The Last Jedi once again proves that the Force continues to be strong with this franchise 40 years after its groundbreaking inception. In some respects it equals The Force Awakens and in others, it surpasses it and it’s even worthy enough to invite comparisons to the original trilogy.
We pick up the action immediately after the events of The Force Awakens with Daisy Ridley as Rey searching for Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker on a remote island to beg for his help in the Resistance’s fight against the First Order. He is initially reluctant to get involved but then relents and also begins training Rey to be a Jedi herself. We do get the obligatory training montage but Rey’s skills prove to add a whole new layer to her character development.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Resistance led by Carrie Fisher’s Leia (in her final screen performance) join up with the defective Stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega) and the rogue pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac). Fisher’s final performance is as strong and full of heart as what she gave us in the previous films and her character gets an honorable sendoff.
Of course, the First Order is still led by General Snoke (Andy Serkis) and the sinister Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). This time around, there’s a lot more depth and intrigue that writer/director Rian Johnson adds to Ren including one crucial scene where he again confronts Rey after she’s completed her Jedi training.
Like The Force Awakens, we’re introduced to the older, more familiar characters as well as some new ones that do get a significant amount of development as well. Plus, there are more than a few key moments and some nice spoonfuls of humor that are guaranteed to generate big applause in theaters.
Fans of the series will be immensely satisfied with the emotion and the spectacle and to quote the title of the 1977 original, The Last Jedi will give them A New Hope as they wait for the inevitable Episode IX.
Grade: A
(Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action.)
