Skip to main content
Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Crimson Desert
  • Pokopia
  • Arc Raiders
  • The Boys S5
  • Starfield
  • Submit your clips. Win prizes
Don't miss these
Mario riding Yoshi through space with Luigi and Peach flying along beside him
Animated Movies The Super Mario Galaxy Movie review: "Never quite reaches Galaxy's gravity-defying game heights"
A hand holds a Star Wars lightsaber hilt
Toys & Collectibles I went hands on with a new Star Wars lightsaber replica unlike any other I've seen
Rey in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Star Wars Movies Every new Star Wars movie and TV show currently in the works
Harry Potter
Fantasy Movies The best Harry Potter movies ranked from worst to wand-erful
Daisy Ridley as Rey in The Force Awakens
Star Wars Movies BB-8 puppeteer says the Star Wars sequels are "no more polarizing than the prequels were"
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams in Wonder Man.
Superhero Shows Wonder Man review: "A low-key gem that's up there with the MCU's best"
Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace in Project Hail Mary
Sci-Fi Movies Project Hail Mary review: "Large scale sci-fi with tons of heart"
The Lion King is undoubtedly one of the best movies on Disney Plus
Movies The 30 best movies on Disney Plus to watch right now
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor new screenshots featuring Cal Kestis and BD-1
Action Games The 10 best Star Wars games to play in 2026
Lego Star Wars The Dark Falcon (75389) 3/4 angle (front) with Minifigures
Toys & Collectibles Lego Star Wars The Dark Falcon (75389) review
Sam Witwer as Darth Maul in Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord
Star Wars TV Shows New Maul – Shadow Lord clip proves that Star Wars music doesn't get better than Duel of the Fates
Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy Emily Rudd as Nami and Jacob Romero as Usopp standing on the deck of the Merry in One Piece season 2
Netflix One Piece season 2 review: "It's hard to imagine a better version of One Piece in live action"
Ghostface in Scream 7
Horror Movies Scream 7 review: "Never as sharp as the series' best, but still has a few neat tricks up its billowing sleeve"
Someone wearing a Star Wars Jedi Temple Guard Mask against a star-filled background, with industrial features visible behind
Toys & Collectibles We're finally getting a Jedi Temple Guard mask replica this Star Wars day, and it's about time
How to watch the Star Wars movies in order
Star Wars Movies How to watch the Star Wars movies in order (release and chronological)
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies
  3. Sci-Fi Movies
  4. Star Wars Movies
  5. Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Star Wars: The Last Jedi review: "An excellent middle chapter bursting with wit, wisdom, and emotion"

Reviews
By Jamie Graham published 12 December 2017

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

GamesRadar+ Verdict

An excellent middle chapter bursting with wit, wisdom, emotion, shocks, old-fashioned derring-do, state-of-the-art tech, and stonking set-pieces.

Disney+
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
$6.99
/mth
View
at Disney+

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

Warning: This review includes minor spoilers so if you don’t want to know anything about the plot before you see it, go away now or watch the review video below instead which is spoiler-free!

What the hell has happened to Luke Skywalker? That was the question that haunted all two-hours-and-16-minutes of Star Wars: Episode 7 – The Force Awakens, and never more so than in the last couple of minutes, when Luke (Mark Hamill) finally pitched up on the far-flung oceanic planet of Ahch-To not as the self-assured, optimistic Jedi Knight we left partying on Endor at the close of Return of the Jedi, but as a grey-bearded monk who’s retreated from the world(s). Eyes hooded and haunted, face as craggy as the cliff beneath his feet, he turned to suspiciously eye new heroine Rey (Daisy Ridley) as she offered the thrilling invitation – to viewers, if not to him – of once more clutching his lightsaber.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the eighth canonical episode in the saga, is the first to continue right from where its predecessor left off. But before we get to the little matter of whether Luke accepts or rejects Rey’s offer, we first see General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) lead the First Order in an attack on a secret base that harbours General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) and the last of the Resistance. 

You may like
  • Rian Johnson at the Poker Face season 2 premiere The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson denies being "spooked" by angry Star Wars fans: "lol"
  • Star Wars timeline: a screenshot of The Empire Strikes Back. Star Wars timeline: Every major event in chronological order
  • Lego Star Wars The Dark Falcon (75389) 3/4 angle (front) with Minifigures Lego Star Wars The Dark Falcon (75389) review

Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and BB-8 take the fight straight back to Hux, piloting an X-Wing at a Dreadnaught cruiser to neutralise its surface cannons. They return to base just as Stormtrooper-turned-Resistance fighter Finn (John Boyega) awakens from the coma that claimed him at the end of Episode 7. “Where’s Rey?” he asks.

