MOVIE REVIEW: STAR WARS THE LAST JEDI -A REY OF HOPE -

STAR WARS has been part of my DNA ever since I saw it at the theatre when I was 12 years old. At the time, it was only called ''Star Wars''. Nothing about it being Chapter 4 or ''A new hope''.  I remember in the schoolyard how we would all compare notes on how many times we had seen it, and would thrill at rumours of ''that guy'' who saw it over a 100 times. It had remained in theatres continually for over a year, a rare feat that was celebrated by the following full page ad in newspapers across America in 1978.

I revisited the original trilogy countless times since 1977. I even went to see the special editions re-releases in 1997, and was annoyed by the extraneous special effects. I am one of those who is still yearning for a proper blu-ray release of the original theatrical versions of the films, and has rummaged over the internet to acquire the painstakingly recreated ''Despecialized editions'' by Harmy.

I'm one of those nerds who lined up with trepidation for a midnight screening of the long promised EPISODE 1, falling asleep through the pod race scene, and I remember coming out bitterly disappointed. The STAR WARS brand was no more a guarantee of quality. (Although, arguably, its reputation had been already damaged by 1978 when the mindbogglingly dreadful STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL polluted our television sets.

You can't go home again, they say, and George Lucas had made sure of that. And while I was grateful to him for creating a series that had pretty much set in stone my lifelong love of science-fiction movies, I resented him for being unable to fully grasp what it was that made Star Wars great in the first place, and being incapable to capture that lightning again. There was no point in returning to Star Wars after that for me. I begrudgingly sat through episodes 2 and 3 in the theatre, never to see them again afterwards.

So I wasn't saddened to hear back in 2012 that Disney had bought Lucasfilm and its stable of characters for $4 billion. I wasn't scared that the Mouse would spoil STAR WARS, because nothing could screw it up further than it already had been. And after all, Disney had also purchased Marvel back in 2009 (again for $4 Billion) and their ''Cinematic Universe'' had proven to be, for this reviewer at least, faithful to the spirit of the original comics,  and fun as hell.

If Disney knows one thing, it's what people want to see. And director J.J. Abrams, who has a talent for reviving shaky franchises  (Like MISSION IMPOSSIBLE and STAR TREK), offered with 2015's THE FORCE AWAKENS a perfect way to reintroduce STAR WARS to a brand new generation. Building on the solid foundation of the original trilogy, borrowing some of the original cast and introducing endearing new characters, Abrams' film was an exciting return to form, relying less on the frigid green-screen technology that mangled the prequels, and more on the type of practical effects that populated the original trilogy. 

The one blame that surfaced, though, was how much a lot of the story developments felt familiar, and how some scenes were ripped off the pages of the original series. Then again, the very same approach was used successfully in CREED, and like THE FORCE AWAKENS, I feel that it was a clever way of creating not only as a sequel, or a reboot of the series, but also as a form of remake. What mattered most, was to make sure the following series could manage to wrest itself from this heavy reliance on familiarity, and acquire its own identity.

And it managed beautifully with the first in a series of films taking place in the STAR WARS universe, but not directly linked to the ongoing Skywalker Saga (although, ironically, the film ends with a scene that connects perfectly with the beginning of ''Episode 4'' - I hate to call it that...I prefer to call it the ''Original Star Wars'', but whatever.). ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY (Gareth Edwards, 2016) was a surprising foray into that world, introducing a lovably rugged team of characters that would win the day in the most valiant of ways, breaking with tradition while providing a sense of familiarity, and giving one of the best film in the series. Not to mention the most bad ass Darth Vader scene in the whole saga.

It was a tough act to follow, but I can safely say that THE LAST JEDI, by the talented Rian Johson who had made the trippy time travel mindfuck of a film LOOPER, keeps that new standard of quality to its expected levels. But not without a few problems...

The story picks up pretty much where THE FORCE AWAKENS left off, where Luke Skywalker (a wonderfully grizzled and grumpy Mark Hamill) is invited to join the resistance by young Rey (the refreshing Daisy Ridley), hoping to defeat the evil First Order. 

