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

3. Its Blend Of Emotion, Thrills, And Levity

There are lots of things that make a great Star Wars film. Lightsaber battles, space fights, alien creatures, Jedi, and so on, but in a broader sense it should be funny, exciting, surprising, a little goofy, and emotional - and The Last Jedi ticks all of those boxes (and then some) without ever feeling like it's just box-ticking.

With the history we have with Luke and Leia, there's an easy emotional tether to the film, but it also cleverly builds on the bonds developed with the characters in The Force Awakens. It gets heavy in a few places, most notably any time Carrie Fisher is on screen - obviously heightened considerably by her passing - and there are some strong emotional beats with the likes of Luke and Rey too. It does, at points, go down the 'Empire route' of being darker, but it always manages to balance it with light.

The humour of the movie will be one of the more controversial aspects, as some of the jokes might not land for everyone, but a lot of it is in keeping with the Star Wars tradition of being genuinely really funny and a little silly. The only major differences this time are it's a) imbued with Rian Johnson's own sense of humour, which is no bad thing, and b) the comedy extends to the villains, which colours them in different shades to what we've seen before, and allows a few rays of humanity to shine through someone like General Hux.

As a pure viewing pleasure, it is an utter thrill. The film is long - indeed, the longest Star Wars film ever - but it doesn't waste much time. When it slows things down there's usually a good reason, making room for great character moments or plot development, and when the action gets going it's a full-on rollicking, joyous ride.