Me and ‘Star Wars’ was not a love at first sight story. I remember myself watching the first series created by George Lucas in 1977 and being quite confused. What was the big fuzz about? I was a big eater of science fiction literature, ‘2001 – A Space Odyssey’ and ‘Solaris’ (by Tarkovsky, of course) were in my personal film tops, but Lucas‘ universe was not what I had expected – maybe because it was too low-tech, maybe the fairytale atmosphere and the characters reminded me too much the comics magazines of the childhood I had emerged from not so long time before. It took me watching and then rewatching the next series to begin to understand the charm of this galactic saga, to understand its rules and conventions, to integrate into this world while watching. I haven’t become a fan, I don’t dissect every sequence and every character, I don’t participate in discussions in dedicated groups on the Internet, and between the ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Star Wars’ series I still prefer the first one, but I understand it enough by now, it seems, to enjoy watching ‘The Last Jedi‘ or ‘Star Wars VIII’ directed byRian Johnson, which seems to have deservedly earned the title of best film in this cycle in the 3rd millennium.
‘The Last Jedi‘ continues the story inthe previous series but also introduces some new directions. The most interesting, perhaps, is related to the fact that in the fight between Good and Evil or, if you wish, between the light and the dark sides of the Force, the balance, at least in this series seems to lean towards darkness. The galaxy falls under the dictatorship of the New Order led by a Supreme Leader, and the Resistance is preparing for what could be the battle of last hope. Victory is far away, the purpose of the fight is to survive and keep hope. We meet again, 40 years after the first series, two of the central characters of the entire legend – Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker, played by Carrie Fisher, in her last role on screen, and Mark Hamill, two actors whose careers were launched in and later closely related to these movies. Other familiar figures return to the screen, including the R2-D2 robot and the furry pilot Chewbacca. The new generations also offer us quite interesting characters. Unlike many other action and science fiction films, those in the ‘Star Wars’ series also have a degree of mystery and development during the action that keeps the interest and avoids stereotypes. The two hemispheres of the Force interact in this film more than in any of the other series.
‘The Last Jedi‘ is an action film that can not fail to fascinate fans of the series, perhaps except for those who are too rigorously attached to the characters of the original trilogy. The collaboration between George Lucas and J.J. Abrams is also a kind of passing of the torch from one generation to another of producers. It is a very well made film, with a rigorous dosage calculated between action and feelings, between the spectacular battles and the political intrigues on the scale of the Galaxy. It is a visually impressive film and consistent with the lines and directions drawn in previous series. The accumulation of acting talents is also remarkable, including actors like Adam Driver, Laura Dern, Benicio Del Toro and the younger Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Kelly Marie Tran. The merit of director Rian Johnson is to have created a film that fits very well in the series, with special effects at the level of expectations, with heroes who each perform their respective parts of the action but also have enough time and talent to create credible characters. ‘The Last Jedi‘ is quality entertainment, which can also be enjoyed by those who are not passionate about the series or the genre.