Never mind the plot; watch for interesting characters, brilliant set pieces and nostalgic moments

Rating: 10/10 (16 December 2017)

The original Star Wars trilogy (1977-1983) created a new escapism universe "far, far away" that gave Middle Earth a run for its money. The second trilogy (1999-2005), a prequel, was generally considered a disappointment. This grand conclusion, starting with "The Force awakens" two year ago, was a successful launch of a mission impossible, continuing the saga when there appeared to be no more stories to tell. The magical combination of vitality of the new and nostalgia of the old worked! "The last Jedi" has proven itself a worth follow-up.
As with any similar sci-fi-fantasy romance adventure, the plot boils down to three little words: good against evil. Picking up from exactly where "The Force awakens" left off, with characters therefrom as well as new, the plotlines follow three parallel trajectories, each with its own pairing.
1. Rey (Daisy Ridley), upon finding Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), endeavors to persuade him to train her to be a Jedi. 2. Finn (John Boyega), after waking up from coma, eventually encounters an unlikely partner Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran), a space station maintenance worker who is far too intelligent and smart for the mundane job she is doing. After some meanderings, the two embark on a quest important to the Resistant's cause. 3. Poe (Oscar Isaac) the X-Wing fighter pilot/commander with his daring one-upmanship incurs the displeasure of Leia (Carrie Fisher) who is the resistance guiding light and final hope. These are the initial parings. Twists and turns soon follow.
I like to touch on the nostalgia first. The familiar few bars of somber nostalgic motif coda in minor key have been used at the important moments, pitch perfect every time. In addition, a lighter variation of this theme is used in the exciting rampaging of an escape scene riding four-legged kangaroos(?). On visuals, the one that every loyal follower from day one will be talking about features R2D2. After consecutive failures of Rey and Chewbacca to convince Luke to come back to the human race, R2D2 succeeds with his "cheap move" (Luke's own words) - a reprise of a scene from the very first "Star Wars" (long before the crafty subtitle of "A new hope" was tagged on, making it "Episode IV"). This is when R2 projected a hologram showing Princess Leia's plead to Obi-Wan Kenobi for help. For Luke, it was love at first sight with young and beautiful Leia, not aware yet that this was his sister. So much for nostalgia.
On the set pieces, and there are quite a few (all superb), the opening space battle is the best. Technical achievement it surpasses everything seen before. The remarkable thing is the emotional response it generates. While Poe leads the virtually suicidal assault, the heroic sacrifice is made by a character we meet for the very first time, bomber pilot Paige Tico (Veronica Ngo), Rose's sister. One other thing to note in in this movie movie is the breathtaking use of the color red, which needs to be seen to be appreciated.
Just a few words on things special about this movie. In addition to Rose Tico, there are a few other new characters. Andy Serkis and his friend GCI deliver the arch villain in this movie, one "Snoke", which is not particularly impressive (to be fair, can anything be after Gollum?). Laura Dern has a good role of the tough-as-nail second in command who takes over from Leia when she is temporarily out of commission. Benicio Del Toro has a Del-Toro-ish role.
While there is a multitude of sub-plots, big and small, there is absolutely no mistaking in which are the two main themes. One is Luke Skywalker. This all-too-familiar character at his youth take on an almost unrecognizable persona, staring as a taciturn self-banished exile from humanity in general and from the Jedi tradition specifically. And then this character grows, as an onion peels, towards a stupendous finale. The other is the titanic struggle between light and dark, between Rey and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Mesmerizing is the ability of these two characters to interact telepathically. The conflict, needless to say, is not yet resolved at the end of this movie. The audience is left wondering if there REALLY is no goodness left in Ren. The biggest hook is of course Rey's parentage and the related mystery of where did her innate power come from. If there is anything in the entertainment world that rivals the expectation of the final season of "Game of Thrones", it has to be Episode IX of "Star Wars". In all likelyhood 2019 is going to be a very special year.
Final tribute must be paid to Carrie Fisher who died after completing the filming. It is a blessing that she has significant screen time in this, her farewell performance. She will be missed and always remembered. Watching "The Last Jedi" comes with the same sadness as watching "Fast & Furious 6", the farewell performance of Paul Walker. But then, Paul Walker came along only at the turn of the century. Carrie Fisher has been there for 40 years.