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After The Force Awakens, I had my reservations for Episode VIII.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Star Wars fan. And no, it’s not just because of the lightsabers, hyperspace and starfighters. The lore is wonderful, the message is eternal and Princess Leia is my favourite princess of all time.

But, as every Star Wars fan knows, I am aware of the flaws within the franchise - cough prequels cough - and while The Force Awakens did well to remind us of what the series means to us, and had a lot of fan service, we see it for what it is. Almost a remake of A New Hope with a lot of fan service.

My reservations for The Last Jedi were similar to most Star Wars fans. Will it be a rehash of Empire Strikes back? Will it rely on familiar tropes and nostalgia to progress the movie? Will the series progress at all?

None of this would stop me from going to the cinemas and squeal in glee at the opening sequence. Little did I know that I would be squealing throughout.

Just so we're clear, it’s difficult to talk about this film without giving away a couple of spoilers. So be prepared for a few minor spoilers and may the Force be with you.

The Plot

The galactic odyssey against oppression continues (See what I did there?). The Last Jedi starts right where The Force Awakens ends. Rey (Daisy Riddley) is presenting Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) with his light saber and the Resistance, led by General Leia (Carrie Fisher) rebelling against the First Order.

After a rogue attack on the First Order carried on by Poe (Oscar Isaac) leads to many lives lost, the Resistance attempts to flee through hyperspace. However, General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) is able to find them with a new tracker and a brutal assault ensues.

Leia, wounded from the attack, is comatose and Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo (Laura Dern) takes her place. Poe disapproves of Amilyn's passive tactics and plans with Finn (John Boyega) and new character Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) to find a way to destroy the tracker.

Meanwhile, Rey tries to convince Luke to return to the Resistance, also hoping he would have the answers to her origins.

The film explores conflict deeper than before

With Star Wars, there is usually a singular major conflict in a film, with very little subplot, and a troupe of interesting characters resolving that conflict. The Last Jedi differs. While there is always the conflict of rebelling against oppression, the movie explores more than what a Star Wars film would expect. It explores the conflicts within the interesting characters and also the ideology of the Force.

For me, this was the best Luke Skywalker that we have seen in the franchise. Luke is no longer the rather immature boy but a retired master, struggling with the mistakes of his past.

Mark Hamill's portrayal of a man who has realised the truth about the Force, who hopes to move past his legendary status and is human enough to make mistakes, is interesting to watch. While he is more seasoned, he has that stubborn trait that has always been there, but his development in the film as learns the importance of failure in life was a performance to watch.

Adam Driver as Kylo Ren was one of the highlights of The Last Jedi. We can see his inner turmoil through out the film. Kylo Ren is called a child at many occasions, almost throwing tantrums upon not getting his way (as you can see in Force Awakens as well). But in this film he is shown growing out of that, having more control, control that may lead to him being a more powerful villain than ever, or the ultimate hero.

In a story so strong on good versus evil, Kylo Ren makes for the most interesting characters with his complexity and conflict between both.

Rey overall was not the most interesting character in the film by far. I cannot help but feel like Daisy Riddley did not have much to work with and that her character lacks motivation. Her story line as someone finding herself and believing in good yet being at risk to crossing the dark side may have been even better if there was a little more background to her.

Leia is graceful as ever and as a long time fan it was rather emotional seeing Carrie Fisher reprise her role on the big screen. She is just as brave, strong and inspirational as Leia always is and a pleasure to watch.

Also read: Star Wars gave Carrie Fisher a tribute and we can't stop crying

Oscaar Isaac get a more interesting role as Poe in The Last Jedi as he is seen rebelling the rebellion. Rebel-ception? I digress.

The Last Jedi introduces new characters that show the progress the movie aims to make. We have Rose Tico, a maintenance worker with strong loyalties to the rebellion, Amilyn Holdo, who proves her position as Leia's substitute and a codebreaker who is my favourite character in the film, and not just because of Benicio Del Toro. Not that it didn't help. He's just so amazing... Don't judge me!

Benicio Del Toro is one of my favourite actors and I'm glad he did his character brilliantly here. While his appearance in the film is brief it definitely makes an impact. DJ is an eerie character who is open about not having any allegiances. His eccentric personality is one to remember.

Despite having such promising evolution in characters and introducing new people, The Last Jedi did not do justice to all. Captain Phasma, Finn, and even Snoke felt almost wasted in the film.

The good and the bad

I did enjoy that The Last Jedi had many subplots that were all tied to the plot, preventing the film from being all over the place. The film has many moments that fans would love.

The pace of the film feels rushed to many but its a two and a half hour film, and there were barely any points where it felt like a drag. That's saying something.

I also loved the woman force in the film. There were a good number of badass women taking the front and they were all slaying! Although I wish Captain Phasma had gotten more screen time, the other ladies of the Force were on top of their game and the best part is that it all felt natural. None of the female characters seemed to be there because they're women, but rather they are characters perfect for the job.

Also Read: 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' promises a healthy dose of girl power

Rian Johnson did his job well as the scriptwriter and director of the film. He made sure to not have the film be an ode to his own fandom but paid respect to the fandom overall. he also connected the film really well to its weak predecessor and had the film progress forward. This is the type of plot, progress and emotional journey we should have gotten in Episode VII. Were this the mark of The Force Awakens, the trilogy would have turned out differently.

That being said, I did miss the attention to detail that George Lucas brought to his set and script. There were some tiny moments (and one major) which we as Star Wars fans were quick to notice and ponder "Hmmm, how did that happen?"

I personally enjoyed the Force connection between Rey and Kylo, who are predicted to be the ultimate hero and villain of the trilogy, respectively. Their conversations were intriguing and the dialogues were fluent and natural.

What I really hated though, was the displaced humor spread out in the film. Don't get me wrong, Star Wars has its own humor and its adorable, but the jokes in The Last Jedi seemed almost reminiscent to the silly jokes in a plot-less Marvel flick. I don't want to watch Star Wars and imagine Chris Pratt's Star Lord hopping in the frame any minute! Thankfully the jokes wouldn't happen often but when they would, I would roll my eyes.

Visually, The Last Jedi is a treat to watch. The cinematography is stunning and I could hear many oohs and ahhs in the cinema at a number of scenes. Mine may have been the loudest.

One thing The Last Jedi surprisingly lacks is a good number of lightsaber battles. There are a lot of battle scenes in the film, with starfighters and speeding aircrafts. But three measly lightsabe battles, that too not so well choreographed, did leave a void in the film. Remember the amazing entry of Darth Vader in New Hope or how it was remade in Rogue One? That was extremely satisfying. More of that please!

Final thoughts

The Last Jedi has its good and bad. I loved many moments but some had me going "meh" or "ugh." But the good overall outweighs the bad and the film has set a pace for the next one.

The best thing about Episode VIII is that with the progress the series has made, and how the movie is almost complete in itself, it really makes us curious as to where the series will go from here. that is what Rey wonders as well, to which Leia says, this is where it starts.

So here's hoping... A new hope indeed!