“I can’t wait until I can actually talk to you about this movie,” The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson told the audience at the top of a preview screening of his seismic entry into the Star Wars canon, a feeling I share embarking on a review of a movie so highly anticipated that to even disclose what a Rebel Alliance lieutenant eats for breakfast in the canteen would be to stray into spoiler territory.

Plot dissection will have to be saved for another day (and boy is there a ton of it to be done in this densely-packed film), but I can reassure you this: The Last Jedi makes up for The Force Awakens‘ shortcomings.

Landing the middle film in a Star Wars trilogy is a directorial dream, really. Unburdened with establishing core characters and goals nor pulling together plot strands and paying them all off, the director can take the narrative for a walk, meandering into new realms and trying out more risky stuff. This is exactly what Johnson does, in a 152-minute film that in a lot of ways throws out the one that came before it (quite literally at one point, in a visual metaphor early on that gets a big laugh from the audience).

The Force Awakens was loved for the most part, and it was hard not to. JJ Abrams’s saga revival had heart and a palpable affection for the story it was reigniting after so many years. But it was perhaps too nostalgic, trading on your love for old Star Wars characters, vehicles, music and tropes, like a child holding up its toys to show you. It needed a follow-up that pushed not only the saga’s narrative forward but its universe, showing the kind of creativity and pop surrealism that made George Lucas’s original trilogy so captivating to begin with.

(Disney/Lucasfilm)

Johnson jumped at this opportunity. In fact, he force-blasted the opportunity to the other side of the film stage. There is a pleasing feeling of “where to begin?” coming out of the cinema for one of those dazed, so-what-did-you think discussions. There are new aliens and areas aplenty, and the movie zings with fresh ideas. There is one new city in particular – wisely withheld from the trailers as a surprise – that is just bonkers, functioning like if the infamous cantina scene from the A New Hope was afforded the opulence of a second-act Bond location. The reasons for main characters to be in this place is incredibly shaky, feeling almost like an optional side-quest in a video game, and you can tell Johnson (who also wrote the script) was determined to find a narrative excuse for them to be there, but you won’t care – it’s just a fun place to be as a viewer.

That’s probably a good frame of mind to go into this movie in, actually, as one of the criticisms will be that many of the plot devices feel clunky – just excuses for cool scenes. Hardcore fans will spend the two years leading up to the next saga instalment picking apart plot holes, scrutinising chronology and assessing whether such-and-such strategy was really a smart move for the Rebels or First Order. You, dear reader and potential ticket buyer, are more than welcome to be That Guy too, but I would take this fast-paced, dizzying feast of a movie over a bunch of Rebel commanders authentically holding week-long talks and ultimately deciding that no action is the best course of action any day.

(Disney/Lucasfilm)

The Last Jedi is also very funny – the funniest Star Wars film to date for sure – showing a self-aware, even self-deprecating humour for the first time in saga history, which is necessary when it’s trying to do things like make you believe the First Order would ever work as a legitimate enterprise. Crucially, it doesn’t come across as forced, a trap so many comic books adaptations have fallen into recently after seeing that “hey, humour worked for that one other film so let’s try and shoehorn it in”.

This is not to say that it’s a light-hearted film, though. The joke count may have increased but so has the amount of time characters spend staring down the barrel of their own mortality, and there’s a brutal quality to the way the fight scenes are shot that reminds you this film was made by a guy who directed a few (action-heavy) episodes of Breaking Bad. The visuals are stunning and so is the fight-scene choreography – whether it’s lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat or a hive of X-Wings taking on a Dreadnought cruiser – which is inventive and often breathtaking.

