Let me start by saying, Star Wars runs through my blood.  It is one of the things in this world that will never leave my side, no matter what.  It will never cease to entertain and proves that film is one of the most glorious forms of art that we have.  The original trilogy is an anomaly and will always go down as the GOAT in my opinion; And even though Episode I was a waste of a film and II and III could have been much better, they are still great movies and have a special place in my heart because that trilogy was released when I was a young go-hard just getting into film.  (Episode I also has one of the greatest and most underappreciated villains to date in Darth Maul). So, it is safe to say it would be rather difficult for someone like me to hate on these new installments and more specifically, Rian Johnson’s take on Episode VIII.  Some may say his vision was too bold but anyone who says that probably went into it with the wrong mindset.  So, finally after having a few weeks to digest, THE LAST JEDI may have actually snuck its way into my top three… 1.) Empire Strikes Back 2.) Return of the Jedi 3.) The Last Jedi.

Rian Johnson directed the shit out of this film, considering the pressure he was under.  This was two and a half hours of non-stop adrenaline, emotion and fun.  The eighth installment centers around Rey’s journey with Kylo Ren, Snoke and of course, Luke mothafuckin Skywalker.  This, all while the last of The Resistance is getting chased down through light speed by The First Order and General Hux.  I am really enjoying Kylo Ren’s story and seeing how him and Rey are battling their demons and figuring out which path they are going to follow.  During my first viewing, I had no idea which direction Rian was going to take these two down, and I found the way he told their story to be very well done.  They had some really powerful scenes together but Rey’s moments with Luke were masterfully crafted and stole the show for me.  It is hard to bring back a character as legendary as Luke and please every viewer but I feel Rian portrayed his and Rey’s relationship beautifully.  It brought me back to the Luke and Yoda training sequences, which are some of the most iconic scenes in movie history.  And then don’t even get me started on the Luke and Yoda spirit reunion as they chop it up about the past, the future and how the sacred Jedi texts are basically bullshit.  Yoda strikes the tree on fire and Luke’s world is shattered.  It paves the way for The Force to become something much bigger and different than we had previously been exposed too.  Pretty cool if you ask me…

Then there was the Red Room scene with Snoke, Kylo and Rey… Holy shit.  This has to be up there as one of my favorites of all time… My eyes were dry and my mouth was open.  I thought this entire sequence was stunningly shot and choreographed.  So much shit goes down here between these main characters and it is all brought together by one of the dopest fighting scenes in Star Wars history as Kylo and Rey take on Snoke’s army of Red Guards.  Just wow.  Also, I thought Finn’s journey with his new partner in crime, Rose, served as a nice little side story as they sought out to board Snoke’s ship and disable the tracker while Poe and The Resistance struggle to escape and save the group.  Canto Bight was a great addition to the Star Wars universe.  It was visually fascinating and a really unique and fun way to address how The First Order and The Resistance actually buy their supplies and weapons from these giant wealthy manufacturers. We, as an audience, have never been exposed to the top one percent of wealth in this universe so it was nice to see Rian tackle that creatively.

Finally, the last battle scene on the salt planet was just so damn sweet.  It’s the little things that make scenes like that so memorable and pleasing to the eye and the way they portrayed the battle in this environment was amazing.  All of the stories collide here and it is quite the spectacle.  This climax will serve as a great segue into Episode IX in my opinion.  Many viewers and critics were thrown off by the way Luke’s story came to an end but it did not bother me much.  I thought it was badass that he uses all of his strength to pull off something that nobody thought was possible.  I mean if anyone could do it, it would be Luke right?  He could have easily just been there in the fight with Kylo but this shows how he is still the strongest Jedi in the galaxy and how he knew his time was coming to an end, so he wanted to go out like a boss… and he did.

Bottom line, I was on the edge of my seat for the entire ride and found this to be one of the most visually satisfying Star Wars films ever made.  Obviously these projects aren’t going to satisfy everyone, especially when the director takes some risks and adds some of his own flavor to it.  You won’t find me complaining about the comedic relief tactics that he used or how Leia shouldn’t be able to use the force like that or how it is impossible for Luke to project himself into reality.  It simply did not bother me because I trusted that he did his proper research and created this film to the best of his ability.  Also, if you don’t think Luke possesses that power, then read The Jedi Path and get back to me.

I give “THE LAST JEDI” 5-stars, no hesitation.  Sure, I would change a few things about Rey’s family lineage or maybe Luke’s whereabouts following THE RETURN OF THE JEDI, but that’s no reason to take away from just how genius this film really was.  Critics will watch this again in 5-10 years and have a whole new and fresh perspective on it, no doubt in my mind.  Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more content weekly.

Human is our race.

Nick