Good Enough trip to a galaxy far, far away...

Rating: 7/10 (19 December 2017)

If you have seen - and enjoyed - a Star Wars movie, then THE LAST JEDI will be an entertaining way to spend 2 1/2 hours. Most of the "old standbys" are there - space battles, heroes in peril, interesting creatures, above average acting with characters that are watchable on the big screen and special effects that are as good as anything you will see in the movies.
And...I enjoy Star Wars...and I enjoyed myself for the lengthy 2 1/2 hours of this film.
Written and Directed by Rian Johnson (BRICK, LOOPER), The Last Jedi opens with some humorous moments that sets a tone that says "we're not going to take things as seriously as previously" and then we launch right into an action sequence. It is a great way to start things and I settled in for a roller coaster ride.
Now...let me jump to the end...the end battle scene (that is no spoiler, ALL Star Wars films end with an action scene) is terrific and the stakes of the characters at this point have amped up and pays off well during this sequence.
But, in between, the path is pockmarked with - good thing, not so good thing, good thing, not so good thing. While there are many more fun action sequences and moments of comedy or cuteness (I'm looking at you Porgs), there is just as many moments of the film being bogged down with character service and introducing "strange new lands" and (most annoyingly) "Jedi Angst" and Jedi training. If Director Johnson wants to know where to trim some time off this film, I can help him. But just as you start to rustle in your seat, along comes a funny moment or an action sequence - and all is forgiven.
The strength of these films are the characters (which is why the 3 prequels don't work, IMHO) - Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac are engaging as the next generation of "Rebel Scum" while old hand, the late Carrie Fischer, brings heft and gravitas to her screen time as Leia. Adam Driver is a bit too "whiny" for my tastes, but that is the direction his character is going, so I'll roll with it. Only Domhnall Gleeson's General Hux doesn't work for me (but this character didn't work for me in THE FORCE AWAKENS, either).
Unfortunately, with the action going and the angst strolling across the screen at a leisurely pace, many, many good characters get short shrift - Andy Serkis' Snoke, Lupita Nyong'o's Maz Kanata and (especially) Gwendoline Christie's Captain Phasma are all just extended cameos as are the appearances of C3P0, R2D2, BB8 and (unfortunately) Chewbacca.
As for the new characters, Kelly Marie Tran's Rose Tico is strong and engaging and makes the trio of Ridley/Boyega/Isaac a quartet. Laura Dern's Vice Admiral Hodo was a good addition and I liked what they did with that character. Unfortunately, Benicio Del Toro's new character of DJ isn't fleshed out much - or gets closure to his arc - perhaps that will come with the next film.
You might have noticed that I have not mentioned Mark Hamill's turn as Luke Skywalker. Unfortunately, I cannot say what I think without spoiling the film, so go see this and then get back to me and we'll talk.
And...a next film there will be as THE LAST JEDI is not THE LAST STAR WARS MOVIE. There is scheduled the 3rd of this new series as well as the standalone Han Solo film as well as ANOTHER trilogy that will focus on other characters in this universe, so pack a bag, we'll be heading to a galaxy far, far away for a long, long time.
Letter Grade: B+
7 1/2 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the BankofMarquis