Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi Non-Spoiler Review

The most recent Star Wars movie, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, came out this past December, and caused a great divide among Star Wars fans and critics alike. Some say it’s the worst thing since Jar Jar Binks, others say it’s the best film of the whole series. So which is it? Well, it’s a long story.

The Last Jedi is the best Star Wars film in a long, long time. It’s also the longest Star Wars film ever, clocking in at a hair over 2 ½ hours. With that much time for sci-fi goodness, fans found a lot to be angry about, some of it reasonable, most not. Contrary to belief, Last Jedi is a well-constructed, beautifully acted, visual masterpiece. Much like J. J. Abrams with Force Awakens, Director Rian Johnson uses a lot of practical effects throughout the picture, but when CGI is needed, it really shines through. However, it’s not the visuals that people seem to have a problem with. It’s the storytelling.

In wake of The Force Awakens feeling overly familiar to audiences, Johnson’s most important mission was to send a message to the viewer: This is NOT the same Star Wars you knew. Star Wars has survived on being a series of films that are for everyone, but Last Jedi is different from every Star Wars before it, in a lot of ways. It defies expectations at every opportunity, even in it’s themes. Most Star Wars films have a theme of hope and good always overcoming evil. Episode VIII, however, sports themes of failure and how to recover and learn from it. In fact, with all of the twists and turns, it’s difficult to review the film without spoiling something.

With that in mind, we’ll have a spoiler review of the Last Jedi up in the near future, going in depth on why Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, is one of the best films in the entire franchise.