May the Force be with you! If you need to know about our latest cosmic trip to the galaxy far, far away, then keep reading for our spoiler-free review of Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi.

What’s it about?

From the crawl to the credits, it’s Star Wars through and through. If you don’t know what that means, you have some movies to watch.

Is it any good?

• In my “What to Expect” for The Force Awakens, I called out that film’s “beautiful drama, intelligent and realistic dialogue, and heart-pounding action with an excellent payoff”— and that’s all come back, with the addition of some well-timed humor and perhaps a little bit better pacing than its immediate predecessor.
• The new characters have taken their roles as the stars of this war, with a couple of new friends along for the ride. The film introduces a lot of new characters, but what the series really needed (and thankfully gets) is more Luke Skywalker, with quite a satisfying story arc.
• The action has slowed enough to be easily-followed, which conversely makes it more thrilling.
• Even more than The Force Awakens, this feels like Star Wars. They’ve retained so much of the tone while still bringing it into the modern era, and have shown that Episode VII was not, in fact, a fluke.

Should I see it?

Who am I kidding? You’re going to. And you’ll definitely enjoy it. It’s a story you haven’t quite seen before.

What spiritual themes should I watch for?

Look out for hope, and what it means to lose it; think about what it means to keep on running and let go; and embrace the joy of being wrong.