STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (2019) FILM REVIEW

*****

12A, 152 Mins

The shadow of David Lynch hangs over this spectacularly surreal 'Star Wars' adventure.

In the wake of a franchise reinvention as rip-roaring and rollicking as 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' (2015), you're not a numpty for fearing this equally anticipated second installment in Disney's 'Star Wars' sequel trilogy would struggle to meet the heights of arguably the best 'Star Wars' film since  'The Empire Strikes Back' (1980). It's with one "forceful" sigh of relief to declare, therefore, that not only does 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' (2017) live up to its predecessor, but frankly surpasses anything that came before.

If a blockbuster film-maker like J.J Abrams nostalgically captured the spirit of George Lucas's seminal vision, Director Rian Johnson - the independent auteur behind such diverse fare as low-key mystery thriller 'Brick' (2005) and uniquely innovative time-travel Sci Fi 'Looper' (2012) - subverts it with the result best described as an experimental arthouse flick masquerading as a $300 million studio behemoth.

Describing it as such risks alienating core fandom who could easily dismiss it as po-faced and pretentious which 'The Last Jedi' (2017) absolutely isn't. There's certainly crowdpleasing entertainment to be found in its opening moments which offers some of the most spectacularly-staged space-bound action ever filmed. In Director Johnson's hands, the explosions are not simply fireworks, however. The cinematography and editing have a crunchy physicality to them sorely lacking from Lucas's CGI cluttery; soaking viewers in the emotionally-drenched human toll that comes with any kind of warfare.

Such an awe-inspiring opener is largely groundwork for what's to come, though, as - upon a diversion to the swampy, sea-swept islands of Ahch-To - the film begins to stray away a from the tested formula. Keira Knightley-lookalike Daisy Ridley is back as Rey travelling to the Dagobah-inflected planet in search of the long-missing Luke Skywalker (Mark Hammil) to recruit him for The Resistance.

Right from his shadowy entrance into blackened cave walls with the immortal words "It's time for the Jedi...to end", it's clear that this is a darker, more mature Luke than the whiney pretty boy who skipped around in his white toga in the original trilogy. Mark Hammil gives a wonderfully unhinged performance a galaxy far, far away from his high-pitched wails of "NOOOOOO!" upon Darth Vader slicing Ben Kenobi back in 1977. He portrays the iconic hero as something of a PTSD-suffering War veteran.

What follows boldly breaks tropes embedded in 5 decades of movie mythos with 'Batman Begins'-style training scenes not only providing thrilling substitutes for the preposterous hyperspace jumps that usually accompany big-budget blockbusters of this kind, but allow Johnson to open up his characters' psyches for evaluation.

Communicating through the force, the film intersperses its intergalactic set-pieces with dream sequences that tip their hat towards the surrealism of David Lynch as Rey and Adam Driver's villainous Kylo Renn delve deep into each other's inner selves and uncover dark, twisted family secrets simmering beneath the surface. All this is bedding for an audacious confrontation within a Gothic-draped, blood red throne room that appears to have walked straight off the set of Lynch's 'Twin Peaks' (1990-2017).

At the centre of this slice of Lynchian art is an absurdist caricature in the form of Andy Serkis's Supreme Leader Snoke - a creature  scarier and more grotesque than the Mystery Man from 'Lost Highway' (1997) and 'Mulholland Drive's Evil Hobo. The fact that details as strange as these exist in a movie of this size and scale only emphasises Johnson's artistic flourish. He treats this Sci-Fi spectacular with the same obscurity of the quirkiest indie project.

As the rebellious Rey, Daisy Ridley is terrific; perfecting a delicious balancing act of fiestiness and innocence. The most surprising performance, however, comes from Adam Driver who - having past the teething stage of 'The Force Awakens' - lets his weird, asymmetrical features do the talking in a portrayal that suggests Kylo Ren is far more than simply Darth Vader-lite.

With such dark, occasionally horror-like subject matter sprawling at its disposal, it's perhaps innevitable that 'The Last Jedi' should attempt to soften its thematic grit with some of the light, Buck Rogersy kitschiness that made us fall in love with the 1977 original. In any other movie, the addition of cute critters the Porgs would be a welcome source of comic relief yet - considering how "seriously" this film takes itself - here feel slightly inconistent.

Believe me, though, the fact that something as small and insignificant as that stands out as a misstep is a testament to the strength of the storytelling. I can only hope that the final 30 mins of whizz-bang hokum will deliver die-hard afficianados the kind of special-effects spectacle we've come to expect from this epochal franchise. This is a 'Star Wars' movie that dares to be different and all the better for it.
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