“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” is a phenomenal movie and a great experience. I was very excited and eager to see this movie, and it sure did pay off.

The movie is continued from the “Force Awakens” (Episode VII) and follows the same main characters that we all know and love, like Rey, Kylo, Finn, Poe Dameron, Luke, and Leia. Each character has big things revealed about them and changes they go through. Each character’s arc is great in this movie. You know their roots from the “Force Awakens” and this movie does a great job building them up.

In my opinion, Rey and Kylo have the best scenes and any question you may have had from the “Force Awakens” will be answered in this movie — and very well, I might add. There are lots of new people and places introduced in this movie and all are great additions to the “Star Wars” universe, none of them fell flat of my expectations.

We are introduced to Rose, a new girl that Finn meets near the beginning of the movie which surprised me the most. I enjoyed her character and backstory and I feel like she is going to be a good edition to the “Star Wars” universe. Same thing goes for all the other new characters in this movie. The character development was good because they all had neat traits and quirks that made the movie fun and lively. You care about what each of them were going through at different times.

“The Last Jedi” is also quite funny. All the main characters crack low-key jokes or little sayings that leave the audience with a smile. The comic relief is a great way for the audience to take a step back and realize that this isn’t just a serious movie only for hardcore “Star Wars” fans. Sure, it caters to them the most, but there’s something in this movie for everyone. “The Last Jedi” is full of action and suspense, every scene had me on the edge of my seat and asking for more.

The lightsaber duels are the most fun I have seen yet. They are colorful, tense, meaningful, and, most importantly, exciting. Rey (Daisy Ridley) did a great job in her action scenes and the emotional ones, too. Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) did a great job in both those respects, he showed powerful emotions when it came to his past and having to deal with it and that made the movie just that much better.

But my favorite character in this movie is Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). This is his best performance on screen to date. His age did not affect the way we know and love Luke, it only made it better. We get to see him confused, angry, sad, disappointed, scared, and happy, all throughout the movie and in each scene I could tell what emotion Luke was portraying and it worked. The character exploration on why Luke was feeling the way he did, and why he was on a deserted island in the first place, and why he was shutting everyone out he worked out wonderfully. Mark Hamill gave me everything I wanted out of Luke Skywalker and more, that is why he was by far my favorite character.

But just because he was my favorite doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy and love the rest of the characters. Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) did a great job as the trigger-happy pilot who loves to put himself in danger. No one character felt like they were being dragged along for the ride during this movie.

Out of all these great moments and characters there was only one part that I would change. The scene where Finn and Rose go on a seperate adventure, to give us information that we will need, cuts off from the main story. If I had the chance, I would find a way to shorten it a bit, so the movie could get back to the main events going on.

After watching all the movies in the “Star Wars” franchise multiple times, I can honestly say that this is now my favorite. “The Last Jedi” included everything I wanted in a “Star Wars” movie. There are fantastic action and lightsaber duels, wonderfully developed characters, an exciting plot that keeps you on edge of your seat, and, most importantly, I got all my questions answered!

There are a ton of unexpected surprises in “The Last Jedi” that made it an even more emotional and fun ride. This movie is a great edition to the “Star Wars” universe. This is a go out and see it now movie for anyone who loves Star Wars, action movies, or just a great meaningful story.

–Dec. 14, 2017–