★★★★☆

BOLSTERED by the glory of a fantastic franchise reinvigoration with The Force Awakens and subsequent grittier prequel Rogue One, The Last Jedi is a thrilling and visually spectacular new episode that feels confident in direction and style, undauntedly taking the franchise to places both unexpected and longed-awaited by fans.

No real spoilers here but it’s suffice to say that we pick things up straight after Episode VII and the new film fully expects you to keep up.

Promised by an almighty teaser two years ago now, this sees the return of the much-loved Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), now grizzled and world-weary and far from the boyish, optimistic hero we first met four decades ago.

Rey (Daisy Ridley) has tracked him down on “the most unfindable place in the galaxy,” a windy island on which he dwells as part of a self-imposed exile. Filled with questions about her mysterious past and aware of a certain power inside her that she doesn’t yet understand, Rey has made it her mission to return Master Skywalker to the fold. The way they carry through with his overarching storyline, coupled with Hamill’s fantastically tortured performance, is at once fitting, surprising and wholly rewarding.

Doing everything they can to snuff out both the Resistance and the Jedi for good is the ever-powerful First Order, controlled from on-high by the shadowy, monstrous Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis once again in motion-capture form) and enacted by the dutiful, perpetually enraged General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson).

Most satisfying of all is the return of the franchise’s sublime and multi-faceted new villain Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), who is a core executor of the First Order’s plan but whose own pleasingly complex story is explored and expanded in compelling ways.

Fighting against them as part of the Rebellion is the heroic Finn (John Boyega), freshly awoken from a recovery pod after injuries he sustained last time, as well as audacious fighter pilot Poe (Oscar Isaac).

There’s also a fantastic new addition in Rose Tico, a shy yet plucky maintenance engineer played by Kelly Marie Tran, who represents a welcome expansion of diversity in the cast as the series’ first prominent Asian-American actress.

Despite orders from Vice Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern), the no-nonsense and purple-haired deputy to Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher in sadly her last ever role before she died), Finn and co. take it on themselves to complete their own sneaky plan to help the Rebellion escape the clutches of the First Order. This includes, in one of the film’s most fun sequences, a jaunt to the space casino city Canto Bight where they meet the enigmatic, ethically dubious hacker DJ (Benicio del Toro).

Taking the reins from director JJ Abrams is Rian Johnson, known for intricate mysteries like Brick and Looper. While his film is a bit less lofty or less inclined to wear its homage-obsessed heart on its sleeve than The Force Awakens, it shares the same sense of wide-eyed wonder and fascination with the sheer possibilities that this galaxy far, far away holds. Not least this leads to some joyous, inventive spectacle best experienced on the biggest screen possible.

There’s a lot going on here, from the franchise’s signature epic space battles to intimate character development and ponderings over the eternally relevant themes of hope and good vs evil. And yet a couple of minor missteps particularly in the third act aside, it’s combined rather beautifully with a real sense of momentum and purpose to it all that often packs a surprising level of emotional punch.

While it certainly never forgets its roots, it does so in a way that will subvert even uber-fan expectations, taking familiar flavours and combining them into a fresh concoction, entirely unafraid to put its permanent mark on the ongoing narrative in ways that will have you begging to see where it all goes next. Whether caught up in the moment or gazing ahead, The Last Jedi makes it all count.