THE LAST JEDI CONTINUES RIAN JOHNSON'S WINNING STREAK

The Last Jedi picks up where The Force Awakens left off. The First Order is stronger than ever and has tightened it's death grip on the Galaxy. A weakened Resistance is left with no option but to flee. An awakened Finn teams up with Resistance fighter Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) to infiltrate The First Order in an attempt to buy the Resistance some time. Meanwhile, Rey (Daisy Ridley) has been sent to ask Luke (Mark Hamill)) for help fighting The First Order as well as his assistance in training her in the ways of the Jedi. Yes, times do look dark for our heroes. Is all hope lost, or is this just the dark before the dawn?

The Last Jedi attempts to take off running, but the effort only creates a first act that is shaky at best. It took me 30-40 minutes to really jump on board with the film (and yes, the film is 2 hours and 30 minutes, but it never felt like it dragged. I never felt like I wasn't enjoying my time with this film, even during the first act). Luckily, once The Last Jedi finds its footing, the proceedings just get better and better. Rian Johnson is a hard one to really fit into a category as far as directors go (and yes, he was the sole scriptwriter for Last Jedi as well. Impressive.). I suppose he could best be described as a character guy. He excels at creating believable, well-rounded, three dimensional characters. It's a little strange to see him tackle big, extravagant action scenes but he does so effortlessly here. The Last Jedi is definitely the most action-heavy Star Wars film I've seen, and the action scenes are all pretty superb.

The Last Jedi is also bursting with twists, turns, surprises and reveals (There are so many twists, turns and surprises that I lost count). When the twists and turns rear their heads, they come at you hard and fast. I can see how some may feel that Johnson is throwing twists in just for the sake of having twists, but they never bothered me. I liked the different roads The Last Jedi chooses to go down, and thought most of the surprises and twists furthered the plot and made sense. 

I said earlier that Rian Johnson excels at creating great characters, and he does exactly that here. Our main protagonists and antagonists are back, but are given fuller arcs and deeper character development. I especially liked where the film chose to go with Rey (Daisy Ridley, who is phenomenal.), Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), Snoke (Andy Serkis), General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), and Luke (Mark Hamill). We even get more quality time with BB-8, who has an upped role here and is just as adorable as ever. Finn (John Boyega) is back as well, and finally awake from his coma. He definitely has a role to play here, but I couldn't help but feel his character was stronger in The Force Awakens (Though I did love his big fight with Phasma, just wish it lasted a little longer). A big controversy on the net is how the film chooses to handle Luke's character. I, for one, liked the path The Last Jedi takes Luke on. I found his arc to be believable, and didn't think he ever acted out of character. Luke easily has the most emotional depth of any character in the film (with Rey coming in at a close 2nd), as well as the richest character arc (With Kylo coming in at a close 2nd for that one. BTW, I still LOVE the character of Kylo Ren and think he makes for a superb villain). 

We also get some new characters with the good-hearted Resistance fighter Rose (Kelly Marie Tran), Resistance official Vice Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern), and code breaker DJ (Benicio Del Toro). They all get superb arcs and character development, and some nice twists and turns. Rose is given a heart-breaking backstory and is such a warm hearted person that I easily fell in love with her (SPOILERS Though I'm not really a fan of where her arc goes with Finn END OF SPOILERS) . Laura Dern really chews into her role as Holdo, a Resistance official who's dedication to the cause comes under fire. Benicio Del Toro oozes swagger as the code cracker who Finn and Rose go to for help in bringing down The First Order. I loved Benicio Del Toro here, he easily lit up the screen whenever he was on (though I will admit his stuttering lisp was an odd choice).

Rian Johnson clearly enjoyed getting to add some elements of his own into the Star Wars franchise. He does some world building here (like creating the Las Vegas/Coruscant-like city Canto Bight, which is gorgeous but hides some real sinister darkness underneath it's glossy sheen), as well as crafting some brand new creatures. In The Last Jedi (utilizing a good deal of practical effects and puppets to bring them to life), we get Porgs (Adorable little Chicken/Bird/Hamster/Gerbil/Puffin-like critters who live on the isolated island of Arch-To. They are far better than Ewoks for the sole reason that they don't play a crucial role in the plot), The Caretakers (An alien race that lives on Arch-To and are dedicated to the upkeep and preservation of the Jedi structures), Fathiers (Which are horse/dog/rabbit like animals that live on Cantonica and are abused and used in Canto Bight for racing) and Vulptex (Glittery, sparkly, shiny creatures that resemble Arctic Foxes and live on Crait) among many others. I loved all the new creatures that inhabit the world of The Last Jedi, and having them here helps to make this Galaxy feel more lived-in.

