NO SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW

Well, it’s that time of year again, and just like the last two Decembers, I scoped out my tickets way early so I could be among the first to see the newest addition to the Star Wars canon, and have now seen The Last Jedi twice on the first day.

I was quite impressed with The Force Awakens but not as much with Rogue One. I came into the movie knowing next to nothing outside of the trailers that everyone had seen, and that’s the way I like it. I was incredibly curious to see where the characters would go and where the story would lead, and I’ll tell you, Star Wars fans are in for a treat with this one.

It’s undoubtedly the best Star Wars anything since Empire Strikes Back.

The Last Jedi features the cast we’ve all come to know and love: Mark Hamill as the valiant Luke Skywalker, Daisy Ridley as the always curious Rey, Adam Driver as dark-side wielder Kylo Ren, John Boyega as First-Order defector Finn, Oscar Isaac as Resistance Commander Poe Dameron, and last but certainly not least, the late Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa. The performances in this film are simply outstanding, but the two that seem to really stand out are Mark Hamill and Oscar Isaac.

Hamill’s performance in Jedi might be his best to date, and the way his character is written really shows off his versatility as an actor. Oscar Isaac also gives a fantastic performance that really stood out compared to the rest of the Resistance fighters. His emotion and presence as an actor is really believable, which will most likely be overlooked because of the sheer grandness of the film as a whole.

On a separate note, I felt within The Force Awakens, one could tell that Carrie Fisher was picking her character back up, but there was no sign of this within Jedi. Fisher provides one of her most convincing performances in her long, illustrious career. As an avid Star Wars fan since the young age of 4, I won’t deny that I shed a tear or two watching her play Leia Organa once again.

Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Lucasfilm Ltd.

One of the best things about this movie is its unpredictability. I’m certainly not going to spoil anything, but throughout the film, you think you have everything figured out in terms of the plot and how the characters are going to progress, but then it just tosses you around and throws you in directions that you would have never seen coming. The film succeeds in providing 152 minutes of riveting entertainment, something that is seldom to come by, even in the original trilogy at times.

At the Double-Feature advanced screening, there was some exclusive content shown before the film was presented that nobody except those at the Fan Event and the Double-Feature would get to see. This exclusive content was a beautiful feature on the music of John Williams throughout all of the Star Wars movies.

Within the content, Williams talks about the crazy ride it’s been through eight whole films and that he’s thoroughly enjoyed the relationships he’s made with the directors, stars, and production team. He also began to speak about how he’ll write some music and then perform it, and then tweak it a little more to make the relation between the characters just right. As he explains this, we see a few camera shots of the London Symphony Orchestra performing his pieces in the sound-stage with the various movies playing in the background.

Williams mentioned that different themes from the old movies would appear in this new one, and boy do they ever. John Williams score for The Last Jedi is, to put it plainly, superb. There’s a perfect harmony (no pun intended) of newer themes intertwined with older themes that just make the score work flawlessly. Bravo to John Williams on another job well done.

I must say as well, the action sequences in this film are some of the best of the saga. Rian Johnson knows how to shoot action sequences, and it’s evident not only in the entertainment value of these sequences but their uniqueness when compared to the rest of the films. I’m excited to see where Rian Johnson takes his new trilogy because, after seeing this movie, I know Star Wars is in good hands with him.

Nonetheless, Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi passes this Star Wars fan’s eye test with flying colors and will captivate audiences across the globe who are as enthralled with these beautiful stories. I’m not sure how J.J. is gonna beat this one.

IS IT WORTH IT?

With excellent performances, a riveting score, and an awe-inducing, unique plot, Rian Johnson has created a masterpiece of a Star Wars film that can easily be described as the best since Empire Strikes Back.

FINAL SCORE: 9.3/10, Worth It