THE LAST JEDI

© by Gerald So | 3:30 p.m.

I'm back from seeing The Last Jedi with much the same group of friends who saw The Force Awakens. Not to spoil anything, I disliked how Awakens ended and how it characterized Kylo Ren overall, lowering my expectations for Jedi. I expected Luke Skywalker to be part of the story, but only for a ceremonial passing of the torch, like Han Solo's role in Awakens.

To my delighted surprise, Luke was as much a part of the story as Rey and Finn. Rey's arrival forced him to confront his failings, and he returned to be hero younger viewers have heard of and older viewers like me remember.

Now to my main complaint: On one hand, Jedi consciously turned away from retelling the original trilogy's father-son redemption arc, and it used humor well to say it didn't take itself too seriously. On the other hand, there were too many moments of overindulgence and heavy-handed homage not to mention them as reasons you might be less than thrilled as the closing credits roll.

I don't know what to expect from Episode IX, but you know I'll be in line for it.