Cast: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern, Benicio del Toro

Direction: Rian Johnson

Producer: Kathleen Kennedy, Ram Bergman

Writer: Rian Johnson

Genre: Fantasy/Science fiction film

Duration:152 Mins

So here we are. Rian Johnson directs Star Wars: The Last Jedi and it stars familiar faces like Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher along with newcomers. In a nutshell, I loved this movie. I loved it not because it’s a Star Wars movie but because it wasn’t scared to take the bold route. If you’re a fan, you know that there are certain things that are ‘lore’ in this universe (yes, I mean the force and how it works). Rian Johnson gives us all the things that make Star Wars what it is and then some.

The performances were amazing. The newbies- Rey (Daisy Ridley), Poe (Oscar Issac), Finn (John Boyega) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) were all solid. Even the adorable creatures called Porgs who everyone thought would remind us of annoying ‘Jar Jar’ were good. Every character didn’t feel like just a nod to the fans. It most certainly felt like they were pivotal to the story and that’s quite a feat. Overall the movie is probably the most humorous film in the franchise. Most of the jokes land, and when it comes to actually rooting for the characters to overcome some obstacle, you feel the stakes.

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The movie has some of the best visuals in any Star Wars movie, ever. The lightsaber fights were reminiscent of Samurai showdowns- clean and like a dance. The director doesn’t shy away from wide shots and relishes every chance he gets to use them. The climax especially, was like watching a painting come to life.

With all its high points, there were a few times when my mind wandered in space. A story arc of Finn that took up about 20 minutes of the movie was well, boring. It slowed the movie down a tad bit in my opinion. Nevertheless, it’s forgivable, since the rest of the time I was either grinning or staring at the screen in awe. The triangle dynamic between Luke, Rey and Kylo is just a celebration. It plays with light-darkness, the choice between the two and the fine line separating it. The choices and change in mindsets that the protagonists have to make is what really drives this engine.

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This movie took the Star Wars rulebook and turned it on its head. Some things in this movie will make you question the established ways of the force we have come to know over the past films. It’s a daring move I must say. Moreover, there are hints pointing towards animal cruelty. Sure the animals are CGI alien creatures but there is an underlining message about greed and how the world has been mistreating animals to satisfy their own needs, a relevant social message. That’s something we hadn’t seen yet in a Star Wars movie. The director also manages to push messages supporting female empowerment. One scene in particular in the third act was directly going against the cliché ‘hero saving heroine’. In this scene, it’s the other way around and it didn’t seem out of place.

With way more pros than cons, this Star Wars movie is among the best movies in the franchise. Right from character development to taking this franchise to new possibilities, it does the job. Fans will surely be speculative and pretty agitated about a few things but overall I love the direction. Bringing something new to a franchise that’s been alive since the 70’s, is not an easy task and I respect Rian Johnson for what he did. This movie is extremely entertaining and it makes me even more excited for the next installment.