Warning: The following review will contain spoilers for the new installment of Star Wars

Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ is the eighth episode in the Star Wars franchise and the second installment in the new trilogy. It was directed by Rian Johnson and stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Andy Serkis and Laura Dern.

It follows directly after the last movie, ‘The Force Awakens’, with Rey finding Luke Skywalker and the Resistance evacuating their base. The film follows these two plot lines and a third, following the character Finn to a casino planet.

This film was not like any other Star Wars film. Everything that happened within the film felt strange to the plot, especially when it came to the Resistance plotline, but that’s the point. Star Wars is a movie about war and war doesn’t always go as planned. Plans fall through and sometimes people are sent on what ends up being a goose chase.

With that being said, the plot they gave Finn highly disappointed me. He such an interesting character and we got no growth from him whatsoever. He was sent running in circles, when so much more could’ve been done with his character.

Another plot point I didn’t enjoy was the way they handled Rey and Kylo Ren. It didn’t make sense for her to so quickly assume he still had light in him. Her entire character arc was revolved around Kylo Ren. It felt forced and rushed, especially since this film is supposed to be right after ‘The Force Awakens’, a film in which Kylo tortured her, tried to kill her and her friend.

Other than those character arcs, the film was quite enjoyable. It was great seeing Luke Skywalker back in action, even if it ended in his death, and seeing in Carrie Fisher in her last role before her death was awe-inspiring. I was also left in shock many times throughout.

Usually, when it comes to Star Wars, I am able to predict what’s about to happen. A crazy plan will most likely work in some way, a certain character will meet their untimely end, but with this film, I had no idea what was going to happen.

This film was beautifully directed by Johnson, specifically the battle scenes. They were extremely captivating and were a step up from the battle scenes in ‘The Force Awakens’.

All-in-all, it was a good movie with problems like any other Star Wars. It was great seeing Mark Hamill as Luke again and it was worth the wait. I would give it a 8/10.

18agonzalez@usd489.com