The Art of Star Wars: The Last Jedi

The Art of Star Wars

by Phil Szostak, Rian Johnson (Foreword)

Phil Szostak, the author of The Art of Star The Force Awakens , takes fans behind the scenes of the blockbuster sequel with this incredible visual archive of the creative process.

Foreword by Rian Johnson

Written and directed by Rian Johnson and production designed by Rick Heinrichs, Star The Last Jedi , like every chapter before it, owes its visual language and fully imagined cinematic landscape to an incomparable art the Lucasfilm “visualists.” The Art of Star The Last Jedi explores their vision and illuminates their creative process in stunning detail.

Featuring concept art, costume sketches, and storyboards, this book takes fans on a deep dive into the development of the fantastic worlds, characters, and creatures—both old and new—of The Last Jedi . Exclusive interviews with the filmmakers and with the Lucasfilm visualists provide a running commentary on this unforgettable art and reveal the inspirations behind moviemaking magic at its finest.

“ The Art of Star The Last Jedi is much more than a bunch of pretty pictures. Buried in Phil Szostak’s 256-page book are some fascinating insights into the production of the film. . . . We highly recommend you flip through yourself.” —Gizmodo

“While they’re rarely celebrated, conceptual artists play an integral role in creating the look of a film . . . The Art of Star The Last Jedi gives these talented men and women their proper due by showcasing their valuable contributions.” —Unbound Worlds

Genres: Star Wars, Art, Nonfiction, Film, Media Tie In, Reference, Space Opera

256 pages, Hardcover

First published December 15, 2017

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

And so on to the next of the star wars concept art books. I must admit that Abrams are doing a far better job of printing them than the early artwork books. True the price now matches the book but they are now hardback and with so much more material in them.

So much so that to be honest I wish they had used more of the material although I suspect it would have pushed the budget through the roof.

As always the book is lavishly illustrated with large images which rarely vanish in to the centre crease of the book (one of my person bugbears if you ask me) while at the same time keeping enough space for the commentary so you have both context and explanation of what one image was used while another was not (which as I said earlier in some cases I wish they had).

The film itself I know has divided fans and the latest standalone film has not performed as hoped which suggest that the Disney honeymoon maybe over but this book still demonstrates the huge creative potential that is still out there and ready to be tapped for the Star Wars universe - and yes I will admit I will always go and see what comes next.

[Siona Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this a lot! Like I said in my one update for this, I haven't seen the film yet, but I have read the spoilers (of course, I've said many times before that I purposefully spoil myself for things). I'm not sure how I feel about the spoilers, but I'm definitely not going to say anything either way until I actually see the film (either this Thursday or sometime after Chirstmas). Anyway, I think this was a really good choice to read before the movie because obiviously it isn't going to spoil anything for me (since I've already done that), but it does maybe give a little... reasoning behind said spoilers. Plus I really love concept art, it inspires me a lot.

Overall I like the "The Force Awakens" artbook more because it shows more of the "could've-been" versions the sequel trilogy, some of which i think would've been cooler if I'm being honest, but this still was very enjoyable and a cool look behind the scenes of the making of The Last Jedi.

[Diz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art in this book, like all art of Star Wars books, is great. The attention to detail is amazing. Besides, it is always fun to look at these kinds of books to see what kind of designs weren't used. However, the text portion was not as fun to read as it usually is for these types of books. The reason is that when I read the director and artists getting swept up in designing sections of that were not that great (the casino scenes), I always had a nagging voice in the back of my head questioning their decisions. Instead of talking about what kind of aliens they were going to put in the casino and then congratulating themselves for the work, they should have been questioning whether they needed a casino scene at all. I guess sometimes it's hard to see the forrest for the trees.

[Seth Woodley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is filled with beautiful artwork and conceptual images from the making of the film. It features stunning visuals and interesting descriptions of the creative process. This is a fascinating work for any Star Wars fan.

[♠ TABI⁷ ♠]

I need this for, uh, research . . .

[Gemma F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm simply amazed at how much work goes into one movie. Especially one as big as Star Wars!

[Trike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good but not spectacular entry in “Art of ____ movie” books.

Quite a bit of the art is gorgeous, of course, and there are some interesting tidbits about the making of the film — such as how they only built half the bridge of Snoke’s ship and then flipped the image to show the other side — but it’s told in a fairly dry way.

