A Bold Film That Moves Star Wars Forward

Rating: 9/10 (19 December 2017)

I was pleasantly surprised with how many risks this movie took, and I was even more surprised with how many of those risks paid off. I liked The Force Awakens, but I thought it often played things too safe. This does not.
But these risks are character-based. Mark Hamill gives a fantastic performance as a cynical Luke who has an understandably dim view of the Jedi order. His decisions may seem shocking, but they make sense considering what he's been through. All of the other performances are also uniformly great.
This film is a study in how we can learn from failure, how we can take the mistakes of the past and create a better future. Every character in this movie makes major mistakes, and there are consequences to those mistakes. I found this far more dramatic than much of the conflict in The Force Awakens.
There are some truly beautiful images in this movie, from the opening space battle to a particularly thrilling lightsaber fight. Director Rian Johnson takes influence from samurai movies, WWII movies, and much more. That's exactly what the original trilogy did, and it makes the movie more dynamic.
*Major Spoilers*
The Last Jedi shows us how the Force can be used in ways we've never seen before. And I loved the revelation that Rey's parents are nobody jerks. She has no legacy to follow, which is in stark contrast to the overwhelming legacy that burdens Kylo Ren. Therefore, it makes sense that he'd want her to join him as he burns the past down.
*End Spoilers*
This is a great Star Wars movie. It has beautiful scenes, particularly ones between Luke and some other beloved characters. This isn't a very organized review, but these are some of my thoughts on the movie.