Another stellar episode

Rating: 9/10 (5 January 2018)

It took me a while before I decided to go and see this eighth chapter of the Star Wars saga and the reason is mainly one: I was afraid, afraid that all those comments and all those reviews of all those disappointed and angry fans were truthful.
But, finally, I went to the cinema, and I never expected what my eyes have seen, perhaps having read all those negative opinions and all those positive opinions allowed me to go without knowing what to expect and certainly they brought me in that movie theater with one but important certainty: "The Last Jedi" would have upset the future of this extraordinary saga.
And it's true, it does.
Before seeing it, I told myself that in any way it would have gone, that is, if those changes would have liked me or not, Rian Johnson had great courage and this had to be done, changes had to be made.
Because if the seventh chapter was a real tribute to the original trilogy, a film made by a fan (JJ Abrams) for fans, that was fine (I liked it a lot) because it was no longer a prequel but a sequel waited for almost forty years; this chapter had to give something new to the new generation of future fans of the universe created by George Lucas, had to give them their "Original Trilogy" something that in the future can be honored in turn, and this need of change, of fresh air was more than satisfied.
It was virtually inevitable the division (which then took place) between the vast and growing Fandom, which was divided between those who loved this film and embraced the changes it has involved, and who, however, has detested it and has not at all appreciated the distortion of the plot and especially of the original characters, primarily Luke Skywalker. I was terrified of ending up in this second group but, fortunately, it didn't happened.
Honestly after seeing it I do not understand most of the criticisms that have been made: it is true Luke is different from before but this is called development of a character, he can not always remain the same character, it would be monotonous, now he is aged, is a Luke who has spent many years in voluntary isolation, who has been disappointed by himself and by others, who is afraid of being seen as a failure, a Luke who remains stranded amid the mistakes he has made in the past and, above all, in this new phase he must not and is no longer the protagonist but a young person named Rey. In my opinion this is a splendid change of character.
And it is right, as the film says through the voice of Kylo Ren, that the old dies and the new takes its place.
And speaking of Kylo Ren, he in this film, undergoes a really crazy development, turns out to be a much more complex, intriguing and profound character than you could ever think and the same is true for Rey, who is the real protagonist that puts a lot more in the shade Finn, who still manages to find his place.
And also the comedy, so much criticized, of this eighth chapter finds the right place without ever exaggerating or being too disruptive to divert attention or distort the whole thing, also because in reality the comedy has always been part of the universe of Star Wars already from the first chapters; certainly a different comedy and less childish but "The Last Jedi" adapts to the success trend, that is the one brought by Marvel and I do not see what wrong is in this, the current generation wants this and in fact this can be seen from the results at the box- office.
Indeed, from all the criticism that I read I would have expected much more comedy, much more childish, and I was afraid, and instead I must say that the comedic timing, as well as being spot on, are well calibrated, are not too many and even for this can make fun and laugh at the right point and with the right dose. In addition, there is the darker component that characterized the fifth chapter and that can be perceived again in several scenes.
Scenes that really leave you speechless, many have thrilled me, others amused, some anguished and still amazed by their flawless technical, visual (extraordinary special effects) and sound (a wonderful soundtrack that, in addition to resume historical themes of the saga, adds new awesome musics that diversify a lot the score of Star Wars) quality.
Rian Johnson directs everything with extreme precision, but also with a lot of imagination and desire to entertain, have fun, and amaze the audience through breathtaking sequences.
I think this is what a Star Wars movie really needs to do, especially now that we've reached a total of eight films + spin-offs.
Like the V, this expands the universe more and more with new creatures, new worlds and new characters.
Of course the film is not without problems: there are some things that deserve an explanation (first of all the scene of Leia that "flies" in space and the character of Holdo) but I think and I hope that these various small holes are plugged in the following chapters. On the other hand, we waited almost 40 years for a big screenplay hole to be tapped and then Rogue One arrived, so hope is the last to die.
As far as I'm concerned, this is the best Star Wars on a par with the fifth chapter.