I did like how one of the artists late in the book declares that the vehicles and such in Star Wars make no sense but they’re cool to look at it. That kind of sums up the entire creative ethos of the Star Wars franchise.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following the same format as Szostak’s “The Art Of The Force Awakens” (and last years “Rogue One” by Josh Kushins), this takes the story of “The Last Jedi” from initial concepts (and also includes some spoiler moments from “The Force Awakens”) right through production. Lucasfilm and Abrams have this kind of thing down to a tee now and the book is beautifully designed, with plenty of artwork throughout which is essentially what you’re buying. Most of the imagery is astonishingly gorgeous and it’s always interesting to follow the path of a design but this time around, some of the art seems to be rough computer renders (the art on the board covers looks like somebody was given five minutes to cut and paste it together) and that lets things down somewhat. What also lets it down is the workman-like writing of Szostak who is competent enough to convey the facts but has no sense of flair and his insistence on reminding the reader (Phil must assume we have goldfish-sized attention spans) of what a person does each and every chapter gets wearing - Rick Heinrichs, for example, is never just that, his first mention in a new chapter is “production designer Rick Heinrichs” - as does his hero worship of the “reaching out” Rick Carter. Interestingly, George Lucas levelled the complaint at “The Force Awakens” that it didn’t take enough chances and a lot of the designers here mention going back to the Ralph McQuarrie or using “seventies” lines and shapes. Buy it for the art and you’ll thoroughly enjoy, but just try not to take in too much of the writing.

[Neil R. Coulter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know what it is with The Last Jedi, but I like everything about it more than the actual film. The movie is by far one of my least-favorite Star Wars films, but when I look at anything about it (documentaries on the blu-ray, the novelization, and now The Art of book), I think it must be an amazing film (if only I hadn't actually seen it). The story has really good ideas, there's a nice balance to other films in the series, but somehow . . . the end result doesn't come together in a good movie. (And some parts of the story, such as Canto Bight and the Finn/Rose subplot, were bad ideas from start, probably unredeemable in any form.)

Anyway, The Art of The Last Jedi is as much fun as movie Art of books always are. I love them, and I only wish for more details and, of course, more artwork. The Last Jedi had an amazing team of artists and designers working on it. I didn't realize, for example, that Jock contributed concept sketches. All of the designers are talented and fully invested in the core ideas and principles of what makes Star Wars Star Wars.

Images that I particularly enjoy in this book are the "exploded" versions of the various helmets, showing the individual parts that fit together to make, for example, a complete Stormtrooper helmet. Such fun to see how things that I've taken for granted actually work.

I'm glad the market for Art of movie books is strong. It's exactly what I loved when I was a kid, and they've now become much more luxurious and beautiful.

[☮ morgan ☮ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely as always!

[Austin J Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was listening to movie reviews on NPR this morning and I enjoyed hearing what others thought of this movie and how it compared to the other films. The concept art and design was so greatly thought out and after hearing the reviews about what is going to happen, I can't wait to see this movie! What I liked the most was hearing the process in what went into the design of the various landscapes, the costumes for the characters, and seeing all new creatures and places like the design of the starships or the design of Snoke's guards. Great read to see new locations and events that will be happening in the movie. Cannot wait to see it!

[Nicis · Rating 5 out of 5]

look, I really liked the first one but this one is actually so much better?? Maybe because it has a lot more of information about the creative decisions of the movie. I know not everyone agrees, but I fucking love Rian and this movie so this felt like a real treat.

[Elaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

~4.5 stars~
Really awesome art book!! A must read for sequel fans. I'm confused why the throne room fight scene wasn't included though??? haha like did I miss something? Because you would think that would be in there, being that (in my opinion, and from what I've heard from a lot of others) it's arguably the best scene in the movie! Still was a great visual read though that I'm glad I was able to get through ILL at my library.

[Jim Kettner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this gem arrived underneath the tree X-Mas morning and in the past 48 hours I've devoured it cover to cover. I don't really know how I could begin to criticize this tome. Not only is it jam packed with gorgeous illustrations, character designs, and story boards, there are also oodles of easter eggs and insights into the creative process of making this film from producers, designers, and writer/director Rian Johnson.

I know this movie has caused a stir amongst fans, but for my money, The Last Jedi has been my favorite Star Wars film since I saw Return of the Jedi in the theatre when I was five. It's the first film since eighty three that does an adequate job capturing the spirit of what I loved about star wars, putting the opera back in space opera with big ideas, a big canvas, and mythic storytelling. I really dug the film, and so the behind the scenes peek was especially great.

