The second narrative thread concerns the Force and a tug-of-war between Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and Rey (Daisy Ridley). The youthful idealists in the Rebellion clash with their cautious and wary elders. There’s much at stake and this sets up conflicts, anxieties and insurrections amongst our heroes. The dilemma of risk-taking is a major theme of the film: whether to take risks to win small victories against the First Order or to play it safe and preserve the lives of the few remaining Rebels. They succeed in destroying the enemy ship, but at the cost of several Rebel vessels and lives lives that the Alliance can barely afford to lose. When a last-minute opportunity arises to destroy a Dreadnought, the headstrong Poe ignores Leia’s (Carrie Fisher) orders to retreat and takes a gamble. In an early scene, daredevil pilot Poe (Oscar Isaac) is leading the assault to neutralise the enemy’s defenses for just long enough to allow the rebellion to escape.

A New Hope this is not.Īs in Rogue One – the standalone Star Wars story that preceeded this film – this is a tale about fighting against the odds. What’s more, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) – the titular last Jedi – turns out to be a taciturn hermit with little interest in helping out. With each encounter, the Rebellion become ever more feeble and hopeless as their numbers are eroded by the all-powerful, crushing force of the enemy.

The story concerns the remaining few members of the Rebel Alliance who are trying to flee the evil First Order. Nonetheless, episode eight of the Star Wars saga is a hugely enjoyable popcorn movie. Much has also been said about gaping plot holes, cringeworthy comedy and some ridiculous moments. Much has been said about how much darker The Last Jedi is compared to The Force Awakens’s satisfying nostalgia-fest.

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