Read More

12 questions I have after watching Star Wars: The Last Jedi

And so it’s back to Ahch-To, where Rey is determined to tag everyone’s favourite Jedi Master back into the galactic wrestling match, or to at least twist his robot arm into training her in the ways of the Force, as Yoda once trained him. All she knows of said Force is “It’s a power that lets you control people and makes things float,” so she sure needs a little mentoring – and besides, as she succinctly puts it, “I’ve seen your daily routine and you’re not busy.”

Meanwhile, Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) is no longer hiding behind a giant hologram but instead seated in a starkly modernist chamber painted a strikingly fascistic shade of red, scolding Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) for losing his Starkiller Base lightsaber duel to Rey. “You’re just a child in a mask,” he snarls, fixing his apprentice with wonky eyes as the crevasse in his forehead twists in a furious frown. Kylo must win back Snoke’s trust, and killing Rey, his ex-mentor Luke, and every last Resistance fighter is the way to do it.

This is all just the first 30 minutes of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and is actually the slowest part of the movie. The next two hours zip by like the Millennium Falcon acing the Kessel Run, as writer/director Rian Johnson – something of a Padawan when it comes to films of this scale, having previously made Brick, The Brothers Bloom, and Looper – crosscuts between sub-plots like a magician executing an immaculate riffle-shuffle. 

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Everyone’s favourites have key parts to play, with the aforementioned characters joined by Chewie (Joonas Suotamo), BB-8, R2-D2, C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and, with more impact this time, Stormtrooper commander Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie). Hell, even pirate queen Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong’o) rocks up… as do a host of famous fans and guest stars, but we’ll leave you to discover those ones for yourselves.

The new characters, meanwhile, are attention-grabbers – and we don’t just mean the cute Porgs (mercifully not overused), crystal foxes, and a veritable menagerie of creatures and droids. Best of the bunch is Leia’s right-hand woman Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo (Laura Dern, giving the galaxy a shock of purple hair and its sharpest cheekbones since Peter Cushing’s Grand Moff Tarkin), whose tactics to keep the Resistance out of the First Order’s iron fist are not to the liking of Poe, whom she labels “a trigger-happy flyboy”. 

Maintenance worker Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) teams up with Finn to undertake a death-defying mission that recalls a cheeky operation conducted by Luke and Han in Episode 4. And helping, or perhaps hindering, them is ace hacker DJ (Benicio Del Toro), a conniving chancer they track down on the casino planet of Canto Bight (think Star Wars’ cantina writ large and spliced with a scene of a tuxedoed Bond seated at the tables).

You may like
  • Rian Johnson at the Poker Face season 2 premiere The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson denies being "spooked" by angry Star Wars fans: "lol"
  • Star Wars timeline: a screenshot of The Empire Strikes Back. Star Wars timeline: Every major event in chronological order
  • Lego Star Wars The Dark Falcon (75389) 3/4 angle (front) with Minifigures Lego Star Wars The Dark Falcon (75389) review

Johnson, as we know from all three of his previous movies, is a master of misdirection, oh-so dexterous when it comes to sleight-of-hand storytelling full of breakneck twists and hairpin turns. The Last Jedi is no different, packed with subterfuge and shocks. If J.J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens was exactly what everyone needed after George Lucas’ plastic prequels – a glorious love letter to the original trilogy that dotted every ‘I’ and crossed every ‘T’ in a familiar hand – then The Last Jedi, though every inch a Star Wars movie, propels the saga forward in unexpected ways. 

It’s not so much darker, à la The Empire Strikes Back, for it’s the funniest Star Wars film by far, and Johnson was vocal about wishing to avoid “heaviosity”. But it is deeper, delving into the nature of the Force and what it means to be a Jedi, a religion that is thousands of generations old, and concentrating intently on themes of family, myth, identity, treachery, loyalty, and sacrifice.

Read More

Star Wars: The Last Jedi review round-up - what the critics are saying

There are astonishing set-pieces, including at least three up-there-with-the-best ‘saber duels (one has more than a hint of Kill Bill’s House of Blue Leaves rip-roaring carnage) and the climactic battle, glimpsed in the trailer, which hurls TIE fighters, the Millennium Falcon, AT-M6s (the new AT-ATs) and more at each other over a desert-scape that churns up the red stain of violence. But the real drama is in the faces, as Johnson locks in his unwavering close-ups to explore the cloudy planets of Luke’s eyes, the glimmering lakes of Rey and Kylo’s tears. 

Who are Rey’s parents? Will Kylo walk into the light, or Rey be swallowed by darkness? And what really happened when Ben Solo spurned Luke’s tutelage and fled to Snoke? This last is revisited several times from different perspectives – surely a nod to Akira Kurosawa’s truth-prodding Rashomon, just as Lucas took so much of his iconography, wipe-and-swipe edits (again in evidence here) and the relationship between C-3PO and R2-D2, from the Japanese master.