I love seeing the evolution of certain characters and hints of whole sequences that were cut from the film. The essays and blurbs provide a great inside view of how the writer informs the illustrators and vice versa. Amazing how the shape of the story can be powerfully influenced by a painting that hits just the right chord to inspire the imagination. This sort of filmmaking just seems like such a fun collaborative process not unlike my experience working on a graphic novel...and so it was not so surprising at all to find beloved comic artists like Chris Weston and Jock among The Last Jedi art team.

A must for everyone who left this movie feeling excited and inspired about the new places the Star Wars universe can go.

[Jolene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I'd read this long ago. Star Wars is a thing so close to my heart. It's given me endless joy over the years and shaped me into the fantasy/adventure-loving nerd I am today.

The discourse around Star Wars has gotten more and more toxic over the years. It's hard to love a thing when you feel like the moment you say you love it you have to instantly begin to defend that love. Nowhere was this stronger than around The Last Jedi, a movie that nobody was allowed to have enjoyed.

Reading The Art of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, though, just showed how much love and care went into creating that movie. And, to everyone who wanted to burn Rian Johnson at the stake for his characterization of Luke, it almost made very clear that it was always the story's plan to have had Luke become a jaded old wizard. Originally it was meant to be included in The Force Awakens but it just didn't work for the pace of that story.

I'll never lose my love of this series. And this book just happened to remind me why.

[Kelly K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm glad they included events from Episode 7 (to prevent spoilers) in this one though honestly you should be watching the movie before reading the art book. I'm expecting that the art book for Episode 9 will then have things from The Last Jedi in it because there are some scenes I wanted so badly to be in this book so I could get a closer look but they weren't. Still, I loved taking a closer look at things and learning that a lot of things in this film were inspired by WWII machinery.

[Naomi Bowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved the Last Jedi, so knew I had to get this!

A beautiful book which gave me deeper appreciation for the huge amount of work that goes into making these films, a lot of which the audience will never see on the screen. 'What could have been' is a common theme in these art books.

Would have liked a bit more explanation behind some of the choice made but would still recommend to a Star Wars fan.

[Kelly Sedinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always love the "Art of..." books for all the STAR WARS movies, and this is no exception. The books gather lavish selections of concept art for each film, including storyboards, matte paintings, costume designs, and more. These are of particular interest to STAR WARS fans, obviously, but I also find them a good source of visual inspiration for my own writing (particularly my space opera books). I think that books like this belong in the library of any writer of space opera, regardless of whether or not they actually like space opera.

Now, if the books actually contained the films' screenplays, like the older volumes used to do in the George Lucas era, we'd really be talking!

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these "The Art of..." Star Wars books they release with the film. They not only show where the cool visuals and ideas came from but, even more intriguingly, they show which ideas they didn't use. That last point is even more powerful because I didn't care for "The Last Jedi" at all. There were so many heartbreakingly cool ideas that were left on the intellectual cutting room floor that it broke this old Jedi's heart.

The alternate versions of the Jedi temples alone are worth the the cost of the book. A good edition to your nerdy coffee table.

[Steve Davala · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always enjoyed the art of Star Wars books, from the Empire Strikes Back book my parents got for me as a kid to this one. I think I was spoiled on the Force Awakens version... that book was packed with mystery items including tidbits on the Knights of Ren... however, this book is sadly missing a lot of unused concepts that really held me. Don't get me wrong, the art style is amazing and the machines and sets and characters are detailed to the extreme... I just wanted a bit more mystery.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

these books are perfect. tlj's edition is no exception.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork and concept information was excellent, but I was disappointed that there wasn't more text on key characters.

[Štěpán · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it.

But the Force awakens one was much better.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lavish and enriching book that shows just how much attention went into SW. But that’s not surprising given purely from an art perspective — it’s never fallen short in that area.

[Matthew Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

"... the vibe was never, 'Let's recreate and idolize the past.' The vibe was always, 'We all know this world in our bones from growing up with it. But let's make something new and exciting in it.'"
- Rian Johnson, quoted on p. 241 of The Art of Star Wars: The Last Jedi

First things first: I absolutely loved The Last Jedi as a movie and a Star Wars movie. To me it seems that Johnson and his crew grasped how to take what they had in a completely new direction, to actually expand upon this universe in a way that felt meaningful and wasn't just more of the same. And yet for me, it still felt like Star Wars, insofar as I feel that there is a consistency of feeling among the previous seven films that one can tap into. Much of this is in the design of The Last Jedi, that draws upon the past but is not subservient to it, at least for the most part.