It may seem like a simple basic story, but it's populated by so many characters and the occasional plot twist that it can be a bit hard to follow at times, and you find yourself wondering what exactly is Chewbacca doing, or R2-D2, or C-3PO. One feels they are present just for the sake of creating a link to the original saga, or more importantly, selling more toys. We are even introduced to another high ranking officer in the Resistance, Vice Admiral Holdo, played with aplomb by a glowing Laura Dern, who executes an act of amazing heroism that would have left people in tears if it would have been instead done by General Leia, for instance.

A standout character in the film; Admiral Holdo, played with aplomb by Laura Dern.

And the series' time-honoured tradition of cannibalizing itself is alive and well, with certain scenes being extraordinarily reminiscent if ones that occurred in previous chapters.  Difficult to not think of the battle on Hoth in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK when witnessing the attack on the Rebel base on the salt planet of Crait (One soldier even tastes the white soil and states ''salt'' to remind us this is not snow, so it's totally different, right ?). Or a chase scene between tie-fighters and the Millenium Falcon through a crystalline maze is similar to scenes in FORCE AWAKENS and RETURN OF THE JEDI. Even 85 years old John Williams' music is starting to feel repetitive, and is showings signs of exhaustion. Whereas he had created gorgeous new themes in the precedent episode, this one shows no new notable melodies, which is kind of a shame.

But I am being fickle, as the film is an exciting roller-coaster, filled to the brim with humour, drama, pathos and spectacular action, finding a choice spot in the ongoing Skywalker saga. 

Kylo Ren (an intense Adam Driver), while still suffering from Vader envy, and in dire need of anger management therapy, deepens his relationship with Rey, and attempts to seduce her to the dark side even further, an endeavour that culminates in a tense and surprising confrontation scene in Snoke's throne room, a moment assured to remain engraved in Star Wars fans memories. Their relationship is at the core of the film, and is the thing that manages to hold it together.

Snoke's throne room, the set of the film's standout anthology scene.

The other subplots involving Finn (John Boyega) or Poe (Oscar Isaac) don't provide them with much to do, and they end up feeling a bit underused. If their characters hadn't been so well established in the previous episode, I don't think we would have cared much for them at all. Let's just say they are not going to be what viewers retain as they walk out of the movie. As derivative as THE FORCE AWAKENS felt, it did do a wonderful job making us care about a new generations of characters. 

There is however a scene where Finn and newcomer Rose (the endearing Kelly Marie Tran), who meet a Code-Breaker played by a grungy looking Benicio Del Toro, that stands out by exposing the deep corruption and complexities of war by demonstrating the fact that weapons manufacturers sell to both the First Order AND the Rebels. It's a level of nuance that is uncommon in the Star Wars Universe, and is a more than welcome bit of reality.

Benicio Del Toro as DJ, a scoundrel character in the Han Solo mould. Will he be back in Episode 9?

The most touching moment remains the tribute to Carrie Fisher in the end credits, and that scene someone tells her "No one's ever really gone". Princess Leia was a spunky, tough character that provided geekdom with a much needed female role-model (silly golden bikini notwithstanding) , and I will miss the potty mouthed spitfire that deconstructed so beautifully in her books the entertainment industry in which she grew up. 

And the $ 4 million questions; Does Luke join the Resistance? Do we get to see him go face to face with the First Order? Does he get to meet his sister Leia again?

I won't spoil it by revealing the answers, but let's just say that Rian Johnson manages to deliver the goods, while still taking the rug from under our feet. Promotional material for the film promises Earth-shattering surprises, but I will shock no one by stating that nothing in the film comes close to the ''I am your father'' reveal from THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. But there are surprises, some of them are cool, some underwhelming, and some may even aggravate people.

But the film stays true to the wildly entertaining spirit of STAR WARS, and will please the fans while wetting their appetites until the release of the final chapter that will conclude in two years what George Lucas started 40 years ago... 

One may wonder if Lucas revolutionized the industry positively or negatively with the wild success of his epic independent film in 1977. But that's a debate for another day. 

PS: Oh...and for anyone who were afraid that the Pogs would be annoyingly cute characters that would spoil the film, rest assured, they are window dressing at best.

No need to fear; Pogs are a negligible part of the film.