A recommended watch; The Force Awakens truly here.

Rating: 8/10 (22 December 2017)

It's Episode VIII, but it feels like Episode V, all over again. I mean it as a good thing. As a teenager when i had started watching Star Wars movies, what appealed to me were few elements. The Last Jedi has, it seems masterfully studied each of them and planted them seamlessly into the narrative, while staying true to the central theme.
So, in this review, i'll dwell on how Director Rian Johnson has revived the franchise from the debacle (although not financial) of 'The Force Awakens', by focusing on what audience always loved about the epic, rather than..... well, you can read my review of Episode VII in this link - http://www.imdb.com/user/ur21321686/reviews
And i'll try my best to minimize spoilers.
1. Start with Action, with Resistance on the verge of a collapse: This was always the reason for the opening crawl, to bring you right into the action without having to elaborate or build up situations. 'The Last Jedi' as expected begins with the new empire 'First Order' about to attack a rebel base. Poe, the suave looking fighter pilot is again at the centre of action, with almost an expected escape. This start lays down the foundation for the movie to build on.
2. Bring in the padawan - master relationship and the differences between them: Episode VII ends with Rey finding Luke skywalker in the faraway oceanic planet Ahch-to. An expected relationship between the master and apprentice takes a new twist revealing the past of Kylo Ren and the continuing differences between them. The 'curious' among you may want to google about the 3 lessons which Luke promises to teach Ren.
3. Focus on characters who stay true to what they are: One of the main reasons for a movie franchise spanning 40 years (1977-2017) is the characters. While Episode VII raised questions on whether this legacy of creating memorable characters was ending, 'The Last Jedi' makes up for it by establishing the nature of Rey (passionate and honest), Poe (instinctive and loud), Finn (stops running and finally chooses a side) and Kylo Ren (revealing a new layer, now strong and bold, although nowhere near to Darth Vader by any sense of imagination). Special mention to BB-8, who takes the role of R2-D2 a step further and undoubtably is the 'hero' who saves the day multiple times. New characters Rose Tico (a sweet chubby honest resistance fighter) and Vice Admiral Holdo (purple haired straight faced surprise package) are also enduring.
4. The myriad planets with it's native creatures: 3 planets feature in film, each of them with different creatures. Ahch-To has the adorable Porga (screaming big eyed fat birds), Caretakers (factually named) Thala-Sirens (huge marine milk cows); Canto Blight has Fathiers (tall and strong racing horses) and the Vupltex (shiny crytal foxes) in the planet Crait. The script has ensured that most of the creatures play a relevant role in storyline.
5. Comic timing through dialogues, situations and failures: Something which was sorely missing in the last episode. This one brings out chuckles, even in expected serious scenes. Instead of creating 1 character providing comic relief, the opportunity has been presented to almost all major protagonists.
6. Throwing up surprises: This was where Episode V stood out. Prodding the narrative along a familiar path with an unexpected twist at the end. In the 'Last Jedi', we get along many such familiar plot themes, be it the escape of the rebellion, a search for master codebraker or the expected fight scenes between Rey / Luke and Kylo Ren; only for us to realize that there's some minor twist which keeps us hooked.
7. Use nostalgia as the key: Nostalgia was the only reason millions of us watched 'The Force Awakens'. Rian Johnson (also the writer) has used that feeling in the best possible manner here, be it through the old characters (Luke Skywalker - the shining star who walks away with all the applause, Chewbacca, Yoda (with a surpirsing sentence at the end), R2D2 (the sense of timing being brilliant) and C-3PO (shiny and reluctant as ever); Or via situations which we are familiar with.
8. Focus on the eternal conflict to lay the path forward: Surprisingly, amidst the 152 minute running time, the focus remains on the Light vs. Dark, Jedi vs. Sith, Resistance vs. First Order and Rey vs. Kylo Ren. Due to this, whenever the conflict becomes alive on the screen, audience gets a chance to become biased and at the same time empathize with the losses on both sides.
9. Let the audience feel it as an adventure: Personally for me, this is the ultimate win of the movie. I'd recommend watching this one to every single person who has a sense of adventure as ultimately that's what we are looking for when we walk into the theatre and plonk our bottom in cushion. A fun ride with a message of hope. That's what we wanted and what we get.
In between all this, the film also manages to throw in a relevance to current affairs with a comment on the business of funding wars by supplying weapons to both sides. That's a nice touch.
As i left the theatre, the scenes in the movie and especially the face of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill reprising his character with swag, emotion and all the force he can muster) kept rising in front of my eyes. I can honestly say, it brought back memories of Episode I, 18 years ago.
For a perfect 10 though, i'd have liked all the actors (excluding
Hamill) put in that little extra effort in expressing emotions; especially Daisy as at times, it's difficult to fathom her sculpted face and eyes which don't move at all. After all the movie is named after her.
A recommended watch; The Force Awakens truly here.