“Star Wars”, the memorable science fiction series, has stirred the cinematic world for decades. On Dec. 15, Lucasfilm released the second movie of the sequel trilogy, “The Last Jedi”, which was written and directed by Rian Johnson. The story follows a young girl, Rey (Daisy Ridley), who is strong with the force, a power to control the energy surrounding all things, while on her quest to destroy a tyrannical government: The First Order. Meanwhile, the secondary protagonist, Ben Solo (Adam Driver), who killed his father, Han Solo, in hopes that he will be pushed further towards the dark side, is left struggling with the temptation of the good. Also, fan-favorite Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) returned, and he had to make decisions that would change the future of the Jedi.

The movie began with jokes. However, they went on far too long, and throughout the film, more unnecessary jokes were poorly placed, causing the movie to feel childish. Similarly, many intergalactic creatures, like the newly introduced porgs, were placed only for comedic effect. This distracting and bad humor took away from the familiar feel of the series.

Furthermore, the movie’s characterization was poorly executed. Compared to the original Star Wars films, Skywalker seemed like an entirely different person. His choices and thoughts in “The Last Jedi” seemed to differ from his morals as seen in the earlier movies. Rian Johnson’s writing gave the impression that he had never seen an original Star Wars film. In “The Last Jedi”, we saw Skywalker’s character digress from his place in “The Force Awakens.” Similar problems with the characters in the film took away from the realisticness. Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) stood out as a stereotypic fighter and impulsively trigger-happy, giving him very few layers to his character. Furthermore, Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) had little to no character depth.

Yet despite the shortcomings, the actor’s performances were excellent, with Hamill and Driver stealing the show. While some characters seemed one-dimensional, Solo and Rey had depth and incredible performances. In addition, the visual effects were incredible. The entire movie was beautiful to watch, from the planet of salt with a red underlayer to the vibrant colors that made the scenes come to life. The settings and special effects brought wonders to the film.

Overall, the film seemed more like a teen Disney movie than a Star Wars film, with it being great for someone who has not seen Star Wars before. But as someone who loves the Star Wars universe, “The Last Jedi” was a disappointment. Despite its beautiful visual effects and talented acting, several aspects could have been improved, such as the writing and character development. “The Force Awakens” opened many doors for the new trilogy, but with the executive decisions that were made in “The Last Jedi,” those doors quickly closed.