[PREFACE: I wrote this based on my initial impressions of the film. In the review I recommend the film, which I would have done back in December, but this is no longer the case.]

It was in 1977 that Luke Skywalker first led the Rebel Alliance against the evil Galactic Empire and changed cinema forever. Forty years on and Star Wars continues to be a cultural phenomenon that has now spanned three generations of cinema goers. The latest instalment in the franchise, The Last Jedi, had the potential to take the series to dazzling new heights but unfortunately missed the mark slightly; perhaps doomed to disappoint under the unrealistic expectations of the cinematic behemoth.

Rian Johnson, whose back catalogue includes critically acclaimed films Brick (2005) and Looper (2012), was given the reigns to continue the story after JJ Abrams’ 2015 entry The Force Awakens gave us a soft reboot of the series, offering a fairly enjoyable but ultimately safe and derivative movie. Johnson has taken a far more treacherous route which has involved moving the Star Wars Saga in a new direction and making some risky decisions which, almost by definition, are sure to divide a fan base that are already notorious for being difficult to please.

The story begins days, or perhaps only hours, after we last left our heroes. We are treated to the now iconic opening title crawl that provides a brief overview of the situation we find ourselves in before launching into the first action set-piece of the film; a daring attack on a First Order cruiser. It is during this sequence that the first alarm bells started ringing; specifically the “comedic” interaction between Oscar Isaacs’ Poe Dameron and Domhnall Gleeson’s General Hux that just isn’t funny. As it plays out on the screen a feeling of dread descends as thoughts of the slap-stick humour à la Marvel Cinematic Universe, which often times is painfully unfunny, will drag this movie out. While I acknowledge that at its heart Star Wars has always been a light hearted family friendly adventure, this style of humour seems particularly jarring and out of place in this franchise. Mercifully, it only occurs sporadically throughout the rest of the movie, but every time it is used the tension in what are fairly serious scenes are broken and I find myself pulled out of the film every time.

The next scene returns us to the mysterious Ahch-To (filmed on the breathtakingly beautiful Great Skellig in Southern Ireland) where Daisy Ridley’s Rey has just discovered where Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) has been hiding. Not wanting to give too much away, what happens next is the complete opposite of what the audience would normally anticipate. While in isolation this is not necessarily a bad thing, and in fact I applaud Johnson in his use of subverting expectations to drive the narrative forward and create tension in new and exciting ways not seen before in a Star Wars film, he takes this approach to a logical extreme that leaves a sour taste in the audience’s mouth. As almost every plot point set up in The Force Awakens is either undermined, twisted, or completely ignored in “gotcha” moments, we as the audience can’t help but feel a little ripped off. As Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) commands Rey to “let go of the past,” so too is Johnson demanding his audience forget what has come before, which in a way diminishes the previous films in the Star Wars Saga. Again, if Johnson had used this narrative technique of subversion only once or twice, it would have provided a unique twist that made the movie memorable, but instead he overuses it to a point that suggests he resents fans for liking Star Wars, which may not have been his intention but is the end result.

But, despite feeling a little cheated by the plot, as the end credits rolled I still found myself with a goofy smile on my face because the movie is still very enjoyable. The acting is really solid across the board, but Domhnall Gleeson is a definite standout. Although his character comes off as a little silly at times, he absolutely nails it. Adam Driver is also very good. His acting here is a lot stronger than in The Force Awakens; to the point where I cared about a character I previously wasn't really fussed on. And of course, Mark Hamill’s return to the role of Luke Skywalker is wonderful. The movie itself was visually stunning. The special effects are second to none and what we’ve come to expect from a Star Wars film, and there is one scene in particular towards the end of the film involving Supreme Leader Snoke’s (Andy Serkis) flagship that is genuinely beautiful. Unfortunately John William’s score is largely forgettable and at its strongest only when recycling elements from previous works.

There seems to be an experiment being conducted by Lucasfilm Ltd. whereby they have given fairly green directors control over arguably the biggest franchise in cinema history. First we had Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) directed by Gareth Edwards which, although receiving generally favourable reviews, was plagued by long and expensive reshoots. There are also well documented troubles with the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story, which has seen directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller replaced by veteran film maker Ron Howard. While Rian Johnson was conversely able to follow his project through to completion, it seems as though The Last Jedi is a culmination of this experiment. Whether he wanted it to or not, Johnson’s film carries the weight of the future of Star Wars on its shoulders. Perhaps I am being unfair to Johnson, or at least I should be more sympathetic to his plight. He was given creative control over arguably the biggest franchise to have existed after Abrams left him with a story with many unresolved plot points to explore but no real direction to take it in. He was essentially thrown in the deep end with a budget seven times the size of what he previously worked with and was expected to deliver a cinematic masterpiece. Johnson is merely a cog in the monstrous machinery that is modern cinema controlled by mega corporations with no interests other than to maximise profits.

In the three years since 2015, Lucasfilm under the Disney Corporation have released three films (a feat that took George Lucas six) and shows no signs of slowing down. This is systematic not only of the Star Wars Universe but of contemporary Hollywood, which is guilty of churning out new sequels, reboots or spin offs of existing materials every year and while we aren’t quite there yet, surely in the near future audiences are going to get burnt out. Perhaps this is why I’m so critical of Johnson’s subversion in The Last Jedi; new content is being released faster than audiences can digest and appreciate it fully. This capitalistic nature of cinema has destroyed the spectacle of Star Wars and what were once very special things have been turned into yearly instalments of a seemingly never ending story. The cash cow is still producing milk, but eventually we’ll reach the point of diminishing returns and movie watchers will finally say enough is enough, and when she’s put to pasture the damage will be too great; the legacy destroyed.

For now though, at least, it is not all doom and gloom. The Last Jedi despite all of its flaws is still a highly enjoyable movie. Is it the best Star Wars movie since The Empire Strikes Back? Absolutely not, but through fantastic acting and absolutely stunning visual effects it still manages to impress. Definitely go and see the film, just don’t expect it to be the most amazing thing you’ve ever seen.