Despite acclaim from critics, the movie hasn’t satisfied every Star Wars fan – but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a lot to enjoy.
BEWARE: SPOILERS AHEAD.
In no particular order, here were the best moments.
1. Luke and Leia reunited
A beautiful scene in its own right, this moment was all the more moving in light of Carrie Fisher’s death. From the second Leia clapped eyes on her brother until their bittersweet farewell, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
2. Rose to the rescue
Schmaltzy perhaps, but Rose’s line to Finn (“That’s how we’re gonna win. Not fighting what we hate, saving what we love.”) was her peak moment, and solidified Kelly Marie Tran as a beloved addition to the Star Wars family. Did that look Rey gave the two of them at the end indicate a future love triangle? We’ll have to wait and see.
3. Dern’s demise
Laura Dern’s Holdo may have rubbed Poe up the wrong way for most of the movie but her death was absolutely spectacular – the most jaw-dropping of the entire film.
4. “…Do you think we got him?”
The addition of humour in Episode 8 seems to have divided the franchise’s most die-hard fans, but some of it really worked. The most successful lines – in this writer’s opinion, anyway – often came from Domhnall Gleeson’s General Hux, who went from beige Stereotypical British Bad Guy in The Force Awakens to a real point of humour and ridicule in The Last Jedi. Poe pretending he’d got through to voicemail was raised a solid titter, but “Do you think we got him?” after Kylo reigned fire down on Luke was brilliant.
5. Lightsaber toss
That moment when Luke got given his lightsaber was hyped-up so much by fans in the run-up to Episode 8… and in the end, Luke just tossed it over his shoulder. The first of many moments that would see Rian Johnson take your expectations and gleefully trample all over them.
6. Yoda!
Just the presence of Yoda in itself was quite the moment, whether or not you heard from Holly Willoughby in advance that his return was coming. “Page turners, they are not” was a particular zinger.
7. Rey and Kylo team up
It was a relief that their partnership didn’t last very long, but while Rey and Kylo Ren teamed up to destroy Snoke and his cronies, it was one of the series’ best battles to date.
8. Maz Kanata – otherwise engaged
It was a shame not to see more of Lupita Nyong’o in this film but Maz’s brief appearance was brilliantly chaotic. “Union dispute,” she deadpanned, as she deftly did away with a slew of opponents.
9. Phasma vs Finn
After Phasma’s back-from-the-dead act since Episode 7, we can assume we’ve seen the last of her now that she’s pretty definitively bitten the dust. The glimpse of Gwendoline Christie’s eye looked like it was going to soften her at the last minute – but then her uttering of “scum” made sure she died as villainous as she lived.
10. Porgs for dinner
The Porgs were, in the end, neither annoying nor sickly sweet. And their best bit came as Chewbacca was preparing to tuck into one – before being shamed into putting it down.
Star Wars 8: The Last Jedi is out now.