Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Dir Rian Johnson, 2h 32m)

I began this blog with Star Wars (in the form of Gareth Edwards' likable Death Star plans" heist movie, Rogue One), and so it's fitting that, with just a few blog entries I return to Star Wars, with the eighth instalment, The Last Jedi. With the First Order, helmed by General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) and Kylo Ren (Adam Drivers), now on the tail on the Rebels, commanded by the much missed Carrie Fisher as General Leia, so Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaacs), Finn (the extremely likable John Boyega) and new-comer Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) attempt to rescue the fleet and make their escape, whilst Rey (Daisy Ridley), having found Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), in exile, now attempts to convince the "last of the Jedi" to train her. Building upon The Force Awakens, Last Jedi moves from a likable retread of familiar territory to an exploration of new territory in a film that has more than its fair share of visually arresting setpieces, stunning twists, and more importantly, a film that begins to escape the gravity of the original trilogy, setting off into concepts, worlds, and moralities the Star Wars universe has never previously touched upon.

At the centre of the film, undoubtedly, is the balance between light and dark-as Andy Serkis's Supreme Leader Snoke intones at one point, "Darkness rises… and light to meet it"-and these two polarities are represented by Rey and Kylo. Through a psychic bond via the force, they share a number of scenes, moving slowly from outright hatred-Rey attempts to shoot a hole through Kylo at their first meeting-to annoyance at these interruptions, to a final and surprising payoff, where the film begins to ably pick at the idea that Kylo is truly irredeemable, before their second meeting in person. Only adding to these scenes is some excellent editing and intercutting, shot matching shot, reacting to each other, as their dislike of each other begins to give way to a (potentially misplaced) trust in each other. Yet, Johnson's truly daring move is to suggest that neither Sith nor Jedi have all the answers-early in his begrudging training of Rey, Luke brings what we assumed was true about the Jedi, and indeed the Force, crashing down-if anything, this is Johnson, and the Original Trilogy's vision well and truly sticking the knife in on the Prequels. This is a film that walks a line between polarities, between the light and the dark, and this is most fully realised in Rey herself-Ridley's growth as an actor is notable, from wild-eyed innocent to more seasoned, if still inquisitive fighter, echoing Hamill's growth from farm boy to hero of the Rebellion-whilst this does d

Adam Driver's Kylo Ren is an altogether more complex figure-in his first scene he destroys the iconic helmet that concealed his identity through The Force Awakens-and for the rest of the film, much like the scar that marrs his face, he is exposed, wild and nervous-his face expressive in a way that Vader, Maul and even Dooku never was-but this expressiveness floats between tearful and full of rage, somewhere between a shadow of Vader, and "just a child in a mask". Rage bubbles, barely out of control, and yet at points, Ren acts unpredictably, unable to follow through on his own merciless campaign to "kill the past...if you have to"-this culminates in a truly sublime dual scene with Rey in which the very fabric and direction of this Star Wars Trilogy, if not the entire series are knocked merrily off kilter, and makes you question to what degree either of them is truly set in their purpose. If nothing else, I left the cinema looking forward greatly to Episode IX, and the paths of both of these characters, and the questions they asked-Will Rey, for example, truly become a grey Jedi, like Qui Gon Jinn in the Expanded Universe, drawing upon the light and dark within herself? Will Kylo have another chance at redemption? 

The Last Jedi undoubtedly also focuses on the symbolic passing of the torch from the generation of characters of the Original Trilogy, and nowhere is this better seen than in the movement in power between Leia and Poe. Carrie Fisher, in all fairness, steals every scene she's in-from a truly surreal sequence early in the film-indeed, Johnson has several visually stunning, if surreal sequences-to her tireless spirit and indefatigable nature, and it's unquestionable that at places, Leia carries the film, pulling the entire Rebellion along with her. Poe Dameron, now as much a commander as a pilot, begins to take over from here, particularly towards the end of the film, but it's notable, even before then, that Poe's approach to the battle with the First Order is an altogether more confrontational one than the Rebellion as we've previously seen them. Yet, the true action happens away from the prolonged chase between the First Order and the last of the Rebel Alliance, with Finn, and engineer Rose setting out to find a codebreaker. Here the film finally stretches its legs from its claustrophobic and taut atmosphere, heading to a casino planet, where the duo come across both the inherently grey nature of many of the areas of the galaxy, and JB, played by Benicio Del Toro, who, despite his small role, only emphasises that the galaxy is not as black and white as the original trilogy would have us believe. 

Indeed, the heavy preponderance of red throughout the film, particularly in the stunning final battle and final duel, is as omnipresence as the heavy tones of black and darkness throughout the film, both in space and aboard the various First Order ships, the clinical white of the rebel ships, and the salt-flats, only broken up by the poly-chromatic casino. Once again, though, the film returns to Rey at its centre, the torch passed from Luke to Rey. The Jedi continue. However, whilst Hamill's Luke is a man forced to rethink things after an unexpected meeting with one of the OT's most beloved characters, Rey is a young woman who learns from her mistakes, who tries to save Kylo from himself, who tries to rescue her friends, who uses her powers for the greater good. If Hamill was bruised, battered and downcast at the end of Empire Strikes Back, the film with which Last Jedi shares the most-Jedi comes close to finally toppling Episode V from the title of Best Star Wars Film-then Rey has her head up, her friends around her, and a determination to return the galaxy to balance.

This is not to say that Last Jedi is faultless-the omnipresent Porgs are an enjoyable distraction, but compared to the other Henson-style creatures that add something to the story, from the decidedly Labyrinth-esque caretakers to the salt-dwelling foxes that prove to be crucial late on, they suffer from Ewok-syndrome, cute for the sake of shifting toys. Equally under-utilised is both Andy Serkis's Snoke and Gwendoline Christie's Phasma, who both have too little to do and are in the film too little. The largest flaw in the film remains, albeit slight, the film's back and forth on the very nature of the force, and indeed exactly if the Jedi should or indeed will die with Luke-whilst this struggle ties into Luke's narrative arc, and also into Rey's to an extent, it's one that remains frustratingly unresolved. Nevertheless, the ending of the film proves one thing-The Last Jedi has finally reached the escape velocity to escape Lucas's original trilogy, and set out on adventures of its own.
Star Wars is in uncharted territory, and it couldn't be more exciting.

Rating Must See.