Star Wars: The Last Jedi Review, Spoiler-Free: Why Episode 8 Works

Star Wars: The Last Jedi review for Episode 8, with no spoilers

A spoiler-free review of The Last Jedi is a hard job, because there is so much to talk about. Rian Johnson's film is so daring in its plotlines, and so willing to rework characters audiences know and love, that it begs to be dissected for pages. This review resists that and aims to say how much of a treat the movie is in the vaguest way possible.

The Last Jedi is the eighth episode of the nine-part Skywalker saga and the second film of the sequel trilogy. It had its world premiere at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on December 9, 2017, and opened in the United States on December 15, 2017. Johnson wrote and directed, Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman produced, and J.J. Abrams served as executive producer. It runs 152 minutes.

When Abrams delivered The Force Awakens in 2015, the result was a mostly light and breezy return to the galaxy far, far away. Beloved characters were back on screen alongside lovable new ones, and the future looked bright. The film did face some criticism for feeling too much like a remake of the original movie. Those critics will likely go quiet after The Last Jedi, because what Johnson delivers is wholly original within the series.

That originality carries a risk of shocking fans who thought they had it all figured out. Shock aside, most fans will find themselves enamored with the film and excited about what could come next. The Last Jedi does not play it safe, and that is the main reason it works.

A screenplay with nerve

The base of the goodness is Johnson's screenplay. The action begins mere minutes after the end of The Force Awakens, with the Resistance, led by General Leia Organa, trying to evade the First Order forces of General Hux, played by Domhnall Gleeson. An exhilarating space battle turns into an epic chase across the galaxy. Pilot Poe Dameron, played by Oscar Isaac, quickly clashes with the newly anointed Admiral Holdo, played by Laura Dern, over strategy.

Frustrated, Poe turns to his friend Finn, played by John Boyega, to BB-8 and to Rose, a series newcomer played by Kelly Marie Tran, to hatch a plan that might keep the fleet alive. Meanwhile, Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, tries to lure the famed Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill, back to the fight after his disappearance following Kylo Ren's turn to the dark side. The problem is that Luke has no interest in returning and believes it is time for the Jedi to end.

Luke Skywalker, finally

Han, Leia and Chewbacca were a delight in The Force Awakens, but having Luke in a leading role, with real things to do, is a little magical. His cameo at the end of the previous film hardly counts. There are moments in which a viewer can feel like a kid wondering what Luke will do next, and what he does is not a disappointment. He will make you cry, cheer and gasp.

Part of what makes Mark Hamill special here is that he is almost singularly associated with this role as a physical presence. Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher are great in their parts, but audiences know them from so many other things that the thought of watching an actor is never far away. Hamill's career has leaned toward voice work, so when he appears on screen it does not feel like Mark Hamill playing Luke Skywalker. It feels like Luke Skywalker. That purity is rare and wonderful.

The film is also dedicated to Carrie Fisher, who died in December 2016, and her General Organa carries real weight in the story.

The new generation: Rey, Finn, Poe and Rose

The younger cast gets real material, and the film is generous with it. Rey is pulled between a mentor who does not want the role and a pull toward Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver, whom the film treats as more than a villain. Finn and Rose, played by John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran, share a mission that gives both of them new colors, and Poe has to answer to a leader he does not trust, which tests a swashbuckling pilot in a new way.

Because the story keeps the groups apart, it can cut between three tones: a desperate chase, a quest and a philosophical duel between old and new. Each strand is strong enough to carry a film by itself, and Johnson handles the weave without losing the thread. When the strands meet, the payoff feels earned.

Gray areas, humor and look

Plot and character detail are best left for discovery, but the film tells a story about making choices and shows that the world is not made of purely good or purely bad people. It is a very dark movie at times, and Johnson balances that darkness with humor and grace, which makes the experience well-rounded.

Technically it is probably the most visually stunning chapter in the saga, with many shots likely to become iconic and some truly stunning effects. The cast is solid across the board, and John Williams delivers another rousing score. Steve Yedlin shot the film, and the crucial Crait scenes were filmed on the Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia.

What does not work

If the film has faults, one is length. A detour to the wealthy city of Canto Bight probably takes up more screen time than it needs, and some viewers will find the whole picture a little long.

The other is Supreme Leader Snoke, played by Andy Serkis. He appears in many scenes, and viewers never learn who he is, where he comes from, why he is so powerful or why he is so cruel. It was the thing this reviewer most looked forward to, and in that regard the film is a letdown.

How it compares with The Force Awakens

The Force Awakens was a loving restart, and it took cues from the first film for good reason. The Last Jedi answers by doing something different with the same ingredients. The tone is darker, the humor is sharper and the characters are made to choose between bad options. That difference is why the film divides some viewers and delights others, and it is also why it feels like the saga is moving instead of repeating.

As the middle chapter of a trilogy, it has the hardest job: raise the stakes, complicate the heroes and leave enough open for the finale. It does all three, which is more than most second chapters manage. It makes the audience curious about Episode IX without needing a cliffhanger to do it.

The Last Jedi at a glance

• Director and writer: Rian Johnson.
• Release: world premiere December 9, 2017; US release December 15, 2017.
• Runtime: 152 minutes.
• Cast: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Laura Dern and Kelly Marie Tran.
• Score: John Williams.
• Academy Award nominations: four, for Best Original Score, Visual Effects, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing.

Verdict: is The Last Jedi worth seeing?

Yes. With those gripes aside, The Last Jedi is a tremendous addition to the Star Wars saga. It is hard to compare directly with the original films that many fans have watched countless times, but it is on par with those classics and almost certainly better than any entry that came after them.

One reason the verdict is high is the film's confidence. It trusts its audience to follow a story that does not stop to explain itself, and it trusts its actors to carry scenes without speeches. The result is a film that rewards attention and a second viewing, and one that fans will argue about for years.

Critics responded strongly. Rotten Tomatoes lists 91 percent positive from 483 reviews, and Metacritic gives it 84 out of 100 from 56 critics. Audiences gave it an A on CinemaScore, though user-generated scores on review sites were considerably lower, and review-bombing was alleged.

A request for Episode IX and director J.J. Abrams remains: bring back Lando Calrissian. The Resistance needs him, and viewers need Billy Dee Williams.

Taken together, the verdict is a plain recommendation. Go in without reading anything else, bring patience for the longer middle stretch, and expect a Star Wars film that wants to surprise you.

Sources

• Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Wikipedia — cast, crew and release details