Rian Johnson delivers an epic space opera that does the saga justice.

Rating: 9/10 (25 December 2017)

Carrying on from where The Force Awakens left off, Luke Skywalker's peaceful and quiet existence is brought to an end when Rey, the young would be Jedi arrives and attempts to convince him to journey back to the Rebel Aliance who are very much in need of his presence. Learning of her strong connection to the Force, Luke with reluctance eventually chooses to train her. Meanwhile, the Rebel Alliance commanded by Princess Leia are fending off the The First Order, led by Kylo Ren and General Hux who direct them in to battle.
As with The Empire Strikes Back, The Last Jedi shares a couple of aspects both tonally and in terms of it's narrative, with Rey (Daisy Ridley) having travelled to the Oceanic planet of Ahch-To with the imperative in convincing Luke Skywalker to join the Rebel Alliance and tutor her in the ways of the Force. Her fiend and Ally Finn (John Boyega) meanwhile awakens onboard the resistance cruiser after recovering from the severe injuries inflicted upon him by Kylo Ren in the last movie. Having recovered he, Poe Dameron (Oscar Issac), BB-8, and new addition to the Star Wars Universe, mechanic Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) devise a plan to disable a tracking device utilized by the Last Order in home in on their combatant. The result is an overall darker, more irremediable dark and complex part of the saga than like it's more immediate prequel.
With Master Jedi Luke Skywalker we see Mark hammil give what is probably the best performance of his career. Here we have a man far removed from the wilful, impetuous youth that we first saw in 1977's, A New Hope. Instead we have a disillusioned, jaded soul, an impression that is made by his worn and weary countenance. contrastingly Rey proves to be the anthiesis of everything Luke once was with her forthright idealism and tenacity she makes for a fitting foil to her elder contemporary. The dynamic between them both is palpably felt as is their shared chemistry. Finn's personal journey is both emotional as it is literal as he finds his path crossing that of the spirited Rose, as he single mindedly sets out to find Rey and warn her of the even great, impending threat imposed by the insidious First Order. With a past tinged with the very tragedy that the war between both sides brings, it has infuriated her thus strengthening her spirit while not compromising her humanity. Tran delivers a well executed performance, acquiring the required balance her character deserves. She sparks off John Boyega who once again is effectively stalwart as the storm-trooper turncoat. With the absence of Harrison Ford as the cynical old rogue, Han Solo he is succeeded by Oscar Issac as the courageous Poe Dameron. Lacking Solo's trademark cynicism, he never the less makes for a self-assured, stoic presence who is not adverse to some sneering banter in the face of danger.
Placed somewhere in the centre of both story strands, and overlapping in to both is the emotionally damaged and erratic Kylo Ren aka Ben Solo as played with understated, conflicted intensity by Adam Driver. Having been previously left underwhelmed by his stilted rendering of the dubious successor to the legacy of Darth Vader (he was after all was really Anakin Skywalker who was his grandfather), he refreshingly redeems himself with a more polished performance.
But with this being Star Wars, there always has to be a prime antagonist who is pulling the strings and calling the shots, and with Supreme Leader Snoke we have arguably the most formidable of antagonists. Manipulative and cunning, and brought to life via a combination of startlingly realized CGI and the impressive vocal talents of Andy Serkis he infuses the Sith Lord with a subtle, threatening majesty that is downright ominous.
As far as the direction the story takes, screenwriter Rian Johnson who also takes directing duties has crafted a grandiose space opera of epic proportions that he brings to life with his winning screenplay that is complimented by the exorbitant technical deftness of it's production. There is something of a war of wills between Rey and Luke, as she attempts to hammer home how essential he is in battling their common enemy, both practically and symbolically. This is later keenly paralleled with the spiritual and physically frenzied battle between Rey and Snoke as vye for ownership over Kylo Ren's allegiance. It harken back superbly to Luke's memorable confrontation with Emperor Palpatine and his prodigal father in Return of the Jedi back in 1983.
There are slight flaws however. The presence of C-3PO strikes me as a-typical fan-service, and his absence would have had no substantial impact on the plot. And at 152 minute in length it does feel a tad overlong, and becomes a bit too drawn out in the final act. However these flaws are minimal and did nothing to rob myself of my enjoyment and awe of the cinematic spectacle that this is. With first rate support from Laura Dern and Benicio Del Toro who make an immediate impression and aren't there merely to play superficial lip service, The Last Jedi marks the upturn in quality for the franchise after the somewhat disappointing, The Force Awakens, although given how the movie plays out and with the untimely death of the late Carrie Fisher, one wonders what course J.J. Abrams has set in compensating for this. Either way, I await the as of yet entitled Episode IX with since anticipation.