Star Wars The Last Jedi

Rating: 8/10 (15 April 2018)

The Last Jedi, the latest entry in the Star Wars saga, picks up where The Force Awakens (2015) left off with protagonist young jedi trainee Rey locating and meeting jedi master Luke Skywalker who had disappeared years since the rise of villain Kylo Ren and the creation of the First Order. Skywalker had intentionally disappeared to die in solitude, living in shame of failing his nephew Ben Solo and responsible for his fall to the dark side. As Rey seeks his guidance in the Force, the Resistance led by Princess Leia prepare for a grand assault by the First Order all while Kylo Ren struggles with his identity as he goes down the path that will seal his destiny.
As far as the plot goes, there are moments where (this would be especially noticeable among Star Wars fans) certain events bring back memories from original trilogy films Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. This may or may not be a good thing for some viewers. Some may take it as a re-telling of the past entries whereas others will appreciate the nostalgia. That said, for a sequel, this plot feels genuine and different than the older Star Wars films even with it's similarities. It is difficult to imagine new Star Wars films made without some form of reference to the past since many Star Wars fans dwell in the past. For those that may not be fans of the new Star Wars films and feel Disney is destroying what made the original and prequel trilogies amazing when they were under the ownership of George Lucas need to understand that nothing will ever destroy your fan favorites. They're there, untouched, unharmed, unchanged. Seeing these new films with an open mind can really make one appreciate what they have to offer no matter if they match the greatness of the originals.
The film is loaded with great character interactions and motivations. Specifically Rey, Kylo Ren and Luke are the ones that go through the most character development. For instance Rey is continuing her journey seeking to understand the hidden power that dwells in her, believing in Luke to be for her what Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi were to him. She goes through similar moments her new mentor went through when he was a young man including his faith in the Force and in his ability to turn his father Darth Vader from the dark side. Rey develops the same goal with Kylo Ren thinking she can accomplish what Luke accomplished with turning his father back. We see more of Kylo without his mask in this film, a positive aspect to both the actor and the character, who goes through internal struggle throughout and we the viewers develop a connection with him that wasn't there in The Force Awakens. The resolution was handled excellently as it seemed as though Kylo wanted to be saved from the dark side only to reveal his true self at the end much to Rey's dismay. Thus we are presented the villain we deserved for this newer trilogy, one who is properly developed and not killed off as with the villains of the prequel trilogy.
Now as far as Luke goes, he starts off no longer the same brilliant successful jedi knight we remembered from Return of the Jedi. The death of Han Solo, his best friend only added to his grief he has felt for the last 14 years since he failed his nephew. As much as we dislike this new angry, depressed Luke, we feel his sorrow for dooming Kylo Ren to be lost to evil potentially forever. As a result he quit training jedi and believed their time needed to end. It isn't until he is visited by his former master Yoda that he learns he made a mistake in letting his failure consume him instead of allowing it to make him better as a jedi and human being. The film ended Luke Skywalker's journey perfectly and he will be forever one the best heroes/characters of our time.
One thing that adds to this film's greatness are the visuals. Within the first 10-15 minutes, we get to experience 10-15 minutes of fantastic beautiful Star Wars, the way we know and love it to be, with exhilarating visuals and space ship war action battles between the heroes and the villains. Everything fans love about the saga is back for more fun in this film. Lightsaber combat, space ship battles, blaster fights, strange alien creatures (that get stranger with each new film), amazing planets and worlds beyond the imagination. One of the things that made the original trilogy amazing were it's resourceful visuals and effects for the time they were made such as stop motion animations and the use of puppetry. Those may be some of the greatest things to happen to Star Wars. Today's visuals may not be nostalgic, but are breath-taking nonetheless. Every explosion to every space ship engine roar is so stunning, it feels as though they actually filmed every space scene is actual space.
Fianlly, almost every other character (with the exception of a few) add to the film's coolness. Finn is a great character although he didn't impact as much as he did during his first appearance whereas Poe Dameron got to shine in the spotlight more this time around and he doesn't disappoint, providing moments of good comic relief. BB-8 continues to be super adorable and got many moments of heroism this time around. The rest of our favorites are back and while they may not do as much as they used to, they're still special and always bring smiles to those who grew up with them. This film was a surprise though it isn't perfect for there are instances where the plot does feel like it's dragging on unnecessarily and some of the new characters feel very one dimensional but the surprise return of Yoda was enough to make one forget all the film's flaws.
Lastly, there is Carrie Fisher, our beloved Princess Leia. May she find peace in Heaven with the Lord and she will be missed for assisting in changing the world with her inspiring character and making Star Wars the epic franchise it will always be. This was undoubtedly the perfect film she deserved as a proper send off for both Carrie Fisher and Princess Leia