But the final word must go to Leia, to whom the film is movingly dedicated. Carrie Fisher here gives a performance of tremendous dignity, wisdom, and love, and is awarded at least three scenes that serve as a fitting goodbye to the fans’ Princess. Her journey from princess to senator to rebel to general of the Resistance is now done and, in a movie that discusses myth-making and the differences between a legend and a relatable, everyday person with hopes and dreams, weaknesses and tenacity, she proves again that she is both. The Force is with her.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi deals
Disney+
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
$6.99
/mth
View
at Disney+
CATEGORIES
Disney Plus Streaming Services
Jamie Graham
Jamie Graham
Social Links Navigation
Freelance Writer

Jamie Graham is a freelance writer and former Editor-at-Large of Total Film magazine. You'll likely find them around these parts reviewing the biggest films on the planet and speaking to some of the biggest stars in the business – that's just what Jamie does. Jamie has also written for outlets like SFX and the Sunday Times Culture, and appeared on podcasts exploring the wondrous worlds of occult and horror.

Read more
Rian Johnson at the Poker Face season 2 premiere
Sci-Fi Movies The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson denies being "spooked" by angry Star Wars fans: "lol"
 
 
Star Wars timeline: a screenshot of The Empire Strikes Back.
Star Wars Movies Star Wars timeline: Every major event in chronological order
 
 
Lego Star Wars The Dark Falcon (75389) 3/4 angle (front) with Minifigures
Toys & Collectibles Lego Star Wars The Dark Falcon (75389) review
 
 
Mark Hamill in Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Star Wars Movies Kathleen Kennedy thinks Rian Johnson "made one of the best Star Wars movies" but got "spooked" by "online negativity"
 
 
Rey in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Star Wars Movies Every new Star Wars movie and TV show currently in the works
 
 
How to watch the Star Wars movies in order
Star Wars Movies How to watch the Star Wars movies in order (release and chronological)
 
 
Latest in Star Wars Movies
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Star Wars Movies Lord and Miller seemingly confirm they were signed on for more than one Han Solo Star Wars movie
 
 
Daisy Ridley as Rey in The Force Awakens
Star Wars Movies BB-8 puppeteer says the Star Wars sequels are "no more polarizing than the prequels were"
 
 
John Boyega in Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Star Wars Movies John Boyega says he's spoken to Lucasfilm president Dave Filoni about coming back to Star Wars
 
 
Ryan Gosling and Flynn Gray in Star Wars: Starfighter
Star Wars Movies Tom Cruise interrupted filming on Star Wars: Starfighter by landing his helicopter on set
 
 
Luke Skywalker using his lightsaber to deflect a blaster shot from Boba Fett
Marvel Comics Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge gets a tie-in comic that sets up the new story of the Disney attraction
 
 
Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin unmasked in The Mandalorian and Grogu
Star Wars Movies The Mandalorian and Grogu runtime may have been revealed by a UK theater chain listing, but take it with a pinch of salt
 
 
Latest in Reviews
Anycubic Photon P1 sat on a wooden table
Hardware If you want to try printing D&D models or wargame miniatures, this 3D printer feels almost foolproof
 
 
Mario riding Yoshi through space with Luigi and Peach flying along beside him
Animated Movies The Super Mario Galaxy Movie review: "Never quite reaches Galaxy's gravity-defying game heights"
 
 
MSI Cyborg gaming laptop on a wooden desk with blue backlighting
Laptops Bargain hunters will know the MSI Cyborg well but are its sacrifices worth it?
 
 
Key art for Life is Strange: Reunion showing Max and Chloe standing together looking serious as Max reaches out her hand to use her time powers - the background is Caledon University in fall, overlaid with a polaroid photograph of it in flames
Adventure Games Life is Strange: Reunion review: "Confused storytelling dilutes the joy of Chloe and rewind's return"
 
 
Asus ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless
Gaming Keyboards The Asus ROG Strix Morph 96 wants to be fully disassembled, but with the way it runs right out the box I'm not sure you'll need to
 
 
Key art for Darwin's Paradox showing blue octopus Darwin leaping out of the ocean, pursued by flying saucers and an angry seagull
Platforming Games Darwin's Paradox review: "This octopus adventure feels gleefully XBLA-core, which is both a strength and a weakness"
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Slay the Spire 2 classes
    1
    Slay the Spire 2 dev teases 3 new modes: something "very competitive," one for players who don't "have the time" for "the Slay the Spire experience," and a new multiplayer setting
  2. 2
    Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord is officially renewed for season 2 before season 1 has even premiered
  3. 3
    Slay the Spire 2 devs were caught off guard by 13,000 negative Steam review spike: "It was much more extreme than any previous types of negative feedback"
  4. 4
    Pokemon Pokopia speedruns are already a thing, and they somehow don't use the cozy life sim's fastest ability
  5. 5
    Final Fantasy 14 lifts restrictions on gifting after 4 years, allowing players to give other fans of the MMO single-character mounts, minions, and more: "Finally"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...