It has become a tradition for my family now for the last few years to go see a Star Wars movie around Christmas time. This year was a bit more exciting with Star Wars:The Last Jedi being the eighth installment of the Star Wars franchise. It felt like Christmas came a bit early with The Last Jedi coming out this week. The anticipation was high, the marketing overwhelming and you could hardly take a step without stepping on a Porg. Is all the hype worth it?

I'm going to keep this as spoiler free as posssible so bare with me if I can't describe the movie completely. I went into the movie only seeing the trailers and they were enough to keep me curious and surprised. We start where we left off. The rebels are on the run, Rey (Daisy Ridley) is visiting her hero Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). All I can say is the same thing Luke says in the trailer, "This is not going to go the way you think!"

The trialers show a lot but they don't really show the entire story. The first half of the movie moves a bit at a strange pace as we watch our heroes in different places try to move the story along. I was getting a bit apprehensive that the entire movie would be like this. Then it happenned...the story turned, the action started and people who do great deeds turn into heroes and heroes into legends.

Looking at it now, that's really what The Last Jedi is about, heroes and legends. A hero is someone who sacrafices everything for the greater good. A legend is spoke about in honored tones about how great they were and the hope they represent. But like many people before, it's not always a great thing to meet your heroes, to meet that 'legend' because in most cases, you find out they are just people like you. They have all faults and issues but what made the difference is what they did when they had a choice to make.

Beyond the philosophy of the movie, this quickly become one of my favorite Star Wars films. It is funny, exciting, sad and at times, breathtaking. It is not a perfect film by any means. There are a few characters that seem out of place or we don't really know so it's tough to really feel for them but overall it works. This is how Star Wars flows. Fighting against unbeatable odds (thanks C3PO), our group of heroes find a way to survive and fight another day. It's the dark against the light. It's the choices that we make that can change the course of history. What will you chooose?

As far as the audience reaction - there aren't many movies where the audience will spontaneously start cheering and clapping in the middle of the action. I haven't seen that since Rogue One (2016). It must be something that Star Wars brings out in most of us...the excitement of the moment. There are several 'moments' in The Last Jedi that I'm still digesting and can't wait to see again!

Who steals the show? Whenever Rey and Kylo (Adam Driver) interact, there's hardly anything better. What is better? Luke and Leia back on screen in a Star Wars movie, that's what. Leia is still plays a pivotal role in the movie and steals almost every scene. RIP Carrie Fisher. The combination of them together makes this even more special.

If you don't have tickets already, it's time to go to the movies! I'm sure by next weekend there will be copious amounts of spoilers out on the internet. Go see it before you know too much about this Star Wars installment. It's time to bring the family out and have an incredible time at the movies.

Merry Christmas and may the Force be with you.