STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII - THE LAST JEDI

“It’s time for the Jedi to end.”

In 2015, a film hit cinemas that some thought would never come to pass: Star Wars Episode VII. The continuation of George Lucas’ space opera set in a galaxy far, far away revamped and ready to inspire a new generation. To the surprise of few, it was both a financial and critical success, and personally stands as one of my favourite films of all time, and definitely the best cinema-going experience I’ve ever had. Now, we have its sequel, Star Wars Episode VIII – The Last Jedi.

I’m just going to write this down now because I can feel the urge bubbling within me just to get it on the page. The Last Jedi blew my mind at least six times and left me in a complete whirlwind of everythingness, and I loved it.

Now that’s out of the way, let’s get to the part where I talk like a normal human being. Taking place straight after the events of The Force Awakens, this film sees three major plot threads unravel. Rey is with Luke, hoping that he can show her how to become a Jedi much like Yoda did for him decades before, the Resistance is on the run from a far more powerful enemy that greatly outnumbers them, and Kylo Ren is desperately trying to prove his loyalty to the Dark Side – to himself and those around him. That’s pretty much all I can say without going into spoilers, so I’ll leave it there.

On the whole, I really enjoyed the plot. There is quite a lot of jumping around, but at the same time there is a lot going on in this film, and it was bound to feel at least a bit jumpy at times. And yes, there is a portion of the second act that drags the film a bit, and if im being honest, it could easily have been cut with minimal consequences to the rest of the film, but without it there, two key characters wouldn’t have had much to do. But there’s something about the way this film is presented that shows just how good a choice Rian Johnson was for the role of Director. Everything in this film builds to two major scenes, and both are beautiful in both look and meaning. The first I can’t go into for spoiler related reasons, but the second I can name as the climatic battle. It’s somewhat different to any final fight we’ve been given in a Star Wars film before now, but at the same time, I’ve never sat in the cinema with a bigger grin on my face. Everything from this film, The Force Awakens and even before that comes together and it’s glorious.

While all of the retuning cast are near perfect in their roles, there were two specifically that stood out for me. The first was Mark Hamill as a far more gruff and grizzly Luke than we’ve seen before.

It would’ve been so easy just to play a grumpy old man in this film for Hamill, and most actors probably would. But there’s a special part of his performance where you can still tell he is the Luke Skywalker we know and love, he’s just been through a lot since his appearance in Return of the Jedi. Hamill’s performance was exactly what the film needed, and his ark, subtle as it was, was actually quite special. He gets two of the best scenes in the film, neither of which I can talk about without spoiling it, but you’ll know when you see them.

The other performance was of course the late, great Carrie Fisher as Leia.

While her return in the previous film was much awaited, Fisher’s performance, for some at least, fell short. There’s no risk of that here. Fisher brought her absolute best to this movie, and it’s clear as day. Her scenes are both big and small in scale, and she excels in both. She has one particular scene toward the end that stands out, and needless to see she be dearly missed from here on.

There are other great performances in the film, but one of the relationships the film showed very, very well was the one between Rey and Kylo Ren. It’s explored a lot in this film, and serves as a great way to keep the plot fresh. The contrast between the two is what motivates the both of them, and without going into too much detail, it leads to a very awe-inspiring moment towards the end of the film.

Something that really stood out was the film’s cinematography. There are a lot of beautiful shots in this film, and from start to end it’s presented brilliantly on the big screen. There are a lot of great, smaller moments in this film that really make it shine, and they never fail to impress in the delivery, especially in the climatic battle on the new planet of Crait, which never fails to look immensely impressive for something that’s basically a salt flat.

Crait is nothing short of a symphony in red and white.

To end this review, I’ll just say this. I came out of the cinema with a stupidly big smile on my face. The Last Jedi feels very different to other Star Wars films, in all the right ways. It’s filled with twists and turns that make the outcome almost impossible to guess as you’re watching it, which is a quality so few films these days have. Whenever there’s a moment of danger, you can feel that danger. When there’s a big twist in the plot, you’ll be stunned pretty much every time. So much happens and every second of it builds to a hugely impressive finale which by no means falls short. Both the special effects and the cinematography are undoubtedly brilliant and the performances all round are very good. The film is let down by humour that doesn’t quite land and a slightly dragging second act, but this will leave little impression in your mind. The Last Jedi has a lot of surprises and truly brilliant moments to offer, and it’s a fun watch at the same time. It’s one of the more complicated movies in the saga, but it’s well worth the pay off at the end. While I would love it if Rian Johnson was directing Episode IX, I guess I’ll just have to settle with his upcoming spin-off trilogy. Not only does The Last Jedi vastly improve upon the foundations The Force Awakens built, but it’s also the best Star Wars film put to screen since The Empire Strikes Back. It’s been a long time since I’ve watched a film and had absolutely no idea what’s going to happen next, and if nothing else, that’s what makes The Last Jedi so special.