IN MY LIFE- MOVIE REVIEW- STAR WARS- THE LAST JEDI

*** Out of four stars

I'm not a big Star Wars guy. Maybe that's why this review will be good, coming form an outsider who doesn't dress like Yoda for every new Star Wars movie

I saw Star Wars- The Last Jedi last Sunday at King of Prussia. 10:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning is a great time to see a movie. Hardly anyone was in the theater,let alone  seeing Star Wars.

Right from the get-go, there was action. I did see the last Star Wars film, so I was somewhat familiar with the characters, especially the new heroes and villains . I didn't know much of Star Wars history, like Luke Skywalker and Princess Layia are actually brother-and- sister. My girlfriend, Holly, knows her Star Wars stuff, so she filled me in on the details. It's like watching a soap opera, with all the tangled relationships and plots.

Anyway, it was comforting to see old, familiar faces on the screen.Without giving much away, Yoda is back briefly. Luke and Layia are a big part of the new story. Chewbacca is there, as are C3PO and R2D2.

It was nice that actress Carrie Fisher was in much of the flick, her last role before her untimely passing. It will be interesting to find out how they resolve her departure in the next movie.

It's a long movie- well over two hours. But it takes you in and, fan or not, you become involved in the characters and story. You start to root for the underdogs, the brave rebels. it's the classic tale of good vs evil.

The action and the relationships make the entire Star Wars franchise appealing to fans. They are always bringing in new characters, which keeps the story fresh. The aliens, the make-up and special effects make it fun. That's the basic premise of the Star Wars movies: fun. They aren't meant to be taken seriously ( although many die-hard fans  go to Star Wars conventions and such).

Anyway, I liked The Last Jedi. It has tons of non-stop action, drama, some humor, surprises and twists, and leads up to the next episode ( and for many episodes to come).  Fan or not, I'm looking forward to the next installment.

As Holly said when we left the theater, "This will go on and on and on." May The Force be with us.

NOTE: Over the weekend, Star Wars: The Last Jedi became the high-grossing movie of 2017, vaulting past Beauty and the Beast. The Last Jedi has earned over $ 500 million so far in the U.S>, and over a billion dollars worldwide so far.

A few years ago Disney bought the Star Wars rights for over $1 billion from George Lucas. That's a lot of money, but consider it a bargain now. Disney has the rights to all future movies, but also to merchandise, theme park attractions, and so forth.