***** outta *****

5 outta 5

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a continuous climax taking off from the end of The Force Awakens.  It’s one of the fastest paced Star Wars movies ever which is quite impressible considering the movie is just over two and a half hours long.   Written and directed by Rian Johnson (Brick, Looper) this twists moments in unexpected and surprisingly cool ways.  It juggles multiple characters and plotlines all at once expertly with a driving chase movie narrative.  Things happen that change the landscape of Star Wars forever and it’s riveting all the way through. 

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, the First Order has the Resistance fleet, led by General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), on the run.  With the help of ace pilot Poe (Oscar Issac) they try to fight back the relentless pursuit of the First Order’s General Hux (Domhall Gleeson), the dark side maniac Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), and Supreme Leader, Snoke (Andy Serkis).   Former Stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega) and Resistance mechanic Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) hatch a plan to shake the First Order but they’re running out of time.  Meanwhile, on a far away planet, powerful young Force user Rey (Daisy Ridley) has found Jedi Master Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).  She pleads for his help but, shockingly, Luke doesn’t want anything to do with saving the galaxy saying it’s time for the Jedi to end. 

The Empire Strikes Back had Luke Skywalker learning from Yoda but here the switch is Rey needs a teacher but Luke wants her to go away.  Hamill puts in a remarkable performance as Luke has been weighed down by his choices in life.  He now believes the Force is bigger than simply the Jedi way to view it. The notion that the Jedi were wrong a subtle theme that runs through Star Wars but is made explicit here. The final moments Luke has in Last Jedi are downright amazing and some of the best stuff Hamill has ever done in the series. 

There is much drama between Luke and Rey but funny stuff too like when Luke tells Rey to concentrate on the Force and fakes her out with a leaf blowing in the breeze.   Rey and Kylo share a mental connection between through the Force and the two have scenes even though they’re literally across the galaxy.  It’s a neat way to have dramatic dialogue interaction with two characters that would immediately try to kill each other if they were in the same physical space.  The rules of The Force are pushed in this film which is good because it should be unknowable and strange.  Ridley does a great job showing Rey’s determination in moments and a scene with her, Kylo and Snoke is a jaw-dropper.  Serkis’ Snoke is a surprisingly convincing CGI creation and Serkis drips every line with menace. 

As Kylo Ren, Driver is a live wire of emotional turmoil and a few flashbacks to when Luke was training Kylo are gripping.  In her final role, Carrie Fisher’s Leia has some awesome bits like one of the movie’s best, unexpected scenes involving deep space that is shocking.  There’s tense conflict on the runaway Resistance vessel as Issac conveys Poe determination to save everyone and the interactions he has with Fisher and others are great. He buts heads with Holdo (Laura Dern) and she plays Holdo’s true intentions  subtly.  Boyega’s Finn and Tran’s Rose are off on a side quest with lots of wacky adventure and fun moments.  Rose’s first scene where she meets Finn has some great comedic awkwardness.  Finn also gets a showdown with his former boss, Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie) that is basically ripped out of Mortal Kombat.  They meet up with a slicer, DJ (Benicio Del Toro), who offers a unique perspective on the eternal war in the stars. 

The movie starts with an epic showdown between the two sides as Poe pulls off some miracles with a desperate bombing run to stop a giant First Order ship.  The scenes with Rey and Luke have very trippy interludes and the cinematography of the rocky landscape is wonderful.  There’re also some natives on Luke’s island, the small and cute but dim Porgs and jabbering caretakers who keep trying to keep the Jedi temple in one piece which is hard as Rey keeps having Force-related freak-outs.  The movie is structured uniquely it builds towards a final showdown on Snoke’s ship which is dramatically satisfying as all the pieces come together neatly.  Then the film keeps going (in a good way) as it ratchets up the impossible situation the Resistance are caught in.   They’re whittled down to a nub and instead of saving the galaxy as it becomes a struggle to survive.  John Williams score is sweeping and emotional, using iconic Star Wars motifs perfectly.

Revelations are made in Last Jedi, questions introduced in Force Awakens are definitively answered, characters are changed definitively and the film closes with a spectacular finale.  Middle films in a trilogy can sometimes seem like treading water but this is all pay off which is great in an era where franchises are stretched out.  Star Wars: The Last Jedi has everything that makes not only Star Wars great but just a great movie.