‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Takes Us On A Fantastic Trip Proving The Force is Definitely Still With Us

Photo courtesy of Disney Studios Motion Pictures

I saw this film yesterday at the Disney Studios where the audience consisted of press and guests. It was more than obvious that expectations were high, very high, and from the loud applause as the credit rolled, no one was disappointed. This is definitely one of the best films in the ‘Star Wars’ saga.

Directed by Rian Johnson, who also wrote the film based on George Lucas’s characters, ‘Star Wars: ‘The Last Jedi’ takes us on a thrilling, emotional and extraordinary journey starting where the previous film, ‘The Force Awakens’ left off.

This is a brief recap, hopefully without any spoilers. When we first see our rebels they are not in good shape. Their broken down fleet led by Princess Leia, the late Carrie Fisher, is running away from the First Order.

At the same time, Rey (the wonderful Daisy Ridley), who is now a major force to be reckoned with, is on the aquatic planet where Luke Skywalker (the excellent Mark Hamill) is hiding out. Rey is trying everything to convince Skywalker to rejoin the resistance. Unfortunately, Luke is too busy grieving over his past failures and refuses to leave. To say that Luke needs a grief counselor is an understatement.

Meanwhile, the New Order’s Supreme Leader, Snoke (the incredible Andy Serkis, with the help of some great CGI) is obsessed with destroying Rey, and unbeknownst to her, the extremely ugly and extremely evil Snoke is going to use his clueless apprentice, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) to help him carry out the deed. Kylo, in case you’ve forgotten, killed his daddy, Han Solo, and has gone over to the ‘dark’ side.

There is so much more going on in the film, but to say anything else would definitely spoil the fun and it is fun — great fun. There are twists and turns, exciting battles both in space and on the ground, and many of the old characters are back including, Chewbacca and R2-D2. Adding to the great cast is Laura Dern, who plays an Admiral in the Resistance who happens to looks great with purple hair, as well as Benicio Del Toro, (who is not what he seems) and the compelling Kelly Marie Tran who plays Rose Tico, an heroic maintenance worker.

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” is filled with humor, and in the end it’s extremely touching. As you watch this film, you can’t help but remember the passing of Carrie Fisher and feel how much she will be missed. Fans both old and new will not be disappointed. This is ‘definitely a must’ see for everyone of all ages.

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ opens in theaters Friday, December 15, 2017. I suggest you buy your tickets now as I’m sure they’re going fast.