The latest installment in the much loved Star Wars franchise, The Last Jedi, released back on December 15 to the delight of the many fans awaiting the next part of the new trilogy. The movie brings back many of the beloved aspects of the series such as the destructive space battles between the rebel ships and the imposing star destroyers, flashy battles using the signature lightsaber, grand displays of the power of the force, and grand orchestra music that sets the feel of this decades old space drama. The Last Jedi takes a different direction with many of the aspects of the series, but in such a way that it is still the beloved series which get it a 4/5.

The story starts almost immediately after the ending of the Force Awakens and follows three different plotlines; Rey and her training with Luke Skywalker, Finn and the newly introduced character Rose Tico as they find a way to disable the First order fleet, and Poe Dameron as he tries to keep order on the Resistance fleet. These stories flow quite well between each other, with one never abruptly switching to another one. The character arcs go about setting up a unique story that shows that the new trilogy is not just a rehash of the original.

Keeping up with the design direction of the previous movie and that of the original trilogy, The Last Jedi moves away from heavy use of pure CGI settings and mainly uses real world locations and handcrafted backdrops that help the viewer immerse themselves in the film. All of the settings manage to be grand in scheme and go about showing the diversity of the planets in the Star Wars galaxy. The settings of the movie are only enhanced by the signature Star Wars style musical pieces which helps bring to life the different places featured in the movie.

Problems can occur in the movie mainly with the direction of the story in a whole as it relates to The Force Awakens. The main gripe is that the story and characters can be seen as taking a turn from how they were in the Force Awakens which was directed by J.J Abrams. Rian Johnson, the director of the Last Jedi, seemed to put more focus on characters like Kylo Ren and General Hux then some the new main trilogy such as Poe Dameron and Finn. This makes the movie seem off if you were to watch it just after seeing the Force Awakens as the priority of the characters is very different to what would be expected.

Even with this problem the movie stills shine doing very well in expanding on existing characters and developing new ones. The scenery and soundtrack truly stand out  as a Star Wars movie and will most certainly be remembered. The story is very much a Star Wars story, but it brings with it new experiences.