The Art of the Last Jedi has many of the same improvements over previous Arts of Star Wars as its predecessor, The Art of The Force Awakens , i.e. the spine is strong enough that the pictures that cross the page break can be viewed more fully; however, it also lacks the chronological organization of the art, instead grouping the images into the themes that were being developed - Canto Bight, the Battle of Crait, Rose - so that the progression is more visible. The more recent Arts of seem to function as mini-Making of books, too, which is better (in my opinion) than The Art of Return of the Jedi 's decision to combine it with the script, but I would prefer a more detailed account of the thought processes behind artistic decisions, as in the best Art of/worst film combination (imo) that is The Art of The Phantom Menace . In sum: a lot of good images to look at and some interesting words to read, but there is a better way to explain these images that has been used in the past and is not present here.

If I am self-reflective on the matter, I will admit that one of my problems with the Arts of Star Wars episodes III, VII, and VIII (that may also apply to The Arts of Attack of the Clones, Rogue One, and Solo, but I haven't read them yet) is that I simply prefer the hand-drawn, object/individual-focused development of episodes I, V, and VI (and probably IV, the Art of which I haven't read) process to the digital world creation that the more recent films have used. Throughout The Art of The Last Jedi, there are many more images of environments created with people and objects in them than there are development sketches of people, objects, and ships. This is not universally true - the development of the Caretakers between pages 40 and 45 is a fine example of the things I really like - but it is generally the case that spaces like the Rebel base on Crait are designed with ships in them, rather than as spaces into which these ships would be placed. Another problem that I have with the new films that this Art of book partially threw into relief is how much effort is expended into devising new alien species for Canto Bight rather than using some of those that we've already seen in a different setting - what does a posh Rodian look like? How about a Wookiee in a tux?

These personal gripes should not be taken too seriously. The Art of The Last Jedi not only helped me to refine what I think (and love) about that film and the series as a whole, but also contains brilliant art and design pieces to show how this world was created. I might prefer the old design process, but I cannot argue that it produced films that I liked more.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Usually the art of books are among my favorite tomes in the Star Wars pantheon. Why then the middling review? Well, it's odd. It seems like Rian Johnson had a very strong idea from the very beginning of which direction he wanted to take the film in. While that made for a particularly strong film (in my opinion. I know that is divisive...), it kind of made for a boring art of book.

Much of the art presented herein very closely mirrors what we ended up seeing on screen. Few glimpses of what could have been.

The most interesting bits were the earliest takes on Ach-to and the first jedi temple (along with some hints of the direction that Lucas wanted to take the sequels in - which sounds remarkably similar to the direction that Disney took, honestly).

Not a bad book by any means, but one of the least interesting Art Of books so far from the galaxy far far away.

[Jonathan H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love "art of" books and seeing the design process. The illustrations and sketches in this book are amazing and if you liked The Last Jedi, you'll really enjoy flipping through this to see what various costumes and aliens and vehicles looked like as they were being designed.

There's also a good amount of text that talks about the production of the film, which I found interesting particularly in knowing how much things overlapped with the making of The Force Awakens and Rogue One. However, the book is organized in a strange way: images are grouped into chapters, each with a title that refers to those images. But the text about the film's production are chronological, and often aren't related to the images and chapter title that accompany the text.

[Nicki Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many things to love about the book. The artwork is stunning and it is all beautifully presented. However, I am only giving it four stars rather than five because of how much is missing. There's very little artwork relating to major plot moments such as Rey and Kylo's force bond (only one picture in 256 pages) and nothing showing the lightsaber duel with the Praetorian Guard. Indeed, considering he's a main character, there are but a handful of pictures of Kylo Ren in general. I can only assume this was an attempt to avoid spoilers in the book, but I would really prefer it if they released the book a little later and then included everything, as it's frustrating to see all the gaps. Nevertheless, this is still a nice collector's book for fans of the franchise.

[kerrycat · Rating 5 out of 5]

of course this is incredible - not just visually, but the text explains the process, from conception to end, from writing to all of the details, that made this film come to life, as well as the timeline overlaps with TFA and RO (production-wise, which was a little tricky). how and why the director led this team to create something new while adhering to the original spirit of Lucas' ideals from the seventies - it's all here. an absolute pleasure to become absorbed in, and a must for all TLJ fans.

[nikita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lacks its predecessor's imagination and broader ideas.