Show of Force from Johnson
difficult to know who to trust as characters’ loyalties and motivations shift, and the battle lines between the light and dark side of the Force have never been this blurred.
Johnson packs in an avalanche of raw emotion and makes several brave choices that may test some of the series’ more passionate fans.
Surprises and twists come thick and fast and there are three or four genuinely shocking moments that you’ll be left thinking about long after leaving the cinema.
Hamill not only gets to speak this time around, but delivers a career-best turn as the tortured Luke and Ridley builds on her bow as Rey with an even more impressive second outing.
The standards of the cast across the board are first-class; Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren is arguably the saga’s most interesting, well-rounded villain ever, John Boyega (Finn) and Oscar Isaac (Poe) have charisma to burn and the late Carrie Fisher (Leia) is given a fitting swan-song.
But minor flaws leave The Last Jedi short of the series’ best; a few scenes should’ve been left on the cutting room floor – with one chase sequence belonging more in a Harry Potter flick – and the fate of some characters a bit of a letdown.
However, while it is overlong, the final third, which sees all of the collective parts come together, is outstanding.
Johnson has done a grand job – and leaves another hugely intriguing start-off point for 2019’s trilogy-closer for a returning Abrams.