poe is checking on her condition before defying Holdo with Finn and Rose.

 “Old Friends” starts with the Force Theme which then moves into a really sweet version of the Main Theme/Luke's Theme which takes you right back to when he was a young boy on Tatooine just trying to pick up some power converters. The piece then transitions into Princess Leia's Theme when R2-D2 replays her message to Luke. It's very romantic and nostalgic, taking you back and reminding you were this whole journey all started. It then takes a bit of a darker turn with a little bit of Rey and Kylo Ren's Theme's coming through with some slightly off key textures featuring behind it until the Luke Island Theme/Luke & Rey's Theme makes another appearance.  The track concludes with a really old school rendition of the Force Theme, making for a really great piece full of nostalgia and reminders of the past.

The next track is one that I briefly spoke about earlier “The Rebellion is Reborn” which happens to be the only concert piece found on the album. Usually with these concert tracks they usually focus on a single theme for example, the Main Theme or the Force Theme but this piece instead moves between Finn and Rose’s Theme and Luke's Island/Luke and Rey's Theme. Again Finn and Rose’s Theme is very playful and mischievous, where as Luke's Island/Luke and Rey's Theme is very powerful and foreboding. The two pieces contrast and move between each other with deft precision creating a track that I would very much love to hear played live at a Star Wars concert.

“Lesson One”, as the title suggests takes place when Luke is teaching Rey her first lesson in the Force and features Rey's Theme and the Force Theme intertwined beautifully in the first portion before a dark, ominous motif takes hold in the later half during the time when Rey starts to tap into the Dark Side of the Force. It's a short piece, but allows enough time for Rey's theme to shine through and when you mix it with the Force Theme it's just magical.

We then move into "Canto Bight" which is easily one of my favourite tracks simply due to how strange and different it is. It begins with some dramatic orchestral introduction music as Finn and Rose are landing on the planet and then moves into an amazing Brazilian Samba tune that is truly unexpected and something we have never heard in a Star Wars movie before. The sound gets quite drowned out in the film itself so you do miss a lot of what is musically happening but you can hear everything from a kazoo to the dish instrument known as the hang. The whole piece makes you feel as if you're off to the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. You can also see that Williams has placed direct reference to Ary Barrosso’s famous “Brasil” song which gives it a strange familiarity that most won't be able to pin point where it's from unless they look into it. The piece then takes another turn about half way through with the string section coming in to create a more alien sounding motif that we've come to know from Star Wars before transitioning back to the Brazilian tone. It's a really catchy number that I think stacks up quite well to the other cantina style pieces that have come before.

“Who Are You?” is a bit of a nothing track. It is mainly suspenseful and not all that interesting except for an interesting take on Rey's Theme showcasing it in a much more somber and sad tone than we've heard it previously. The piece picks up towards the end with some pretty good action material featuring brief statements of both the Rebel Fanfare and the Main Theme/Luke's Theme.

We dive right back into the action with “The Fathiers”. It's an awesome piece that really showcases and reflects the action that is happening on screen. At the beginning you have the brass section climbing up and up and then the string section falling down and down, quite similar to what Finn and Rose are doing in the film. It also reminded me of some of the music featured in the prequels with regards to the rhythm and how it's constantly propelling forward. Again Finn and Rose's Theme features heavily during this track giving it an action variant. Easily this has the best action cues featured on the album.

"The Cave" is a rough and at times unmelodious piece that again reflects the situation happening on screen. It is at times quite suspenseful and very much reminds you of the music heard during Luke's cave scene in The Empire Strikes Back. You get another small reprise of Rey's Theme that reflects the sorrow she feels about not knowing who her parents are and that's about there is to this track.

“The Sacred Jedi Texts” features some more variants of the Force Theme including a more slowed down version, a very dramatic rendition and a regretful version as well. It moves into a more suspenseful direction before we hear the first few beautiful chords of Yoda's Theme and then transitioning back to a more dramatic beat before becoming more mellow and regretful. And then finally Yoda's Theme comes through in all its glory. I love this piece simply because of Yoda's theme. It is such a lovely piece of music that instills so much wonder and hope onto the listener and pairing that with the three really great takes on the Force Theme makes this one a track to remember.

"A New Alliance" features the return of Snoke's Theme making it very ominous and dark, there's a lot of growing suspense here which then transforms into an absolutely epic rendition of the Force Theme and then changes to become very frantic and quick with this sort of tribal sticks or drums making for a really unique sound that stands out from the rest of the instruments being played. You then get a very strained but also quite defiant and strong reprise of Rey's Theme before the action cues pick up again. It's overall a really solid piece that features many really strong action cues coupled with a very nice version of Rey's Theme.

"Chrome Dome" just keeps the action ball rolling with some big gestures including the Rebel Fanfare and some extremely stark, militaristic material that is unlike anything we've ever heard in a Star Wars film before. With massive drum beats offering a really sense of danger symbolising Phasma and her stormtroopers encroaching on Finn and Rose. 

