Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)

I remember when The Force Awakens came out two years ago. I was so excited about it that my heart was beating faster than usual as the movie started. The Last Jedi, well, it wasn't the same. First of all, I don't know why but I wasn't that excited about it. Now that I've seen it, I feel differently.

Picking up where The Force Awakens left, Rey (Daisy Ridley) is on the remote island hideaways of Luke (Mark Hamill) and hopes to persuade him to come back and join her and the Resistance. Meanwhile, the Resistance, led by General Leia (Carrie Fisher), attempts to survive and escape from the First Order led by General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) and the Supreme Leader (Andy Serkis).

The story has a very nice flow, it's filled with interesting turns and unexpected twists (and thank goodness didn't take a turn I, as I was watching it, feared it would take), and although one of the plots is a little hard to follow and basically doesn't make any sense (I'm talking about the Finn and Rose parallel plot), it's engaging and entertaining. It does, however, at times, feel like it's not clear, neither to us nor the filmmakers, in which direction this new trilogy is going (it resembles a lot the original trilogy though).

That didn't bother me that much anyway since the main focus of the film once again is its characters. The existing characters are given a proper development -- Luke has more than just a cameo this time around, depth is added to him and Mark Hamil's probably gives his best performances -- and the new ones make for a nice addition, especially Rose (Kelly Marie Tran), a young woman who joins Finn (John Boyega) on his mission.

The most interesting character? Easily the villain, Kylo Ren. In this film, he is a wounded man, both physically and especially psychologically. He is torn apart because of what he has done which is why it's so easy to feel empathy for him. And Adam Driver's performance is nothing short of spectacular.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Even more interesting is the relationship he has with Rey (by the way, Daisy Ridley gives a nice performance. She seems really committed to the role). That's the biggest strength of The Last Jedi in my opinion. Neither of them is portrayed as a one-sided character. While one still prevails on the other, there's light and darkness in both of them and that's essentially what allows the film to explore more than ever the conflict between the Dark and the Light side.

Although it's darker than its predecessor, The Last Jedi still has a good amount of humour. It feels forced, at times, but there are enough gags and jokes to make you laugh and smile, and along with some great action sequences, it makes for a fun watch. The score by John Williams really shines and so do the special effects. From the mindblowing scenery to the aliens, to the adorable porgs (yes, I find them adorable), the film looks quite beautiful.