Another year, another Star Wars film. Lately, these films have been drawing in major box office revenue and positive fan reviews all around the world. However, some people were skeptical as Star Wars: The Last Jedi hit the box office as the second Star Wars film in as many years. Despite the banter surrounding it, this film proved skeptics wrong, and it is the quality second installment that every great trilogy needs. This movie is definitely new territory for the franchise and, as such, we couldn’t recommend it more to fans of the franchise

The Last Jedi was that it did not take the route into which it was expected it to go. The first movie in the trilogy, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, was very similar in structure and frame to Star Wars: A New Hope, so it seemed likely that the The Last Jedi would follow the mold of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. However, this is not the case. The new movie broke from the expectation in a noticeable way.

Some Star Wars fans may not like these changes, but we took the past films out of consideration and looked at the movie for what it was, and we agreed the film is a fantastic Star Wars film.

Director Rian Johnson did a great job of spinning the traditional Star Wars film and turning it into a more wholesome film. The Last Jedi has lore and powerful moments for true fans. Many old and lingering questions were answered, and places that fans had never seen before were included. So, even if you are a traditional Star Wars fan and don’t like the non-traditional story, there is still plenty to enjoy. There was also tons of humor in the film. Right out of the gate, the laughs abound. At first it seems jarring and takes one out of the story, but as the movie goes on it starts to fit more and suit the movie. Some in the audience thought the puns were childish, but they added to the joy and fun. The piece of the film that really makes it tick is the two main characters. The story of both the heroine Rey and the villainous apprentice Kylo Ren are extremely interesting and engaging in The Last Jedi. To see the conflicted thoughts and opinions of both of these characters on opposite ends of the moral spectrum is fascinating. After the first film, the direction of these two characters could have been straightforward and predictable, but Rian Johnson made their conflicts complex. This was a great addition.

Perhaps the biggest problem some may have with The Last Jedi is that it felt very “Hollywood.” Many lifelong Star Wars fans had reservations about the Disney purchase of the franchise out of fear that the movies would become a little too “family friendly” (read cute) and lose some of the darkness that made the earlier films in the story cycle so mythic. While this fear is justified somewhat, with all of the character reunions, and absurd resurrections, and with the need to appeal to an action-centric audience, the movie felt more like The Avengers than a Star Wars franchise film.

Another qualm we had with The Last Jedi was due to an inflated storyline that included some unnecessary plotlines, particularly the Finn and Rose relationship. While it was entertaining to see one of the core characters from the first movie get a new plot arc, it felt rather forced and a little odd. Most Star Wars movies have a linear foundation with a side plot every now and then, but this was unlike the other movies in the franchise.

In spite of these few qualms, The Last Jedi was a great addition to the Star Wars franchise, as it had a great plot and amazing humor. And, for fans of the entire set of Star Wars adventures, the film also gives us one last glimpse of Princess Leia, the late great Carrie Fisher who, sadly, passed away almost a year to the day of this film’s release.