The cast all handle themselves as consummately as you’d expect given the eye-watering check they’re no doubt collecting, with Adam Driver throwing everything he has at the role – the man just soaked in rage and conflict-derived sweat the entire movie – and Mark Hamill providing, perhaps unexpectedly, its heart and soul. Supreme Leader Snoke, one of my least favourite The Force Awakens additions, is less frustratingly nebulous this time around, feeling more like a proper Star Wars villain, and General Leia has a couple of scenes that are quite moving in light of Carrie Fisher’s death.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Show all 46 1 /46 Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Here we are, the new Star Wars trailer! Kicking things off is Kylo Ren looking over something being built by the First Order. Look closely and you can just about spot some AT-STs lurking around. Over the top we hear Snoke: “When I found you… Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Some of the new-look AT-ATs, now known as AT-M6. Seeing as the original initials stood for “All Terrain Armoured Transport”, these new beasts known as the “All Terrain MegaCaliber Six”. Not quite as catchy but sure to sell a few more toys. Above them is Kylo’s Upsilon-class command shuttle. Anyway, we’re on Crait, a mineral planet which once housed the Rebel Alliance base during the Galactic Civil War. We later see Leia here, the General having decided to bring the Resistance to the planet. We’re sure to see a large battle here, perhaps like the opening of Empire Strikes Back? Snoke, who we presume is talking about Kylo, continues: “I saw raw… Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown “Untamed power.” Snoke’s grizzled voice echoes out as Kylo marches into battle. Thanks to the red, we presume the villain is still on Crait. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown “… and beyond that…” Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown “…something truly special” Where exactly this shot fits into the timeline remains unclear. We’re also not sure where this ominous red-room is. Twin Peaks? More likely Snoke’s throne room, considering there are two of his Elite Praetorian Guards behind the lightsaber. Seeing as Snoke’s talking about why he chose Kylo as an apprentice, could this be a flashback? Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Just as Snoke finishes saying “special” we suddenly cut to Rey on Ahch-To, wielding Luke’s weapon. Could Snoke have actually been speaking to her? Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown The handing of the baton. Turns out Luke did take the lightsaber at the end of The Force Awakens! Rey says: “Something inside of me has always been there…” Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Luke’s in unhappy shock. Angry? Annoyed? What Luke?!?! Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Rey approaches a haunted looking tree. Now, we’ve actually seen this before, but not on film. During Marvel’s tie-in comic called Shattered Empire — which takes place moments after Return of the Jedi — we see Poe Dameron’s mother rescue a Force-sensitive tree. She takes one part of the tree while Luke takes the other. Turns out, that tree has something of a big part to play. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown “…but not it’s awake.” The Force has truly awoken inside of Rey, after being hidden there for some time. Inside the tree, we see a book, possibly the Journal of the Whills. Originally created by George Lucas as a plot device, the journal was intended to contain all of the Jedi adventures. Come the novelisation of The Force Awakens and the journal was made canon. The question is, what’s Luke doing with it? Learning about the ways of the Jedi? Has Luke decided their should be no Jedi because whenever the Jedi exist, so do the Sith? Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Some stunning shots of Rey trailing on Ahch-To. Rey continues: “… and I need help.” Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Cinematographer Steve Yedlin, who previously worked with Rian Johnson on Looper, has done a amazing job. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Luke looks highly concerned as Rey begins tearing apart the island with the Force. Again, another similarity to Empire: we’re seeing Luke fulfil the Yoda role, training Rey. However, this time, there’s fear in Luke’s heart. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Another great shot, previously seen in the first trailer, showing off Rey’s strength. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown “I’ve seen this raw strength only once before…” Luke is completely shaken by Rey’s strength. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown “…It didn’t scare me enough then…” An extended version of the flashback seen during The Force Awakens when Rey touches the lightsaber for the first time. Luke’s seen Kylo Ren, then Ben Solo, destroy an entire Jedi order before. Seeing someone with those abilities once more can only mean something bad’s going to happen. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown “…It does now.” Another scene from the flashback. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Just to make sure we know who Luke’s referring to, a shot of Kylo Ren looking very Darth Vader. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown A new look at Kylo’s scare, caused by Rey during Episode VII’s final battle. “Let the past diem” the messed up young man says while smashing a wall. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Kylo’s flying off into battle. Could he be aiming to literally kill the past off and murder another parent? Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown The kid obviously has his grandfather’s piloting skills. He’s driving the newly tweaked TIE silencer towards Leia’s main ship. Has the battle on Crait already happened and they’ve had to leave? Or have they landed on the planet because of the aerial attack? We hear Kylo say “Kill it if you have to”, aimed at his mother? Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown A few shots of the late Carrie Fisher as Leia. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown From the intertwining shots of Leia and Kylo, there’s a connection between the two, perhaps even some sort of communication? Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown “That’s the only way you will become what you meant to be,” says Kylo as his ship locks onto, then fires, at Leia. The General can’t die, surely? They wouldn’t spoil that in the trailer? The question here, really, is who is Kylo talking to? Presumably, considering the final moments of the trailer, Rey. By saying “kill the past”, can we assume Kylo’s telling Rey to kill her new mentor and join the Dark side? Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Here comes the Millenium Falcon. Are we on Crait once more? Has Chewy gone to help the Resistance? Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Ah, the Porgs. The most GIFable moment from the trailer. Toy shops are stocking up now as these are bound to become best sellers. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Poe Dameron’s back and under fire. He looks almost surprised at the attack. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown We have to assume he’s heading out to meet Kylo and defend General Leia from the oncoming attack. “We have a spark, that will light the fire, that will burn the First Order down,” says Poe. What’s the spark, though? Defeating someone in battle? Finding Luke? Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Meanwhile, Captain Phasma’s also back… Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown And battling Finn. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown These shots are amazing. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Wow. Hopefully Phasma will actually have something interesting to do this time around. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown BB-8! But the guy has been hit. Poor BB-8. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Luke looks terrified once more, as if struck down by someone. Has Rey turned on the mentor? Or has Kylo arrived and beaten Luke? We’re still on Ach-To, so can we presume Kylo finds a way to find the Skywalker(s)? “This is not going to go the way you think,” the fallen Jedi says. Referring to Rey or Kylo? Likely the latter, who turned to the dark side, but who knows. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Another new creature, sure to sell a few toys. Back on Criat again. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Big door, mysterious character. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown It’s Leia, looking remarkably sad. Has Kylo finally come for her? She looks like an upset mother, for sure. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Rey’s let her hair down, styling her new Jedi look. She seems to be chasing Luke as he runs away. Or perhaps just more training. Or running away from Kylo? We have a lot of questions… Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown A shot of Finn, captured by the First Order. What fate awaits the former Storm Trooper? Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Another look at the First Order, looking ready to great a powerful figure, likely Snoke. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown The battle of Crait will surely be another brilliant Star Wars set piece. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Now, here’s something really interesting: a first look at Supreme Leader Snoke, who is nether a giant nor a hologram. The character is even wearing a golden outfit. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown What’s this! He’s torturing Rey! Has she been captured by Kylo?! Does that mean Luke has fallen?! “Fulfil your destiny,” the Dark Lord says, likely trying to persuade Rey to accept her fate as a powerful warrior for evil, rather than good. Will she turn to the Dark side?! Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Rey: “I need someone to show me my place in all this.” Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Kylo. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown An outstretched hand. Kylo asking Rey to join the evil cause? Are we going to see Rey turn evil? Or perhaps become the first Grey Jedi, one who balances good and evil? Whatever the case, we’re hugely excited for the film, which touches down 15 December.

The newcomers, however, feel somewhat surplus, in particular Benicio Del Toro, whose character, with so much already going on the film, it might have been wiser to have just left out. Jettisoned in for about 20 minutes, he doesn’t make a lot of sense in a way that surpasses even my high tolerance for nonsense-making in these kinds of movies.

If The Force Awakens was an homage and Rogue One (a complete waste of time, in my opinion) was a bonus chapter, The Last Jedi is definitely a new proposition. Between getting about as philosophical as its possible to in a kids film about the nature of the Force and examining the notion of the hero and the crises of masculinity tied in to this, it wants to break the idea of Star Wars apart, inspect it and then put it back together in a different and more nuanced way. In this sense, it’s easy to see why Disney has entrusted Johnson with developing an entire new trilogy.

Sure, The Last Jedi can occasionally be too goofy or free-roaming for its own good, but it’s an impossible film to sit in front of and not have a good time.