This is not going to go the way you think.
A line delivered to heroine Rey by cosmic curmudgeon Luke Skywalker, and a stark piece of advice to anyone who thinks Star Wars: The Last Jedi will bend to their total will.
Writer-director Rian Johnson delivers, through and through, a spirited Star Wars film, as Star Wars-y as Star Wars can be, but this one’s got a rebellious streak that separates it from any other LucasFilm picture that came before it.
Following the grander steps of The Empire Strikes Back, The Last Jedi throws a brick through the glass house of expectations built after the fervor of The Force Awakens. Whereas that film was a fantastic piece of fan service, The Last Jedi simultaneously feeds the birds and finds new, unexpected ground to fight on. Johnson has always relished the art of subversion, and The Last Jedi is not spared his delight in disassembly. This is how you honor what’s come before: by carefully setting the stage, and blowing it all up to smithereens, Death Star style. In the rubble, new life can grow.
To discuss the plot beyond the murkiest abstract should land anyone in a force chokehold, so just know that everything picks up right where J.J. Abrams left it two years ago. From there, Johnson stops and starts with no warning of when things will slow down, or when they'll go from lull to lightspeed. It’s that playfulness in the pacing, along with Johnson’s willingness to take the story in bold directions, that makes every little twist and turn so unexpected and refreshing.
Mark Hamill, who’s back after his Force Awakens cameo, digs his feet into the mud to portray a Luke we really haven’t seen before. He brings some real anger and weariness to the table, a far cry from the aw-shucksy Jedi apprentice from the original trilogy. He’s a grump with gravitas, and Hamill’s is the best performance in this Jedi revival so far — though the delightful Daisy Ridley and austere Adam Driver give him a run for his money.
What's more, after a calendar year of watching and waiting for the next worst moment to pop up on our Twitter timelines, The Last Jedi also stands for something we could all use a little more of: hope.
Moment in and moment out, Johnson’s film finds ways to inspire, and teach, in these times of tumult. As a sensational Star Wars vehicle and a pensive reminder of ideals for any age, The Last Jedi holds its lightsaber high — a beacon for what these films can be, and what they can impart.
