I've took a little more time than usual to do the written review on this one. My first thoughts video is here, but I wanted to really let all of this sink in before I addressed it again. Star Wars: The Last Jedi has now become the second most successful opening weekend ever, & fans seem to be a little mixed on how they feel. I don't blame them at all either, this movie is not only a lot to take in, as it turns everything upside down on it's head. Really big decisions were made in this film, so many it makes it hard to review without spoiling the whole thing. Mainly because, it's especially built on a lot of surprises, delivering a spoiler worthy moment a least every 20 minutes. You will get answers to almost all the questions you wanted, you just won't get the answers you wanted. Honestly, that said though, you will get the answers you needed. Rian Johnson proves not only he understands the Star Wars galaxy, he probably even understands it more so that George Lucas understands it now. In my opinion he has breathed a new life into Star Wars, passing the torch more beautifully & perfectly than I've ever seen a franchise pass the torch. Most all of the characters really shine with emphasis on the main three. Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker gives the hands down best performance he has ever given as the farmboy turned Jedi, Adam Driver is absolutely amazing as Kylo Ren/Ben Kenobi delivering on every level of intensity, & Daisy Ridley, much like Luke in the original, seems as if she was born for this part. Other characters really played their parts, Leia's first appearance almost brought tears to my eyes, Poe proved he was the best pilot in the Resistance, & Benicio Del Toro's character grew on me enough for me to want more. I didn't care for Finn & the new girl's storyline, I just didn't really find interest in them as characters. They weren't bad, they were just forgettable in the whole mix of everything else going on. Phasma was once again wasted with hardly any screen time, I guess she's at least there though, more so than last time around. Even with those two missteps though they weren't at all enough to be called bad. Phasma still was cool, like last time around, & this time she at least gets some action. The Finn thing, like I said character wise I just didn't really care, but their mission on Canto Bight was awesome. The last character to mention would have to be Snoke, as I think they're going to treat him as the original Emperor, giving us no information at all. He does display power on a level that is beyond the Emperor though, intriguing me more than ever with his character. His throne room bothered me a lot for some reason, & I so need a reason for his face, but other than that Snoke was impressive for a fully digital character. So were creatures of this film. Namely everyone's new favorite porgs & the vulptices. The porgs were adorable, with the little space penguins reminding me Star Trek's tribbles. The vulptices I wish were used more as they were beautiful creatures on the salt planet of Crait. Bringing me to the planets landscapes. With this one you get three, Crait, Canto Bight, & Ahch To. Ahch To, you've seen before, as the planet Rey found Luke on in The Force Awakens. It is a spectacularly beautiful place that shines on film. Then there's Crait, you've seen Crait, in the previews with the red dust flying everywhere. At first, it's pretty underwhelming like Hoth, but once the salt starts flying with the red dust it really helps the battle's effects. Last but certainly not least, there's Canto Bight. This is the casino planet that is the polar opposite of Mos Eisley, a casino planet where all the high rollers go to kick back, drink, & gamble. I love any time we get to see regular life around the galaxy. It adds more reality to everything going on in Star Wars. Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. More so, I enjoy where this is all going. I read many hypothesizes on what was going to happen, & they were not only wrong, they were entirely in the wrong direction. I like that, I would rather no one be able to figure out where these are going next. It's fun to guess, but it's even better to be completely blindsided in the theater. That unknown is what makes it so entertaining. I know I liked this more than the prequels & Rogue One. However, that said I'm going to have to see it again before I can figure it's place with the original trilogy or The Force Awakens. As of now it's a great movie in my opinion, but I want to know what y'all think? Put it in the comments, like, & share.
Went to an AMC Fan Showing where they gave us packs of these cards, & then of course I had to purchase all three popcorn tins