Star Wars fans were given a great present this holiday season in the form of the latest Star Wars film, The Last Jedi. The Last Jedi, the eighth movie in the Star Wars franchise, features Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Daisy Ridley as Rey, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia, John Boyega as Finn, Kelly Marie Tran as Rose, and Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux.

The saga continues the plot from the previous movie, The Force Awakens, which came out in 2015, and was also a box office hit. It starts off with a battle between the resistance fleet and the first order battle ships. The fleet, led by Poe Dameron is on a mission to destroy the cannons on the first order vessels, and also to bomb their ships so that they cannot attack the resistance. The Resistance fleet just barely defeats the first order ships and escapes narrowly. However, they find that the First Order is able to track them through light speed, so they are trapped and running on low fuel.

The battles that ensue are nothing short of cinematic genius and are sure to keep you on the edge of your seat every time. While the Resistance and the First Order battle it out, the film also centers on Rey’s training by Luke Skywalker on his island. The film also shares insight into the backstory of Kylo Ren and why he strayed from the Jedi order to go on to lead the First Order. The film features unexpected plot twists and riveting battle sequences. It was a lengthy movie, but every minute counted in making the plot as interesting as can be.

As we walked into the theater on opening night, we had high expectations for The Last Jedi after the success of the previous film, The Force Awakens, and the overall hype surrounding the Star Wars franchise. We are happy to say that, despite what the rest of the Star Wars fandom may think, we thoroughly enjoyed The Last Jedi.

After now seeing the movie twice, we have many thoughts to share about it. We were happy to see Poe take on a much bigger role in this film as he has become one of our favorite characters in the franchise. It was also amazing to see Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill on screen together again as they both give amazing performances.

Kelly Marie Tran is a breath of fresh air as we found her character, Rose, to be very likable and vital to the overall plot of the film. What was most surprising to me about the film is that we began to like Kylo Ren more than we did Rey. To us, Rey’s decisions in this film made her come off as annoying, which is the complete opposite of what we thought of her character in The Force Awakens. On the other hand, although Kylo Ren is the WORST, the passion and emotion that Adam Driver puts into the character makes it hard to hate him.

We have heard many mixed reviews about The Last Jedi, but do NOT let the negative comments keep you from seeing this film in theatres. We find that The Last Jedi shows that the future of the Star Wars franchise is promising and in good hands. Our best suggestion to those who have not seen it yet is to go into The Last Jedi with an open mind, and to be open to change. Overall, we give The Last Jedi a 10/10, and would happily see it again!