"Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi" Movie Review

The Last Jedi is the 8th "episode" and 10th entry in the epic Star Wars saga. The film follows three storylines: 1) Rey on her journey to become a Jedi, 2) The Resistance as they face seemingly insurmountable odds, and 3) Kylo as he continues to try to overcome the conflict inside of him. The three stories eventually merge for one fantastic conflict that literally blows the mind and satisfies new and old fans alike.

Wow, I really don't even know where to start. I was so blown away by this film that I almost have no words to describe how fantastic this film is. Because this is a major series and everyone already has their own opinions about the franchise, I'm just going to jump right into the positives and negatives.

Let's go ahead and get the negatives out of the way. There were very few issues with the film and the issues are only minor. First of all, there were a few moments where you could tell that the Porgs were puppets. It could take away from the scene at times but thankfully those moments were limited to just two times. The other issue was a lack of information relating to Snoke and a slight letdown involving Rey's heritage.. I don't really hold this against the film because there still may be a big reveal in Episode IX in 2019. I won't go into details because that would be major spoilers but you'll see what I mean when you watch the film. Yep, those were the only two negatives.

Now we move to the best part of the review: the positives. The CGI was top-notch, the acting has improved greatly from Force Awakens and seeing Luke and Leia together again was heartwarming. There's a moment in the film between Luke and Leia that is already tearjerking enough but knowing that Carrie Fisher actually passed away made that moment truly heartbreaking. What stood out most of all was the surprises in the storyline. There's tons of twists which make me wonder just how Episode IX will unfold. Writer and director Rian Johnson showed his brilliance with this film. Sure, Looper displayed Rian's talents but this film exceeded all expectations and breathed a new life into not only the Star Wars saga but the sci-fi genre as a whole. Despite the minor flaws, I give The Last Jedi a 3.5 out of 4 just for the fact that it was the most fun I had at the theater in a long, long time.