Directed by Rian Johnson
Starring Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver
Rated PG-13
A new “Star Wars” is always an event, even when it’s “The Phantom Menace.”
Thankfully, “The Last Jedi,” the eighth episode in the ongoing saga of the Skywalker clan, is a powerful space adventure with great characters and strong visual direction from Rian Johnson.
Picking up from J.J. Abrams’ “The Force Awakens,” Johnson continues the story of Rey (Daisy Ridley), a young woman with Force potential who has finally tracked down the great Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, living the hermit life on a remote island on a remote planet, to learn the ways of the Jedi.
Mark Hamill falls right back into the role of Luke, with a grizzled look not unlike Sir Alec Guinness’ Ben Kenobi. His performance is superb — emotional and stoic, and honestly, it just brings chills to see him return to the character.
Meanwhile, the decimated Resistance forces — led by General Leia Organa (the late, great Carrie Fisher) and featuring brash pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac, who shines alongside his droid buddy BB-8) and reformed Stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega) — are doing whatever they can to hold back the First Order.
Supreme Leader Snoke (a motioned-captured Andy Serkis) and his First Order disciples, brooding Kylo Ren (Adam Driver, fantastic here) and General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson), are working to snuff out the last remaining rebels, but the crafty Resistance is pecking away at them.
There are a lot of characters here — and we didn’t even mention new Resistance fighter Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran), Vice Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern) or codebreaker DJ (Benicio Del Toro). There’s also dense plotting and lots of moving pieces, some of them unnecessary, like an overlong visit to the luxuriant casino Canto Bight.
But Johnson manages to keep things in good working order, with strong character moments. There are legitimately shocking scenes and epic battles, both in space and on land (the AT-M6 walkers, reminiscent of the AT-ATs from “Empire Strikes Back” are undeniably cool).
This is intentionally vague so as to not spoil anything, but be prepared for a number of jaw-dropping moments. And Porgs, who are pretty fun with our old friend Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew). Also, be prepared to laugh.
“The Last Jedi” can be a downer, but it’s also the funniest “Star Wars” movie by a wide margin. While the original trilogy had classic moments, like Han Solo’s flippant “I know” response to Leia’s “I love you,” this has a ton of comic scenes, probably too many.
But these are all little quibbles about an outstanding film. It’s a movie that will delight fans and build suspense for the next one. If you’ll excuse the cliché: the Force is strong here.
