The Last Jedi: The eighth installment of the ‘Star Wars’ saga is in theaters worldwide. (Courtesy of Lucasfilm Ltd.)

Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi is tasked with continuing George Lucas’ sprawling saga. And it nails it.

“Ibecame a legend.” Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) proclaims to budding Jedi Rey (Daisy Ridley).

The eighth episode of George Lucas’s sprawling Star Wars saga, The Last Jedi, sees writer/director Rian Johnson (Brick, 2015; Looper, 2012) build on the mythology of the Skywalker golden boy.

It’s a hefty weight to carry. And boy does he carry it.

I’m not going to spoil the movie, because not only do I think it’s not cool to do, but also because I think The Last Jedi, the canon’s bleakest entry by a mile, is worth the surprise.

We’ve always known Star Wars as a battle between good and evil, and all the nuances in between, from Anakin Skywalker’s descent into complete surrender to Han Solo’s return, even when he’s gotten his end of the bargain.

And so it was a surprise to see The Last Jedi delve deeper into the darker mores and complexities of the characters’ psyches.

The internal struggle of Kylo Ren (played by the ever-excellent Adam Driver) — heightened by the omnipresence of the villain, Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) — is given added context, while Rey’s ever-present longing finds somewhat of a resolution as she dedicates herself to the important quest of finding Luke, the Jedi Master.

Clocking in at 152 minutes, The Last Jedi picks up where its predecessor, 2015’s The Force Awakens, left off.

Given the responsibility of establishing new ground and characters for the saga, Johnson is able to inject a slew of intricacies into the movie (he’s a Sundance graduate after all). Humor is one of them and there’s plenty of that here. Surprisingly (again!), Luke is Johnson’s mouthpiece on this front, as is Leia.

The Resistance — led by the regal presence of General Leia Organa, played by the late Carrie Fisher — has scored a minor victory against the First Order, which is armed by Ren, Snoke, General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) and a coterie of Stormtroopers, by destroying its Starkiller Base.

But remember, guns don’t shoot just once; the First Order corners the Resistance by creating a situation that will ultimately drain their fuel and entrap them.

The escape involves The Last Jedi’s major characters, namely the rebel-scum, Stormtrooper-defector Finn (John Boyega), antsy pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and splendid newcomer Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran).

Their adventures take them around the galaxy, to such places as the glitzy planet Canto Bight, where the movie comments on the vile, strong-arming force of greed and power.

What Johnson accomplishes best is his faithfulness to JJ Abrams’s (The Force Awakens’ director, who will also helm the next episode) characters and Lucas’ universe.

Emotional catharsis, at times missing from Lucas’s prequel trilogy (from The Phantom Menace to The Revenge of the Sith), is key here.

The heroes appear to the audiences’ cheers and even the smallest victories seem bigger thanks to the hearty applause.

But my favorite of Johnson’s character treatments is Luke. Luke is discovered as a bearded curmudgeon, having exiled himself to become a vagabond on an island, Anch-To, which he deems “unfindable.” By detailing Rey’s training and extended backstory Johnson in also able to carefully trace Luke’s past and present. This is The Last Jedi’s greatest strength.

The movie’s visuals are awe inspiring as well, from Snoke’s bloody, theatrical chamber, the First Order’s Stormtrooper base to the Falcon, which even after a mere two years, is a pleasure to behold once again.

And then there’s Carrie Fisher, in her final performance as Leia before her tragic passing. Leia, to me, transcends nostalgia. In the first original sequel, her character brings a sense of warmth, heroism and reassurance. Watching The Last Jedi means saying goodbye to this icon, a beacon of hope to many. Again, I’m not going to say much, other than the fact that her screen time is aplenty.

Speaking of nostalgia, The Last Jedi will bring joy to the people who grew up with the saga. The puffy creatures called Porgs are reminiscent of the fan favorite Ewoks, while the shiny metal R2-D2 and C-3PO are part and parcel of the nostalgia, not to mention seeing Leia and Luke again. This is the space opera that refuses to quit.

Sacrifice, light-saber fights and moral ambivalence have animated Star Wars from the very beginning. The extra commitment to these elements is what makes this instalment of the franchise worthy of being a part of the Star Wars tale.

For this (and the tears), I have Rian Johnson to thank, as I did with Han Solo, C-3PO, Rey, Finn, Darth Vader, Obi Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa.

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Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi

(Lucasfilm and Bad Robots Productions; 152 minutes)

Directed and written by Rian Johnson

Cast: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domnhall Gleeson, Laura Dern, Kelly Marie Tran.

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