"The Battle of Crait" is easily my number one favourite track on the album. It features so many different themes and one section in particular, the TIE Fighter Attack has me constantly revisiting it time and time again. Overall, it is an outstanding piece of action underscoring and jams in as many themes as it can throughout including a big blast of Finn and Rose's Theme, a somber rendition of the Force Theme, a mighty reprise of March of the Resistance and a more heroic take on Rey's Theme as she and Chewie zoom in on the Falcon. But the thing that continues to take my breath away is the return of the TIE Fighter Attack action motif. I get goosebumps every single time I listen to it. This whole track just screams Star Wars and is John Williams in a total nutshell. So much happens in this track that it needs multiple listens to catch everything. It's the maestro clearly doing his best work and I love it!!

It just continues to get better with "The Spark". Written for one of the most powerful and heartbreaking scenes in the whole movie, the music just helps to feed these emotions. The start of the piece is very reminiscent of classic Star Wars with little small sounds of what possibly could have been and a very sorrowful take on the Force Theme that has it gazing upon the past. This then masterfully transitions into another classic theme from the past, Luke and Leia's Theme. It is so emotionally shattering and truly accompanies the heartwrenching scene so well. We also get a very small but so, so poignant rendition of Han Solo and The Princess which warms my heart as I though after the death of Han in The Force Awakens we may never hear that theme again in future films. As the track progresses it builds into a big, blustering conclusion that reminds me of the beat featured in the first full length trailer for the film that sounded like the under currents of The Imperial March when in fact it is a musical pattern called “Dies Irae” a haunting chant and a musical representation of the day of wrath. It's purpose is to instill a sense of dread and suspense which we get here in the film as Luke goes out to take on the entire First Order. 

“The Last Jedi” throws some more action cues at us before things start to get emotional again with the string section turns it up a gear with the Force Theme having a small moment before a chorus chimes in to help it along. We then take a dramatic turn with Kylo Ren's Theme blasting out backed by some really great drum work, which is then followed by more action material to conclude the track.

“Peace and Purpose” is a much more quiet and soft piece that moves through a handful of key themes including a massive, full bodied version of the Force Theme which is simply stunning. I love when Williams plays the theme out in full instead of just the first half. We also get to hear a very militaristic take on Kylo Ren's Theme accompanied by some lovely snare drum work. It feels like it's on the march looking for blood. Rey's Theme also gets a small reprise towards the end when she embraces the Force to clear the boulders out of the path of the Resistance. It's hard to hear because it's so subtle but there is a touch of the Force Theme mixed into it which is fantastic. The piece ends with the Force Theme coming back quite softly and then building up before transitioning into the Rebel Fanfare in glorious fashion. It's another great piece that showcases how well Williams is able to mold and weave existing themes together to create things we have never dreamed of.

We were well and truly spoiled by Williams' last track for The Force Awakens in what I believe is the best Finale track of any of the Star Wars films. Which introduced us to the incredible Jedi Steps and then worked its way through all of its wonderful new themes. This score’s “Finale” is quite different. It begins very whimsically and child like giving me very vivid memories of the music featured in Harry Potter. A child like version of the Main Theme/Luke's Theme is played which reminded me heaps of the music used at the end of Revenge of the Sith when Luke is a baby. The film ends with a more hopeful rendition of the Force Theme, very similar to what was used in A New Hope and then we are into the end credits. What we get here is very different from the usual. Everything is much more blended together and no where near as clear cut as The Force Awakens was. It begins with what every other Star Wars end credits does, the Main Theme which is as good as ever, it then moves into an arrangement of Finn and Rose's Theme before a really lovely piano arrangement of Princess Leia's theme as a dedication to the late Carrie Fisher appears on screen. It is simply so beautiful and moving both when you're watching the film and also when listening to the album. We get other great reprises of themes including Luke's Island/Luke and Rey's Theme, March of the Resistance, more of Finn and Rose's Theme, the Rebel Fanfare, Rey's Theme, Yoda's Theme and then something that doesn't feature at all in the rest of the album which is either a theme for Admiral Holdo or an escape theme for the Resistance. It's a very desperate and heroic piece that would have benefited more if it had a bigger presence on the soundtrack. We get another few chords of Rey's theme before bustling into my favourite piece from the film, the TIE Fighter Attack and then finally concluding with the signature instrument of Rey a celeste playing the first notes of her theme in minor which is a change from what happened at the end of The Force Awakens which ended with a celeste playing Rey's Theme in a major key. An interesting parallel. Overall, this was a very good Finale but what let it down in parts is how jumbled everything is. It's not clear and precise like previous films but is still a very good representation of what the key themes of the film were.

This soundtrack is a very good look into what the film has to offer but like with many film scores, so much of what is featured in the film gets left out of the soundtrack leaving you with an empty feeling and wanting more. In saying that, what you get on this album is great and showcases the best parts that you will hear in the film. When I first listened to this soundtrack I thought that it really leaned heavily on themes established in previous films and to a point it does this more than any other Star Wars film to date. But the more I keep listening to it the more I realise that Williams has in fact created a lot more new things, they just aren't as mind blowing as what has come before. If you are a fan of Star Wars or a fan of orchestral music in general I highly suggest checking this out and giving it a spin. It will help you to get a much more deeper appreciation for the film and enhance your future viewing experiences.

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