The Last Jedi is playing at Bonita Lakes 9.

The story of Star Wars is something filled with magic, mystery and wonder. Lucasfilm’s original trilogy offered so much in the space of dense, fascinating themes infused with brilliant, blockbuster storytelling that the whole world fell in love in no time. Although recent iterations haven’t matched up to the brilliance of the first two Star Wars films, it is clear that Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the closest to hit that mark, but barely succeeds.

It isn’t clear if writer and director Rian Johnson truly believes in the previously mentioned magic, mystery and wonder that is infused in the world of Star Wars where he presents this sequel to the 2015 hit with a sense of triviality. I will not go into any details relating to plot or character of The Last Jedi, so I’ll be as careful as possible when talking about this film.

Rian Johnson flexes his well-seasoned filmmaking muscles with a sense of auteur craftsmanship. He brings in a beauty to the Star Wars franchise that we haven’t seen yet. The action is swift and smooth, where certain battles feel like a seamlessly choreographed dance. An excitement pervades every moment of The Last Jedi as color and light are manipulated to craft a wondrous beauty.

Yet, when all is said and done, the Last Jedi shines when it comes to craftsmanship, but falters when it comes to story. Excluding the pure beauty of this film, Johnson doesn’t really seem like he has a solid grasp of what Star Wars is about. Ideas, themes and symbols which remain grounded in the Star Wars universe seem to be thrown out the window, sometimes for comedic effect. Characters do not seem to change in the film as they end up being the same people they were at the end as they were in the beginning.

Honestly, the first half of The Last Jedi feels like a poorly structured episode of a Saturday morning cartoon, where the main premise of the film feels lackluster compared to what a Star Wars film could be. An especially useless side story takes up a good 30 minutes of the picture, resulting in a film that seems lost and, at times, boring. Look, The Last Jedi does not need to be a grandiose epic, yet it should not feel like a stepping stone in a franchise, which is what this film ultimately is.

Yes, the cast members get plenty of moments to shine, yet there are few and far between. Some characters feel thoroughly wasted or underutilized, where the wonderful actors portraying those roles seem utterly useless. The Last Jedi ends up offering more than The Force Awakens, Rogue One or the prequels did, yet that’s not a high bar to aim for. Go in for the thrilling action and adventure that you have come to love from Star Wars, but don’t go in for an emotionally stimulating experience that has been the backbone of what Star Wars is.

Zain Hashmat is a film student from Meridian. An avid lover of film and literature, Hashmat will check out one movie on Thursday nights and give his take on the best (and worst) that cinema has to offer that weekend. He hopes his passionate reviews will get The Star’s readers excited to get up and go to the movies.