By: Keaton Marcus

As I noted many times in my analysis on the movie, I have an unquenched adoration for Star Wars: The Last Jedi and absolutely love writing about it. Before I do the last half of the in-depth look, however, I have come here today to write a general review of it, expressing my overall opinion on the performances, direction, technical elements among others. This film is the masterpiece of this saga, both technically, visually and even thematically. Although it’s probably best to see the other articles for further elaboration on the themes, this has to be one of the most emotionally affecting films I have ever seen. Not only do Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver and John Boyega bring back the good stuff for their second outing, but Mark Hamill is surprisingly the standout here, and it was truly special seeing Luke Skywalker back on screen. New characters like Rose and DJ feel refreshing, and director Rian Johnson refrains from pandering to the fan base by giving them simple answers. He uses clever callbacks to replace empty fan service, and the craftsmanship on display is too clear to deny. Not only is The Last Jedi a fantastic Star Wars movie, but it is a filmmaking achievement in its own right.

The First Order has succeeded in nearly crumbling the Resistance as our heroes scramble and attempt to escape through light-speed under the command of General Leia Organa (Carrie Fischer) shortly after the battle of Star Killer Base. Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), their best pilot, leads a costly, rash counterattack that destroys a First Order dreadnought but loses many lives in the process. After the attack, the Resistance use light-speed once again only to find that they are low on fuel and the First Order can now track them. Meanwhile on Ahch-To, where Rey found Luke in a cliffhanger at the end of the previous movie, she tries to recruit him to the Resistance. Under self-imposed exile, he claims that the Jedi Order need to end and he has utterly abandoned the Force, refusing to help. Finn, who has just woken up all of a sudden on the Resistance cruiser, is eventually lead to Rose Tico (Kellie Marie Tran), a mechanic that catches him trying to desert. Since Leia is in critical condition after Kylo Ren’s wingmen nearly blew up the ship, Poe entrusts Finn and Rose on a mission to disable the First Order tracking device. The main plot is principally is a thrilling and suspenseful chase between the First Order and the Resistance, with two subplots that eventually mesh into one incredible final battle.

Similarly to The Force Awakens, I was once again in love with every single one of the new characters. Daisy Ridley brings her iconic commitment and emotional heft to the role of Rey, who goes through an interesting, ambiguous arc about finding answers to her unexplained past. In the first film, she spent her entire time looking for clues about her past, and Rian Johnson smartly refrains from giving us any true answers. Ridley is fantastic in the role as always, and her chemistry with the rest of the cast is superb. This applies prominently to Adam Driver, who returns as the wannabe Darth Vader, Kylo Ren. Driver not only brings his normal, sheer intensity and mental conflicts into the role, but Johnson also connects Kylo and Rey, and the two characters are almost like two sides of one coin. Connected with the Force. Driver and Ridley have a thematically essential, nearly romantic relationship that really works towards the film, and the character’s benefits. After beginning with an absolute bang in The Force Awakens, John Boyega is also back and better than ever with his own subplot and character development. You can tell that Boyega is so happy to be playing Finn, injecting his energetic, charismatic force into the role. He nails every line, and also goes through an extremely satisfying arc. That, however, is largely because of Rose Tico, a newcomer. From the very start audiences realize she’s about to teach him a serious lesson about being a leader after catching him being an absolute coward, and Kellie Marie Tran’s effervescent, engaging performance just emphasizes that. However, out of all these great performances, Mark Hamill, who portrays a more hermit-like, exiled and disheveled pessimist who refuses to help Rey learn about the Force initially. Fans loathed it, but whether you hate the creative, unexpected decision or not, Hamill’s performance is the most powerful and strongest I’ve seen him give. Ever.

The fan base may have been split in half after the film was released, but Rian Johnson has made a bold, different, unexpected and ultimately beautiful subversion of expectations. In everything, not just in cinema, humans have feared something new, and when we eventually got something that didn’t rely on fan service and cameos, they completely trashed it all. This is a fearless movie that benefits from entertaining, fast-paced storytelling mixed in with more emotionally complex, thoughtful moments and despite its lengthy running time, I was entertained even more on every single re-watch. The cinematography by Steve Yedlin is absolutely gorgeous, the colors bleed off the screen, and it has to be the most beautifully-made Star Wars film I have ever witnessed. In terms of the technical aspects in the film, I cannot point out a single flaw. John Williams returns and effortlessly composes his best score in the franchise, Yedlin’s camera work is skilled, and the action is magnificently brought to life. I will mention once again that this film also has the greatest emotional impact in the saga, prominently through Luke’s character, who get’s a respectful, tear-jerking and peaceful end to his character. Although this is technically a perfect movie, it does still have issues. The Canto Bight subplot for Finn and Rose is entertaining and does give real development, but it is generally undone by mediocre CG effects and not enough significance in moving the plot forward. Besides this, though, Rian Johnson has made my favorite of the franchise to date, inching ahead of the two original movies. Between the beautiful special effects, a heart-wrenching portrayal of Luke Skywalker, stellar performances all around and an increased emphasis on entertaining action, this film has stolen my heart.