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It doesn't grab you by the throat and give you a good shake... but neither does it make you slightly embarrassed to be a Star Wars fan. 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' is a classic title, slightly old-fashioned, a little bit mysterious but basically pretty approachable. You don't get the feeling anyone stayed up all night racking their brains for the best title ever – in fact, writer-director Rian Johnson has gone on record saying it was on his very first draft – but neither does it make you squirm, like when 'The Phantom Menace' was announced and everyone wondered if it was going to be a '40s haunted house comedy with Abbott and Costello. There's even a poster to go with it – though that, too, is pretty nuts-and-bolts.
Of course, 'The Last Jedi' throws up loads of questions, but that's part of the fun. When the title was announced the internet immediately exploded with theories that Luke was going to have to die, leaving Rey to be the titular final warrior. What they were overlooking is that the word Jedi works as a plural: 'Rey and Luke are the last Jedi' is a perfectly good sentence. Hell, they could even throw a few more in there (Finn? Leia? A rescued-from-the-dark-side Kylo Ren?) and they could still collectively be 'the last Jedi'.
We know the very basics of the film's plot, or at least how it opens – with Rey still facing Luke on that remote island, ready to begin her training. Said training is set to be interrupted – perhaps by the mysterious Knights of Ren – sending Rey and Luke back to the Resistance, and presumably interrupting Finn and Poe Dameron in the middle of some kind of passionate macho staring contest. Of course, it's entirely possible that Luke might perish in the ensuing melee, but given that they bumped off a major character in the last one – and may well be forced to do so again, if LucasFilm stick to their promise not to bring back Carrie Fisher via CGI – killing Luke as well would just seem cruel.
All will be revealed on December 15, when 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' lands in cinemas. And keep an eye on Time Out Film for trailers, news and gossip as it comes in.
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