Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)

STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII - THE LAST JEDI 
    D: Riann Johnson                                     (2017)  ¢ ¢ ¢
    Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Mark Hamill,
    Carrie Fisher, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac,
    Kelly Marie Tran, Domhnall Gleeson, Laura Dern,
    Lupita Nyong'o, Benicio Del Toro, Andy Serkis
We've reached the eighth chapter in the never-ending space opera, the middle episode in the third trilogy, so let's take a look at where we're at. Rey (Daisy Ridley) has tracked down Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), living in self-imposed isolation on a Jedi island in the remotest corner of the galaxy. Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) is still split over whether to embrace the Force, or go over to the Dark Side. General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) and a First Order armada are chasing what remains of the Resistance, commanded by General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher). Hotshot pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) is wreaking havoc on the First Order fleet, but his impulsiveness is getting on Leia's nerves. Finn (John Boyega) is trying to locate Rey, with the help of fellow commando Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) and outlaw decoder DJ (Benicio Del Toro). Leia somehow survives a trip into the vacuum of space and relinquishes her command to Vice Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern). By the end, Poe has exchanged a suggestive look with Rey, while Finn, who's been eyeing Rey since Episode VII, has developed an apparent interest in Rose. That's all between battle scenes in which massive giant space platforms are vaporized and an untold number of beings die, with ear-blasting sound effects and the inevitable martial score by John Williams. The filmmakers (as always) keep a safe distance from all that carnage. It's cooler (and more abstract) just to stand back and watch stuff explode. But when you think about it, the casualty count in a movie like this must be staggering.