Star Wars: The Last Jedi review

This review does not contain spoilers.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the 8th installment in the beloved Star Wars saga and continues as a blazing fire that the previous episode, The Force Awakens, helped spark. This film kept to the high standards of its 7 predecessors, and created nostalgia for long time Star Wars lovers.

At this point in time, I have seen the movie twice. Once being the 6 PM showing on Thursday, December 14, and the second being a Saturday morning (December 16) showing. To completely comprehend the immense film, I knew I had to see it twice to allow myself to break my thoughts down for a written review (This isn’t to say I won’t go to see the movie for a third or fourth time).

Episode VIII begins like all of it’s predecessors, an opening crawl beginning with the good guys being chased down by the bad guys. There hasn’t been a Star Wars film yet to include something different than this in its opening scene. This beginning allows viewers to catch up from the events of the previous movie and see exactly where we are in the timeline, in reference to The Force Awakens.

Of course there are a ton of references to the previous movies in what the characters say and do, and this makes the already great action movie even better and gives a way for old-school fans to connect to the new generation of characters and events alike.

Most of our favorite characters from the originals make an appearance in this film (sad-face / Han Solo), but the real focus is on our new characters: Rey, Fin, and Poe (just to name a few). There’s also the addition of a new “character,” the Porg, but most fans, including myself, view this as just another silly marketing gimmick to boost the sales of toys and t-shirts (not saying I won’t buy this stuff). Still much better than Jar Jar Binks though.

I can not say that I am exactly excited about how this film ended, but everything has to come to an end eventually, right? The closing was an excellent way to end an already deep and action-filled movie, and shed some light on the future of movies, but a mega fan can’t be able to accept the ending that easily.

Are the negative reviews of this movie true in any respect? Yes… and no. I can agree that this movie felt a little distant to the typical Star Wars movie, but I certainly enjoyed it. Yes, not everything we wished to be answered was answered, but if that were the case, what would the hardcore fans have to toy with in their minds for the next 2 years before the next, and last, installment of the best movie saga ever? Now, this movie was much better than The Force Awakens and that predicable, and odd, standalone movie, Rogue One. I rank it behind The Empire Strikes Back, but ahead of most other movies. Empire has been and always will be the best, no exceptions.

My final opinion. If you are a newcomer to Star Wars, go see this movie. You may not get most of the references, cameos, and jokes, but you certainly won’t be disappointed with the experience.

If you are a long time fan and dedicated Star Wars junkie (like myself), you will not be disappointed. You may not find it to be the best, but it is in no way the worst movie. But let’s be honest here, Star Wars will always be Star Wars, and as long as films have that now household name in it, they’ll be loved and respected until the end of time.