A true tour de Force from Rian

DISNEY is putting Santa to shame – because The Last Jedi is the Christmas present all Star Wars fans have been waiting for.

The long-awaited Episode VIII is wonderfully exciting, funny and moving.

There’s self-sacrifice, explosions, lightsabers and space battles. Younger fans will love the cutesy Porgs, while droid BB-8 is back with a starring role.

Of course, it all begins in traditional fashion with John Williams’s hair-raising fanfare and the iconic text-crawl.

The action then picks up right from where The Force Awakens had left things.

With the First Order having imposed a reign of terror, it’s up to General Leia Organa, played by the late Carrie Fisher, to organise a hasty retreat for the Resistance.

Ever the fighter, she seals her legacy as the Disney Princess all young girls should look up to, wielding her blaster deftly and keeping a mischievous eye on Poe Dameron, Oscar Isaac’s swashbuckling pilot.

After being teased with his brief appearance in The Force Awakens, it’s good to see Mark Hamill return as Luke – and he’s never been this much fun on screen.

Writer/director Rian Johnson has made a huge film that’s surprisingly nimble and fresh but at the same time a great fit with existing Star Wars lore.

It sneaks in comments about exploitation, oppression, poverty and who fuels the wealth of arms manufacturers.

And although dark at times – being close in spirit to The Empire Strikes Back – it is a hymn to the power of stories to encourage us to dream and believe we can change our world.

The Force has just got stronger.