The most divisive Star Wars film yet.

Rating: 9/10 (18 December 2017)

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is written & directed by Rian Johnson and stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Kelly Marie Tran, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Gwendoline Christie, Laura Dern and Benicio Del Toro.
Rey develops her newly discovered abilities with the guidance of Luke Skywalker, who is unsettled by the strength of her powers. Meanwhile, the Resistance prepares to do battle with the First Order. (12A cert; 152 mins)
This is a film that will make or break Star Wars for fans across the globe. It's surprising. It's divisive. It's already proving to be a difficult one for viewers to digest. There's a lot of pieces moving in Johnson's striking instalment, and I'm going to discuss my thoughts with slightly more personality than usual - without spoilers, of course. The best way to break down this film is to split it into sections, discussing the thematic material featured in The Last Jedi. Let's begin.
The main theme here, and this is spoken verbally by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) in the film, is all about forgetting the past. As Kylo says; "Kill it, if you have to." This theme is planted right away and it reappears constantly throughout. Luke (Mark Hamill) resides on Ahch-To, and has completely shut himself off from everything. He's trying to kill the past. We focus on Rey (Daisy Ridley) as she tries to uncover the truth about her true parentage, this is her confronting and killing her past. In order to move forward, all of our characters have to learn to let go. For obvious reasons, I can't say much beyond that, but I believe this is the reason some people are confused. I'll admit, I wasn't sure how to feel walking out of the theatre, and it was an entirely different experience than with The Force Awakens back in 2015. This is a new theme; we've never really seen it in any Star Wars film before, and I really respect Rian Johnson for going in a new direction.
There are some moments I really disliked, however. Firstly; the editing starts to feel a little tedious. There are so many things happening in this film, so it tries to jump back and forth in order to create a smooth viewing experience but actually what it does is pull you out entirely. I disliked everything Finn (John Boyega) and Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) did in Canto Bight. I wanted to see what was happening with Luke and Rey, even Kylo, but every time I started to feel comfortable it pulled back to the casino city. Secondly, the surrounding plot with the Resistance running from the First Order was lacklustre. But, I've thought about it some more and it really acts as a shell. Inside that shell is some of the best character development I've seen. The Last Jedi isn't about the spaceship chase, its about the characters. Everyone in this film evolves in some way, shape or form. By the end, they are all in a complete different position on the playing board from where they were in The Force Awakens. Take out Canto Bight and I think the film already flows a lot smoother. Beyond that, there are still some remaining issues, but those wander into spoiler territory.
In terms of characters, Kylo Ren was by far my favourite in The Last Jedi. Driver gives an incredible performance and Johnson expands on his story, detailing his upbringing and the reasons for his shattered mind. He's far more complex now and will continue to evolve heading into Episode IX. Ridley returns with another strong act and never fails to inspire. She's fun and engaging, I'm glad she's part of this trilogy. The late Carrie Fisher has some beautiful scenes and the film itself acts as a nice tribute to the character of Leia, despite one moment that was utter garbage. Boyega and Tran share some great screen time together and though I felt it was shoehorned in, I'm interested to see where their characters head next.
The second theme is love. This is harder to explain without spoilers, but Luke makes a really great statement in the film that stuck with me, and the characters. Maybe fighting isn't the solution. Saving what you love is. Mark Hamill's performance is one of the best in the film, and possibly the saga. Sometimes the writing gets a little shaky and some of the dialogue and decisions he makes are out of character. But there are two scenes that really felt like Luke was in there. I think most would know the scenes I mean.
Finally, the theme of hope returns. The finale builds up to something much larger than one more film; it feels as though there are going to be more and more. I didn't like the positioning of this, and I believe it was something that could have been left out until Episode IX, but it does make room for some interesting theories. It didn't leave me filled with the level of excitement I had with The Force Awakens, though. Truthfully, there really wasn't any.
I do think The Last Jedi is a good film, but I think it'll become greater with time. It was enjoyable, and it had some truly brilliant moments. But the pacing was clunky and some of the story threads drifted a little far from the core narrative. The special effects as usual were splendid and the sound design is insane. The original score by John Williams was fun, a little sparse and lacking new memorable themes but there are some very nice sections. Rose and Finn's theme is a highlight. His score supported the film well, and that's what he does best.
Verdict; Though Johnson's ideas are clear, the way in which they're tackled is slightly underwhelming. The Last Jedi suffers from pacing issues and poor comedic timing but beneath that is something huge. Performances all around are striking, including that of the late Carrie Fisher. This is the most divisive Star Wars film yet.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi, 7/10.