Star Wars: The Last Jedi Review - 8 Ups And 1 Down

Ups...

8. It Looks (And Sounds) Phenomenal

It should be a given for a movie with a budget somewhere north of $200m - though we've seen plenty of times that's not the case - but The Last Jedi truly does look absolutely stunning.

Thanks to director Rian Johnson and his longtime cinematographer Steve Yedlin, there are some gorgeous shots in the movie across an array of locales, each leaving an indelible image upon the viewer. The colour palette, especially the use of red (Crait, Snoke's Throne Room, some great shots of Kylo's lightsaber), is particularly striking. It's dynamic, at times visceral, but there's an elegance to it as well, and it expands the visual language of the franchise while meshing perfectly with John Williams' score and the editing from Bob Ducsay.

On both of those: Williams' work is as strong as you'd expect, drawing on old motifs but also bringing in fresh themes to carry along the action and character beats, while the editing keeps things ticking over, sometimes at a great, thrilling pace, without becoming messy in the ways The Force Awakens did at points. We quickly cut from beautiful establishing shots to action or close-ups, and there's a symphonic quality to the way it all works in harmony. The production design and costumes are lush, especially on Canto Bight; the creatures weird and visually interesting - and yes, the Porgs are adorable.

Johnson has done a hell of a job in bringing his vision to the movie. It looks and sounds brilliant, whether that's in the thrilling dogfights or quiet character moments, and further marks him as a director of great skill - and one of the very best this saga has ever had.