The Last Jedi is the most satisfying chapter in the saga

If you read my review for The Force Awakens way back in 2015, then you recall I named it the best Star Wars to date. That's only because I was comparing it to the previous trilogy where the series' quality was slowly declining but worst of all, dividing fans. Luckily, J.J Abrams gave the franchise the shot in the arm that it sorely needed and returned the films' to their peak quality. The Force Awakens was at the moment the pinnacle of what the films could not only accomplish but that they can still amaze both audiences and diehard fans despite being a 40 year old franchise. The quality and excitement from the previous film continues with The Last Jedi where the story literally picks up moments after where The Force Awakens left off. The First Order continues to push the Resistance against a wall as the rebel forces are down to their last resources with their numbers dwindling fast. Meanwhile, Rey (Daisy Ridley) finally finds and meets Luke (Mark Hamill) where she hopes he can explain and guide her on the awakening of her newly discovered powers. As with the tradition with previous Star Wars films, The Last Jedi features the now standard epic space battles, some cool lightsaber action as

well as the "didn't see it coming " scene, something that I felt The Force Awakens lacked. More importantly than all this though is character development. As the story progresses so does our characters and their personal journeys, for me it's Kylo Ren who has evolved the most. To be honest I didn't feel Adam Driver made for a convincing antagonist in the previous film but here we now see that Kylo isn't an antagonist but more like someone who has fallen between the light and the dark. More than any other character in the film, Kylo is the one I'm most interested in seeing where he goes from here. ​Kudos to Driver for terrifically portraying that emotion of weakness and frustration in his performance. Everyone else gets their moment to shine and yes,

"Let the past die."

Carrie Fisher in her final portrayal as princess Leia, gets both her moment and a proper memorial; one that older fans will definitely notice and get teary-eyed over. If I had to say if there was any faults with the film, it would have to be the middle part where the film's pace slowed down; luckily, it's not enough to detract one's enjoyment of the film. The Last Jedi is filled with memorable moments, brilliant set-pieces, fantastic visuals, funny easter eggs and heartfelt homages to the original trilogy. Star Wars: The Last Jedi is arguably the best film in the series (it's as of now my personal favorite) as it propels the franchise to astronomical heights and I am now desperately eager to see what episode 9 holds for our heroes.