Star Wars At Its Finest

Rating: 10/10 (15 December 2017)

What an incredible ride from start to finish! Let me start by saying that I really enjoyed TFA. However, I was hoping the next two movies in the trilogy would be more unique with their storytelling, and take us to some new places and ideas as opposed to TFA's safe approach. Thankfully, The Last Jedi doesn't disappoint in this regard. Not only does The Last Jedi do some unexpected things with its characters, but it also manages to expand our understanding of the Galaxy, and the role that every person can play in its narrative.
Story-wise, it keeps you engaged all the way through. Director Rian Johnson found a way to keep the pacing very tight, striking a nice balance between non-stop action and quieter character moments. It also manages to keep you guessing at what will happen next. All of this is further aided by the fantastic cinematography throughout. This is by far the best looking Star Wars film to date.
The writing for the characters manages to be very well done as well. Every character has their moment, and every character has a chance to expand our understanding of who they are. Some of them are taken to places you wouldn't expect either. This will probably also be where some fans find issue with the movie though. Some bold choices are made, and they won't work for everyone. But at its core, the writing is well done and inspired, even if controversial at times. I believe that over time, much like Empire before it, more people will look back in favor of this film's choices.
While the movie feels like a success in every way a Star Wars movie should be, it succeeds the most in the themes it tries to tell. It's a Star Wars movie that reminds us that everyone has a role to play in the fate of the Galaxy, no matter how insignificant they seem to themselves or others. And it's a reminder of what it means to keep moving forward, and become more than what we were. Sometimes that means finding strength we didn't know we had. Sometimes that means letting failure teach us. Sometimes that means knowing when to take action, and also knowing when to take a step back.
Ultimately, this movie has everything I could ask for from a Star Wars film: Great characters, great action, engaging story, and imagination at every turn. As Luke Skywalker says, "This is not going to go the way you think." As it turns out, that's exactly what makes this movie special.