When Star Wars 7 was released in December 2015, you can not imagine the happiness I felt.

Star Wars was not just for me a bunch of science fiction movies, well made for their time and pleasant to watch. It was a fantastic universe, a world filled with hope, an overflowing imagination, the light at the end of the tunnel.

I was only 5 years old when the Phantom Menace came out and 11 when the Revenge of the Sith broke into our screens. These 6 years between these two dates, were filled with evenings watching the first trilogy, sleeping with my DVD of the Attack of the clones, imagining myself becoming a jedi.

In 2005, when the last film of the second trilogy was released, for me it was the end. I could not see a new story come up, new battles between the dark side and the rebels, fight scenes in space (of course all in the cinema because there are also cartoons and video games) .

Then a few years later, a surprising news has made everything switch: Disney acquires the rights of Lucas Film! And then, everything followed: the announcement of a new film came out, the casting appeared on sets, pictures of the movie were uploaded on the internet, and then the film was finally released in December 2015.

I went to see him with incredible enthusiasm. I did not think for one second that I would be disappointed, how could I be? I went out in tears of cinema. But not because I found it terrible, but because for me it was a new hope: the hope that I could see my favorite universe again on the big screen.

You think maybe for this second movie of the third trilogy, I was going to be calmer and less happy? Think again! I was ecstatic.

I admit it, I’m not at all objective when it comes to Star Wars, but today I’m going to explain why I found that The Last Jedi is one of the best movies in George Lucas’s universe. ..

• References, always references. But we love it

When you’re a Star Wars fan, the first trilogy is like a Bible. Filled with stories and creeds to respect … So when in Star Wars 7, we (almost) found all these characters that we loved in the first movies of the saga, with the milenium falcon, Luke’s light saber, R2D2 … in short, I think that like me, you must have shouted for joy (with the disapproving look of people around me, not real fans certainly).

Star Wars 8 is not stingy of references either, and while in the 7th movie, I found that they were necessary to revive the flame of Star Wars, here I found them particularly interesting and relevant. Obviously, we finally find Luke Skywalker, who is the emblem of the whole story, but we find especially strong references to The Empire Strikes back (the 2nd film, which is the 5), which I loved!

How can I not to talk about The last jedi and the link that relates it to The Empire Strikes Back: a young jedi, who seeks outside help from a master, to find his/her place in this intergalactic war between the empire (or The First Order) and the rebels. Finally, this jedi “abandons” his/her master to help a friend (or enemy who has a place a bit weird in all this), finally finds himself/herself face to face with the big bad Sith and discovers the identity of his parents. Of course, it feels like it’s a bit of copy-and-paste, but I must admit that even though I was aware watching it that there were all these parallels, Star Wars 8 still manages to surprise, to excite, to transcend its elders.

• A difficult past, two destinies

Something that I find particularly interesting in these new films is that they go a little beyond the defining determinism of the Skywalkers. While Kylo Ren is the pure heritage of this family, the arrival of Rey has turned things upside down. Indeed, Rey is nobody. An orphan, with a past more than common. She is not out of the ordinary, as was Anakin in The Phanton Menance, a child born entirely from the Force. And that my friends, confirms one of the themes that we heared about for a long time in the Star Wars universe: everyone has the Force and can use it. One of the last scenes is particularly striking on this side, when we see one of the orphans met earlier, who uses force to move a broom. Who knows, maybe we can all be Jedi or Sith !?

Aside from this, something that I find decisive in The Last Jedi is this dichotomy between Kylo and Rey. Both have an impressive power, both are united by a bond that is on the border between hatred and understanding, but both are in opposing factions. It’s as if everything unites them, but all opposes them at the same time. But ultimately, both want only to separate themselves from their past and choose their path. Except that on one side we have Kylo, ​​whom to break the chains of the past, wants to destroy it, and on the other side we have Rey, who wants only to build a future and understand its place in the world. Finally, both had the same choice between darkness and light, and the two made a different choice. Maybe Kylo will change sides, like his grandfather did …

• Spectacular scenes

We can not talk about The Last Jedi, without mentioning the incredible special effects that were used. As we grew up with Star Wars, we could se the evolution on scenes, landscapes, fights  since the first movie… At the time of its release, A New Hope was part of the references in terms of special effects . Today, it’s a bit funny for the new generation of fans, but we must say that they started from scratch. Whereas before everything was done with models, and the means of the edge, today the filmmakers are able to recreate whole worlds thanks to a green background. And I must say that for this new film, they really used a lot of ressources.

Only in the trailer, we had a preview of what we were going to see on the movie … The pictures were just beautiful and impressive. The battles in space were beyond my expectations, and the lightsaber fights just breathtaking. Many may criticize the arrival of these new films, but no fan can refute the fact that it’s just amazing to see these incredible scenes in theatres. Today, we have a technology that allows us to produce things that are almost unimaginable, and we are fortunate that we can take advantage of this, to expand this fantastic universe of Star Wars.

• New characters that fit well with the story

New characters cohabit with the old ones to tell a new story: one where the war between Sith and Jedi is over, giving way to a new fight, a new understanding of the Force. Obviously, in Star Wars 7, the arrival of Rey and Finn as new characters has completely changed the story. But in this new film, other characters make their entry and I find that they only enrich the scenario.

I particularly liked the relationship that Rose and Finn had with their adventure to try to save the Resistance. This allowed to go a little beyond the fusional relationship between Finn and Rey, to give way to the two characters to evolve independently. I also found that General Hux’s character was a good addition and a fresh air to the story. It allowed to add some comic scenes, in a story a little dark. And finally, how can I not speak about Vice Admiral Holdo that allowed the Resistance to escape from the clutches of the First Order … New film, also comes with new characters and new creatures: they all fit perfectly into the story, even the Porgs and their participation in the millennium falcon!

In short, I was pleasantly surprised by The Last Jedi. They knew how to exceed our expectations, and create a story both close and different from the old ones. You may have a different opinion of mine, and that’s normal. I confess I’m not very objective when it comes to Star Wars, but in all honesty, I think this eighth movie will please you more and make the waiting for the next one unbearable. That’s the end of my article on Star Wars 8: The Last Jedi. I hope you liked it. I’ll see you after the holidays for a new article in The Movievaures!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!