An unexpected artistic, risky but fresh twist on Star Wars.

Rating: 8/10 (17 December 2017)

This is almost the opposite in everyway to The Force Awakens. While JJ Abrams brought a very fast-paced energetic but very familiar and safe feel to The Force Awakens, Rian Johnson brings to The Last Jedi something that is slower, patient and refreshing new and unexpected. Johnson isn't too concerned with trying to satisfy every Star Wars fan but is very invested in swinging big in every direction that is risky but for most of it really pays off.
Using a very meta-type of narrative to go against tropes one would expect in Star Wars, Johnson makes the audience question the identity of this space opera franchise that has been going on since the 70's. The film delves on the flaws of the past, religion, teachers, authority and idolized heroes and asks what is worth sacrificing during times of war. And just when you think the movie is ending the way you would expect; it takes a hard left turn to deliver a great third act.
The new characters that were introduced in Force Awakens are expanded with more depth thanks to Johnson's writing and the performance from Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver. The dynamic between Rey (Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Driver) is greatly fleshed out to beyond just a hero vs villain relationship. As Rey seeks to know who she was and her significance in the force while Kylo wishes to grow out of the shadow of his grandfather Darth Vader and his old life as Ben Solo, they both bond through their sense of confused identity. While Oscar Isaac only had so little screen time in Force Awakens to leave a large impression, here he is given the reins to show how Poe's brash attitude and rebelious nature towards authority can have consequences. While Boyega's return has less of an impact from the last movie, he once again delivers as Finn goes on a mission to save the Resistance that makes him question whether they are any better then the First Order. Unfortunately Gwendoline Chrstine's Captain Phasma is once again snubbed from leaving any kind of memorable imprint as a character. She has some cool action moments but is still so forgettable. But easily the most memorable character and performance in this is Mark Hamil as Luke Skywalker. While Hamil has been great in voice acting this is his best performance as Luke in all Star Wars movies. Hamil shows a different side of Luke that is no longer hopefully optimistic but alone and anti-social. He has grown to hate the title of hero that the galaxy bestowed on him and the fallen Jedi order. With pride blinding him that put Ben Solo on his path to become Kylo Ren he now sees the Jedi Order as a flawed system that also allowed the Emperor to come into power and should be forgotten. You are reminded in scenes that there are still some elements of the old Luke particular an encounter with R2-D2. Also I would feel ashamed to not give credit to Carrie Fisher as Leia whom passed away last year. We now fully see her as a strong and wise military leader who has a lot of advice needed in dark times. Other great performances are Laura Dern as Admiral Hoddo, Kelly Marie Tran as Rose and Andy Serkis returning as Supreme Leader Snoke who this time feels a lot more threatening then he did as a giant hologram in Force Awakens.
This probably has the most visually stunning and awe-inspiring moments in any Star Wars movie. The nods feel a lot subtler then in Force Awakens but with clever visual twists. Johnson's use of vibrant red colour tones helps to evoke this sense of conflict that is building throughout the movie from Snokes's throne room to the red salt dust on the planet Krait. Both the beginning and ending battle sequences evoke a very WW2 vibe from the new vehicles to the way the scenes are filmed and the way the tension builds.
While I think Rose and Finn are good characters, their storyline I felt is what weakened the film from being completely perfect. The screen time of them being in the Las Vegas-style planet called Canto Bight felt it was just filler and only existed to offer some social commentary on the upper class economy in the Star Wars universe. And it makes it even worse by the fact their actions have the barest impact of the plot with large amount of runtime taken up and feels tonally inconsistent to the rest of the movie. The humour I also felt like it wasn't as strong in Force Awakens when it came out in unexpected moments that didn't fit with the serious tone of the movie.
Hardcore Star Wars will no get doubt get upset at how Johnson follows up or even disregards some of the things Force Awakens setup. In fact it becomes very clear he prefers deflating those big epic mysterious in service for letting the characters evolve and mature at the expense of fan's expectations. To me I enjoy these creative risks that Johnson had the confidence to follow through but I feel it has now the set the bar a little too high for JJ Abrams to follow in Episode 9.