REVIEW: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Courtesy of Disney

I’m going to keep this review purposely vague for a couple of reasons. First, any new installment in the Star Wars saga is as critic-proof as they come. Both devoted fans and general moviegoers already know whether or not they’re going to see the most highly anticipated movie of the year, so my thoughts won’t change many minds. Second, people who do plan on seeing it want to go in with as few details as possible, so the experience isn’t spoiled.

Breathe easy – it would be downright criminal for me to divulge any of the major developments that take place in The Last Jedi, writer-director Rian Johnson’s contribution to a story that has spanned four decades, with no end in sight. You won’t read anything in the next few paragraphs (in my opinion, at least) that will dampen your experience with this wildly entertaining film.

That being said, because the plot has been shrouded in such mystery, a lot of people seem to be expecting some kind of “I am your father”-level reveal. I think it’s important to stress that The Last Jedi isn’t the kind of story that’s dependent on a massive twist. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of fun surprises and the plot has enormous stakes.

However, the reason Johnson (who also helmed the incredible Looper and several iconic episodes of Breaking Bad) has been so secretive is that he’s clearly interested in crafting an epic, powerful narrative rather than just stringing together a bunch of cool special effects and action sequences. He simply wants the audience to experience the film as it unfolds instead of having already seen a three-minute version before stepping into the theater.

Here’s the most important thing viewers should know: it’s almost impossible for any of these movies to live up to the massive levels of hype they generate, but somehow The Last Jedi pulls it off. Anyone who saw those breathtaking final moments of The Force Awakens understands how difficult that must’ve been to accomplish.

When we saw Rey (Daisy Ridley), this trilogy’s wonderful new heroine, track down the missing Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and hand him his old lightsaber? Pure movie magic with forty years of history behind it. How the heck do you follow that?

Johnson’s answer is to subvert the audience’s expectations at every turn. You probably know where the story is going over the long run (after all, billion dollar franchises can’t take monumental risks), but along the way you’ll find characters acting in surprising ways and making unanticipated decisions.

There are also sudden tonal shifts that had me gawking in disbelief. For example, a scene that appears to be building to a huge dramatic moment ends with a joke instead. Or a seemingly cheesy bit of dialogue in one scene led to me wiping away tears later on. In other words, Johnson is a master at working within the confines of a Hollywood blockbuster to excel creatively.

I was also happy that the film proved my initial prediction wrong. Because The Force Awakens was basically a remake of A New Hope, I was expecting The Last Jedi to follow the story beats of “The Empire Strikes Back.” Instead, Johnson uses the world J.J. Abrams so masterfully rebuilt in the last movie (and will return to for this trilogy’s closing chapter in 2019) as a springboard to explore new themes and ask viewers to look at aspects of the original trilogy from a different perspective.

It helps that Johnson’s insightful screenplay allows old and new characters to interact in compelling and frequently poignant ways. Hamill is a revelation here, the years between Return of the Jedi and this installment adding weathered experience to his once youthful appearance.

He’s not the whiny teenager he once was, nor is he the lofty hero most of us were expecting. Instead, he’s bitter and wounded, forced to address the devastating consequences of a decision he made long ago. His chemistry with Ridley (incredible once again) is off the charts, putting a much different spin on the master-apprentice relationship than viewers might expect.

While their storyline – Rey hoping Luke will rejoin the fight and help her learn the ways of the Force – is probably the most anticipated, there’s a lot more going on in the film’s 152-minute running time. Dashing fighter pilot Poe Dameron (the terrific Oscar Isaac), full of cocksure swagger, butts head with the women who lead the rebellion – including General Leia Organa (the late Carrie Fisher, breaking my heart all over again) and Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo (Laura Dern) – as they debate how to fight the villainous First Order.

Former stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega) teams up with feisty mechanic Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) for a dangerous mission that has them enlisting the help of a shady hacker (Benicio Del Toro) and sneaking aboard an enemy aircraft. Finally, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) finds himself torn between maintaining his alliance with the evil Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) and his sniveling minion General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson), or believing the kindhearted Rey, who tells him via their newly-found discovered psychic link that she still sees good within him.

As you can guess, there’s a lot to unpack here. I’m already making plans to watch it again to revisit key scenes and explore themes I might’ve missed the first time around. I also want to see how it plays with an enthusiastic crowd instead of a press screening. Even us snobby film critics were cheering and applauding, so I imagine the energy in multiplexes this weekend will be off the charts.

The future of Star Wars is looking bright, even with the end of this current trilogy now in sight. Disney recently announced that Johnson has been tasked with overseeing a new trilogy of films that take place “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.” However, these stories won’t follow the Skywalker family. Instead, they’ll be a clean slate, free to explore this vast universe without being tied to the mythology viewers have experienced so far. I can’t wait.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence.

Grade: A-