Another great installment of the Star Wars franchise

Rating: 8/10 (21 December 2017)

Rian Johnson adds his own twist to this epic saga as the eighth installment expands the universe and tells a compelling tale of stunning science fiction and fantasy. As the opening crawl informs us, the Resistance is on the run from the First Order. The cocky pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) launches a brave attack on the giant Dreadnaught ship while also taunting General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson). After Poe destroys the Dreadnaught's weapons, the Resistance launches a bombing run that results in heavy casualties but destroys the giant ship. Rey (Daisy Ridley) has found Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) but he is reluctant to train another Jedi after his failure with Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). The evil Ben Solo tracks down Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) aboard the fleeing Resistance ship but does not to commit to killing her. However, she is blown out the window when other fighters launch missiles and have to use the force to save herself.
With Leia injured, the Resistance takes on a new leader Vice Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern), much to Poe's chagrin. Finn (John Boyega) wakes up and is desperate to find Rey. He tries to evacuate from the Resistance ship but Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) shocks him before he can escape. Together they come up with a plan to stop the First Order from tracking the Resistance ship. With the help of Poe, they head off to a casino planet to find a master codebreaker. Rey pushes Luke to resume her training and somehow opens up a force telepathic connection with Kylo. They communicate and Rey slowly believes that Kylo could be turned back to the light side as he explains how Luke attacked him. Skywalker claims to have sensed Kylo's evil and taken matters into his own hands, though it all comes down to a huge misunderstanding and the influence of Supreme Leader Snoke.
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