A familiar galaxy's glorious saga

The dark and light forces in the galaxy are at war and it is much more than zipping war machines in space and exploding planets. There are confrontations with the past, telepathic battles and a force that is much stronger now.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the eighth episode of the Star Wars Saga. It begins with a battle between the Resistance army-led by Princess Leia Organa (late Carrie Fisher) and the evil First Order under the command of General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson). It takes some unexpected turns with Poe Dameron's (Oscar Isaac) heroic stunts. But no heroism helps the resistance as the First Order's sinister plans do not seem to end.

While the rebels are finding the galaxy a smaller place to hide, Rey (Daisy Ridley), Resistance's only hope, is with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) on an isolated island. The seventh episode of the movie ended with Rey handing the lightsaber to Luke. In this episode, Luke's reaction is startling. He is consumed by guilt because of his wrecked mentorship of Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and spends his days on the island with the Jedi sacred books and lots of pessimism.

As Rey is trying to convince Skywalker to be the guide she needs, a troubled Kylo is having psychic clashes with Rey. The tug of war between the dark and light forces is obvious as Rey and Kylo try to turn each other to their side. Driver plays the role to perfection as the audience is left guessing 'will he turn, will he not'. Till the face-off between Kylo and the Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis).

Between all of this, how can we forget the plotline of the unlikely duo - Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran), a resistance soldier, and Finn (John Boyega), the reformed stormtrooper, who set out to find a codebreaker on a distant planet. The side plot is entertaining with its part of action sequences.

The Last Jedi is an excellent tribute to late Fisher, who obviously had a powerful screen presence. Hamill played the guilt-driven Jedi with excellence. Oscar Isaac as the hot-headed fighter reminded one of Han Solo in the earlier instalments. Driver's intense expressions and Rey's energy are the dark and light forces in action. The light moments in the movie with Gleeson are welcome as well.  

The movie is an adventure that keeps the audience (especially fans), hooked till the very end. The depiction of the force narrated by Luke to Rey makes for a visual spectacle. The climax is beautiful, with all its victories and defeats. The theme of good vs evil plays out throughout the movie on different levels and even touches a spiritual chord.Well, director Rian Johnson does not disappoint as he creates a galaxy far far away, yet, with characters and inner battles we all face every day.