Star Wars: Episode VIII - Die letzten Jedi

Complete satisfaction on my part, that just gets better over time. Yes, Disney turned Star Wars into a cash cow, so there are some things in the movie whose sole purpose was to get more money out of it, with practically no impact on the story, but that’s what Lucas did, too. Yes, it's basically another fairy tale for adults, mainly about hope, but that’s what Star Wars have always been. Frankly, it’s what I love about them. My main point is that you shouldn’t really expect an overly objective review from me, because I have nothing but respect for Star Wars. My expectations of the eighth episode were extremely high, and I think Rian Johnson under (strict) Disney supervision managed to make the most of it. Compared to the previous episode, the atmosphere is darker, it is much more action-packed, the story is more relevant, and there are two factors which play a huge role in this. The first one is Mark Hamill, who, despite all the critics, showed that he can deliver an excellent performance. It is absolutely amazing here and it only confirms Luke Skywalker’s legendary status. The second factor for which it deserves the highest of ratings are the confrontations between Rey and Kylo Ren. I liked the whole new generation of characters, but the two lead actors were chosen perfectly in my view. Their conversations between the light and dark side of the Force were great, as were their duels in terms of choreography as well as surprising moments and suspense. If I factor in the amazing action scenes both on the ground and in space, the traditionally perfect soundtrack and all those moments I’d been anticipating for years, there is no point in hesitating to give this the highest rating. (13.12.2017)