Starring: Daisy Ridley, Mark Hamill, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Carrie Fisher

Well, it looks as though it's that time again! Christmas is just around the corner, and with that, a Disney Star Wars movie, and this time it's the follow up to The Force Awakens, which may I say I really enjoyed and was extremely excited for, this one though, The Last Jedi? Not really. I think it's because of the fact that with TFA it was the first Star Wars film we had since Revenge of the Sith and the prospect of having a new film after all those years waiting with excitement, and whilst I wasn't as eager with this instalment, I went to the midnight viewing with utter thrills. But after, I may have been right in not getting too overhyped. TLJ is a great movie, but it's underwhelming here and there, let's put it that way.

The film picks up right after the events of TFA, where Rey (Daisy Ridley) comes face to face with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) as she asks him for the training she needs to become a Jedi, and also to gain his help to fight alongside his sister Leia (Carrie Fisher) as the First Order chase after the weakened Resistance. As Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) attempts to track down Rey, Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and Finn (John Boyega) hatch a plan to take down an enemy fleet chasing after the remnants of the Resistance.

Now with Looper director Rian Johnson stepping in to take on the challenge of writing and directing this one, I was pretty excited, and so I should have been. This film from a visual perspective is great. Space battles look amazing and for that, as do the ground ones, and a lot of it is from Johnson's direction. There are some great shots throughout the film that look outstanding, especially with Rey during her time on the island, which I loved seeing in all it's spectacle. Having said that, there is a lot of CGI in here as compared to the last film that looks... very prequel. Thankfully it isn't as bad. The action sequences aren't too bad at all, they're fine, although one particular scene at the end of the second act is an absolute treat, and of course I won't spoil, but you'll know it when you see it.

With the writing and direction comes with some great performances from... everyone really. I didn't feel like there was a bad one in the house, but I have to say that stand out was Adam Driver, who's conflicted Kylo Ren is probably the most compelling character in this new set of films. Mark Hamill's  inevitable return as Luke Skywalker is also fantastic, again playing a very compelling character and one that will make you feel extremely joyous everytime he comes on screen. The sheer fact that Luke Skywalker is back is thrilling, and Hamill pulls out all the stops. 

It's a shame, as I'm very surprised with the editing choices in this film. Some of the cuts and overall edits are very apparent and ugly. That also comes with pacing, as this film does flash forward quite a lot, and despite it's two hour and thirty minute runtime, a lot could have been cut out to at least put some more detail in in terms of pacing and editing. The Finn/Rose subplot drags heavily and despite Benicio Del Toro's fun role in it, it gets boring very quick. I mean it does have it's moments, but it drags the film down, and its when you really want to get back to the Luke/Rey parts that this subplot just hangs around like a bad smell. Speaking of bad smells, the humour in this film, except a couple of occasions, is awful. It falls flat so much it gets really cringe-worthy, and makes quite serious moments silly, and it doesn't feel Star Wars. Structure wise, it gets quite messy at times and so much happens at once, and again that comes under everything else that does bring this film down.

Overall, it's still a very enjoyable film, if flawed. I'm impressed that Johnson was given free reign over this film, but I honestly feel I enjoyed TFA more despite it being very nostalgia heavy. I mean, it excels Rogue One thats for sure, but it feels as though the editing room could have done a lot more with this, and some the writing could have been fixed here and there. But the performances and visuals really bring TLJ back up as still a very strong film in the series. 

6/10