Best Star Wars Movie Yet?

Rating: 9/10 (11 January 2018)

NOTES
Maybe the best Star Wars film to date, this deserves an A-. Full disclosure: I was dreading writing this review, and now that I am writing it I feel as if it might be a mistake. There is a ridiculous amount of discourse regarding this film already - much of it controversial, and I'm not really sure what I can add to it, but I guess my opinion will have to suffice.
REVIEW
"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" picks up exactly where "The Force Awakens" left off - on an island with Rey (a perfectly cast Daisy Ridley) and Luke Skywalker (the now-grizzled Mark Hammil). Rey hands Luke the lightsaber and he tosses it over his shoulder. This immediately sets the tone for the entire film (and maybe the franchise?). Writer/Director Rian Johnson takes a bold direction with the heralded and beloved franchise in painting Luke as someone who has grown old, jaded, and cynical (I would too if I'd been living in exile for decades). While Rey attempts to convince old stuck-in-his-ways Luke to come back and save the universe, we cut away to witness Supreme Leader Snoke (the digitized chameleon Andy Serkis) and company pick off what's left of the rebel fleet. The entire 2 ½ hours is essentially a chase scene. The Empire ships are tracking the rebels (unbeknownst to them), waiting until they run out of fuel. General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) leads the rebel fleet praying for a miracle. Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) tries to manufacture that miracle under the nose of Leia, who doesn't want him sacrificing what's left of her rebel soldiers. Finn (John Boyega) and Rose Tico (a new addition played by Kelly Marie Tran) join Poe and try to make it all happen. While Rey is trying to convince Luke to come save the universe she is inexplicably connected (through the force?) to Kylo Ren A.K.A. Ben Solo (A.K.A. Adam Driver).
Where to begin? I'll start by qualifying my opening statement. In preparation for "The Force Awakens" I went back, as I imagine a lot of folks did, and watched Episodes 1 - 6. Episode 1 was painful to sit through, Episode 2 almost just as painful, and Episode 3 had moments that were enjoyable, but still largely dismal. Surprisingly enough when I got to Episode 4, 5, and 6 I was not as impressed as I remember being when I was a kid. I noticed how terribly written the dialogue was and how synthetic the acting seemed. But that's not why I love Star Wars. I love Star Wars because of the world it invites me to join. I love being in that world where Jedi Knights use the force to battle the bad guys who wear black masks and cloaks. And lightsabers! I love Star Wars because of what it inhabits rather than what it is. "The Force Awakens" was a step in the right direction, in my opinion. Yeah, yeah, it didn't add much to the overall canon, but for me, walking into the theater with super low expectations based on the prequels, it blew me away. "The Force Awakens" made Star Wars cool again, and I think "The Last Jedi" takes that new direction and thrusts it into a more matured state.
"The Last Jedi" is the longest Star Wars film to date, and although it does squeeze every minute's worth, I don't think it utilized the runtime as well as it could have. Within the 150 minutes, we are presented with a mere four locations. Despite this, the action within those four locations validates the ticket price. It answers what "The Force Awakens" fell short on, it adds a lot to the overall saga - a lot. Luke Skywalker's character development feels completely natural to me despite an overwhelming opinion stating otherwise, and what Rian Johnson has done with Rey and Kylo Ren is meaningful and promising for the future.
I've heard several key complaints - there's way too much dialogue, the misplaced humor, and the weird hokey scene where a certain person flies through space. The dialogue is great, and well written for the most part, and really drives the story along. I completely disagree with the complaint of the movie being too slow or too dialogue-heavy, there's plenty of action, suspense, and excitement while also becoming a meaningful film (kind of a breath of fresh air at this point). The misplaced humor did take me out of the movie a couple of times. I'm talking about typical action one-liners that are cliché and cheesy. For example, a character is on a vessel that has burst into flames and must cross a ton of burning wreckage that is literally a mile away when out of the blue another character arrives on a flying scooter or something and anti-cleverly asks, "Need a ride?" Yeah, those moments took me out of the movie, and regrettably there are a few. The person flying through space wasn't completely terrible, but the way Johnson filmed it and choreographed it made it look very manufactured. Think "Superman" (1978) with Christopher Reeve - not terrible, but not totally believable either, which in a film with cutting edge visual effects becomes quite noticeable, and took me out of the experience.
The thing is, these are very minor details in a 2 ½ hour epic Star Wars movie that actually deals with some interesting character progression, history within the Star Wars universe, and relationships. There is plenty to praise. Not only is the writing and directing bold and well-executed, the acting plays a huge role (finally). Mark Hammil plays Luke with conviction in a role that I imagine was probably not terribly easy for him to do. Adam Driver gets a chance to show off his acting chops, which is encouraging, because I found him absolutely wonderful in both "Logan Lucky" and Martin Scorsese's masterpiece "Silence." Daisy Ridley might be my favorite casting choice - she is absolutely perfect as Rey. She plays the heroine with such strength and power without overdoing it or feeling that she has to be masculine to pull it off. She is phenomenal and fun to watch. The best performance, however, goes to Oscar Isaac, who really becomes Poe (he is so convincing, in fact, that while stepping in and out of the movie the second time seeing it due to extenuating circumstances, I saw Isaac perform his scenes somewhat out of context and was blown away by how instantaneously I was sucked into the scene because of his convincing acting). John Boyega as Finn didn't meet my expectations - he did fine, but has become comfortable in the role, and Domhnall Gleason as General Hux overacted a bit in some of his scenes. Benicio Del Toro, however, is amazing here, which I'm choosing not to go into detail about, but trust me, he's great.
Now, I don't profess to be a Star Wars expert of any sort. I've never seen the animated "Clone Wars" nor read the books or anything like that. I have strictly been exposed to only the major motion pictures. Personally, I loved this rendition and addition to the saga. It was fun, exciting, and surprisingly well-made. I know that I'll probably take heat for this review, and if I wrote a scathing review I'd probably take heat for that too. Both times I saw the movie the audience loved it, they clapped, they laughed, and then gave a standing ovation when the credits rolled. Tomatometer says otherwise, but in my experience I haven't seen those who outright hate it. My first viewing was with a friend who aptly commented: "No one hates a Star Wars movie more than a Star Wars fan."
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