Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is not the nostalgia-fest that The Force Awakens and Rogue One were. It’s not The Empire Strikes Back to TFA’s A New Hope either, or the pointless middle chapter that was Attack Of The Clones. It’s entirely its own beast and, for that, Rian Johnson deserves a lot of credit.

Picking up the heavy baton from JJ Abram’s masterful last film (Abrams is now on producer duties) Johnson pulls more rugs here than a carpet salesman (terrible simile I know.) It’s been a long time since a film was so feverishly speculated upon and discussed, and I think it’s safe to say that none of the plot twists here (which I, of course, will not spoil) are what you will be expecting.

Johnson and Abrams clearly love the franchise and The Last Jedi is a beautiful film with proper Star Wars nods in its cinematography (the classic screen wipes are present and correct) but with additional moments of beauty a la the sumptuous Rogue One. A climactic skirmish on the salt planet Crait is particularly jaw-dropping.

It’s a more character-driven piece as well, echoing the ‘dark’ middle chapter of Empire… but with an increase in the emotional stakes. Poe, Rey and, particularly, Kylo Ren all grow in stature and only Finn is left behind with not a great deal of growth (but clearly having the time of his life.)

It’s perhaps lacking a true ‘wow’ moment akin to THAT Darth Vader scene in Rogue One, or the tension created by Han and Ben meeting in TFA, but, instead, the entire film is a gently undulating wave of fan-pleasing beats and pulses which move this trilogy into a new direction and create its own mythos and place in the canon.

It might not quite be what you’re expecting, but that is something to be praised. Who would have thought that this new Star Wars trilogy could be in the cultural conversation as one of the greatest ever made? (Assuming Ep’ 9 does the business of course.)

4 stars ****