A Fitting Sequel

Rating: 9/10 (15 December 2017)

If you like Star Wars, you'll really like The Last Jedi. If you don't, you won't. It doesn't do anything to bring new fans into the fold, but it does reward the faithful with some of the most masterfully acted performances in Star Wars history, at least in film.
It also gives us some of the most well-crafted visuals of any Star Wars film since A New Hope. Leia, Poe, Rey, and even Kylo Ren get moments that could be pulled from the movie and used as movie posters in their own right.
Now to the details. If you were wondering if Rian Johnson would pick up the threads JJ Abrams laid in The Force Awakens and run with them...well, the answer to that is "no". His solution to those problematic threads is the same solution for the Gordian Knot - he simply cuts them off so the franchise can move forward. This movie kills its darlings with the precision of a lightsaber - cutting off the thread and cauterizing it so neatly that if JJ Abrams can find a way to resurrect them in the final film, I'll be very, very surprised. The map to Skywalker? Not even mentioned. Luke's saber? Destroyed. Rey's parentage? Who cares. Finn's parentage? Never even mentioned. Snoke's identity? He's just Snoke. Almost every bread crumb from The Force Awakens is tossed out on its bum unceremoniously. And you know what? No one in the audience seemed to mind, cos most of that stuff was uninteresting anyway. The interesting stuff - the conflict between Rey and Ben, Luke's return, Leia herself, the growing bond between Finn, Poe, and Rey...that stuff is expanded upon expertly.
The Force is expanded upon in creative new ways in this film, though not to the extent of, say, The Force Unleashed (if you have any idea what game I'm talking about you have my sympathy). The Force is shown more as a living thing that doesn't choose sides, but is simply there to be used. Life, death, chaos, order, they all exist side by side in the Force and it's humans that choose sides. It seems very much inspired by Knights of the Old Republic and the concept of a Grey Force User, but it seems Rian closes the door on that at the end of the film, almost instinctively understanding that future directors probably wouldn't pick up that thread. It's too bad, as the concept is one that would have elevated the franchise beyond it's limitations and into some of the grander concepts of the Extended Universe.
Kylo Ren's growth as a character is masterfully played in Adam Driver's hands. He is no longer the "emo Vader", but a broken and conflicted character all his own, and the arc of his growth is put firmly at the forefront of this story. The cataclysmic confrontations between him and Luke both in the past and in the present are vibrant and compelling, and the reasons for the mistrust and anger - on both sides! - are explained perfectly. Seeing Hux bow before Kylo but still try to flex his power and authority was entertaining, and I'm sure that conflict will come to a head in the final film. You have two brash young men both suddenly given unlimited power over one of the grandest military forces ever assembled (in this canon), can't wait to see how their conflict screws all that up.
Yoda's appearance was so welcome and unexpected that the audience in my theater burst into applause, then went silent for his lines. For a puppet, Yoda sure knows how to deliver a command performance. His lines throw back to the original trilogy so anyone who was paying attention will get how important his visit with Luke is in this film.
Now, there are a couple of points where the movie falls flat. Finn and Rose's side adventure basically accomplishes nothing, and we aren't given much to show Finn as the battle-hardened Stormtrooper he's supposed to be. He's had two movies now where he's been largely sidelined and made ineffective, I'd love to see him get his "moment" in the final film.
To those complaining about the comedy I can only shrug my shoulders. This is probably one of the heaviest Star Wars films in terms of content...there are so many genuine, emotional moments (especially, surprisingly, between Ben and Rey) that a little levity was welcome. None of the jokes were eye-rollers. None of the jokes stood out as out-of-place winks to the audience. No, to this viewer the comedy was sprinkled in just enough and was largely situational, much like the original trilogy. Even Yoda's humor was a welcome throwback to his first appearance in the franchise.
There were a lot of moments in this film that I found myself genuinely applauding, more out of sheer exuberance than "oh this is when everyone applauds". The ending sequence with Snoke's ship and the Republic ship going to lightspeed...well let's just say it's not something I imagined I would see in a mainstream Star Wars film, and it's played perfectly. Cheers from the audience afterwards and with good reason - it was an epic finale, even though it felt like a pre-mature sendoff for what could have been an interesting character. Luke's re-appearance also garnered welcome applause, as it was both subtle enough and epic enough to be genuinely moving. There were at least five applause breaks in the theater I was in, none of which felt out of place. Genuinely thrilling moments are hard to find in the cinema these days, and The Last Jedi delivered quite a few.
I could go on for hours about this film but I'll summarize it with a word that came to mind immediately as the credits rolled - captivating. If you're invested in this universes and care about its characters, this film delivers many, many scenes and moments that will stick with you after you've left the theater. Other than the lengthy sequence in the middle on the casino planet, The Last Jedi is a treat and keeps you engaged by forgetting about the "nostalgia button" and offering surprising story-telling choices that largely work every time.