I saw The Last Jedi in IMAX 3D, and would say it's definitely worth the extra dough to see it in this format. It's without a doubt the most visually gorgeous Star Wars film to date ( Thanks to cinematography by Steve Yedlin), and a good deal of the film looks downright stunning on the two-story IMAX screen. I also have to give a shout-out to John Williams who crafts a score that is beautiful, very Star Wars, and compliments the film very well.  

While The Last Jedi definitely borrows some elements from the original trilogy (like The Force Awakens did as well), this outing feels more original and inspired than Force Awakens. The film feels very timely, as the battle between The Resistance and The First Order has similarities to what's going on in America's current cultural climate. As such, The Last Jedi seems pretty poignant to today's age and the issues we are facing right now. It's got some great messages hidden inside as well, and is pretty intellectual. The Last Jedi has been garnering comparisons to The Empire Strikes Back (comparisons that I would say are earned, in a good way), and while it's definitely not as good as Empire, I'd say I consider this to be the 2nd best Star Wars film (Oh yes, I went there. Bring on the hate!). Star Wars: The Last Jedi is far superior to The Force Awakens thanks to it's dedication to careful handling and growth of characters, it's upped complexity and thoughtfulness, how it challenges viewers, it's numerous thrilling action scenes, twists, turns and surprises that further advance the plot, and some timely messages.  May the force be with you!

4.5 STARS

Yes, I was shocked to find my legs were shaking in certain scenes.

SPOILER REVIEW: BETTER WATCH OUT WILL BEAT THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT INTO YOU

It's that special time of year again. The Christmas season is officially upon us, and to celebrate I'll be reviewing a different kind of Christmas film.

In  Better Watch Out, Ashley (Olivia DeJonge) is moving to Pittsburg. Before she leaves, she takes one last babysitting job: babysitting her regular charge, 12 yr old Luke (Levi Miller), who has been harboring a crush on her. He hopes that tonight will be the night where he might finally get to kiss her. His hopes are dashed when his best friend Garrett (Ed Oxenbould) crashes the night. Things get even worse when a masked stranger breaks into the house with the intent to kill all inside. It's up to Ashley to protect Luke and Garrett in what winds up being one holy hell of a Christmas Eve.

That's the basic plot of Better Watch Out. Needless to say, there is an obvious twist hiding in there somewhere. Luckily, the film doesn't waste our time as it only takes until the end of the first act to reveal what is really going on. In order to better review this flick, I'm going to have to spoil what the twist is. For those who don't want anything spoiled, stop reading here. Better Watch Out is very fun, and definitely worth a watch...so go watch it. Now, onto spoilers.

The twist ends up being that the break in is just a scheme by Garrett and Luke to get Ashley to fall in love with and kiss (or maybe even fuck) Luke. The first act is admittedly pretty weak, generic, and dumb. Everything that comes after though is tons of demented, insane, sick fun. Once Ashley discovers the truth she attempts to alert Luke's parents only to be knocked out and tied up by him. It's quickly revealed that Luke is actually a genuine psychopath, and that's when the real fun begins.

The actors all do pretty fine jobs. Olivia DeJonge is quite impressive as damsel-in-distress (and then some) Ashley, and Garrett is likeable as Luke's sidekick that grows more and more reluctant to go along with Luke's scheme as the night wears on. Both DeJonge and Oxenbould starred together in The Visit as brother and sister. They don't really share any chemistry here though. When viewed from Ashley's POV, this film is a tragic tale of an innocent girl surrounded by toxic males (quite literally).

The real star of the show is Levi Miller as Luke. He easily steals every scene he's in (which is most of the film). He's a lot of fun (and absolutely fantastic and awesome) as the young, hormonal psychopath. You can tell Miller is relishing the chance to play against type. He dances around the house, genuinely enjoying every amount of harm he inflicts upon the inhabitants within. I was shocked to find I was on his side for the whole film. Yes, he's clearly a sick, twisted dude but dammit I couldn't help but love the shit out of him. Miller is definitely one to keep an eye on, as he just may be a real up-and-comer. He previously starred in Pan (as the titular character, where he failed to impress), and is playing one of the man characters in the upcoming adaptation of A Wrinkle In Time.

I had way more fun with Better Watch Out than I expected to. For the first act, I couldn't help but be reminded of The Babysitter (which debuted on Netflix in October) but by the time the end rolled around I was shocked to find that Better Watch Out was a genuinely demented, sick, twisted, fun ride that I would gladly watch again with friends. It's definitely one of the best Christmas films you can see.

4 STARS