A Reel Preview: Everything You Need To Know About THE LAST JEDI

This week, the most anticipated film of the year arrives in the form of the 8^th episode in the STAR WARS saga, entitled THE LAST JEDI. Here is everything you need to know before returning to that famed, far away galaxy…

What is this about? – THE LAST JEDI picks up right after the events of THE FORCE AWAKENS (2015), which was the first film in a new trilogy, directed by JJ Abrams. The new trilogy begins 30 years after the events of THE RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983), which was the final film in the Original STAR WARS trilogy. In THE LAST JEDI, the Resistance struggles to survive against the sinister First Order, while Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi in the galaxy, continues his self-exile.

Who is behind this? – Abrams has stepped aside, and in his place is writer/director Rian Johnson, who is mostly known for his sci-fi thriller LOOPER in 2012. This is the third film produced by Disney since they acquired the franchise in 2012.

Who is in this? – Reprising their roles that they started 40 years ago are Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, the late Carrie Fisher as Leia Organa, Anthony Daniels as C3P0, and Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca. Reprising their roles from THE FORCE AWAKENS are Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, and Gwendoline Christie. Lupita Nyong’o once again provides voice-over and motion capture work for Maz Kanata, and Andy Serkis does the same for the mysterious and evil Snoke. Newcomers to the saga are Laura Dern, and Benicio del Toro.

Random Facts – Carrie Fisher, who passed away last year, assisted Rian Johnson in the writing of the screenplay * This will be Fisher’s final screen role * Benicio del Toro was originally cast to play Darth Maul in STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE (1999), but dropped out when most of the character’s lines were cut * John Williams returns to score the film, his 8^th in the series * This is the longest STAR WARS movie at 152 minutes * This is the first film in the series in which the late Kenny Baker was not involved in the portrayal of R2-D2. Baker passed away in 2016 *

What to expect? – The first thing to expect in THE LAST JEDI is the beauty of the film. As explored by Reel Speak in the review of the final trailer (HERE), all the footage we’ve seen looks gorgeous; perhaps the best-looking STAR WARS movie yet. Story-wise, we don’t know a lot of details about the plot, but considering the literal cliffhanger we were left with at the end of THE FORCE AWAKENS, we can assume that our characters, new and old, will be going through some hard times. Rian Johnson has proven himself to be a clever writer, and his knack for weaving characters around is excellent. Disney and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy have not made any major missteps with STAR WARS since day one, and this Blogger isn’t expecting one here.

*

THE LAST JEDI opens with limited screenings on December 14^th, and in wide release on the 15^th. It will be available in 2D, 3D, and IMAX formats.