Star Wars: The Last Jedi, directed by Rian Johnson, was released on December 15th. This installment tells the story of the slowly dying Resistance trying to escape the grasps of the First Order. Meanwhile, the main character, Rey (played by Daisy Ridley), travels to a remote location to find Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) to learn from the “last jedi” in order to regain hope in the fight.

The movie started moving slowly, but it built up to an action packed, enticing ending that blindsided most viewers.  This thought provoking ending perfectly set the floor for another installment of the Star Wars series in 2019. However, the 2 hour marathon seems unnecessary for the awesome final 30 minutes.

Alhough many enjoyed it, a good amount of viewers left the movie with a bad taste in their mouth. The formula of Last Jedi was something the series has not experienced before which might be why fans did not enjoy it.

Even though I enjoyed the movie, my reaction was not the same as to previous installments such as 2015’s The Force Awakens. In 2015, I had left the movie theatre asking many questions and was hungry for more of the series. This time I left with a smile, feeling content with the story, but not as engaged as before. Something was missing this time around.

The previous two movies, Rogue One (although not officially part of this trilogy) and The Force Awakens, were filled with excitement and thrilling action from beginning to end, while The Last Jedi ran circles before a great ending sequence. The Last Jedi also fills moments with laughter and has more funny moments than the older films.

Overall, it was a satisfying film. There was some excitement, some unexpected turns, and some great moments of action that will make me mark the date of the next installment in my calendar. Although, with how wide open the ending leaves the story, it will be interesting to see how they will end this trilogy with the next film.

8/10