Is ‘Last Jedi’ the ‘last’ Star Wars movie?

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” seems to do just that.

Perhaps this was the plan all along, or maybe Carrie Fisher’s untimely death caused the filmmakers to restructure the storyline.

Of all eight episodes so far, “Jedi” is the most competent, most complete movie. Directed by Rian Johnson (“Looper”), he gathers together the usual elements of the Star Wars intellectual property, juggles multiple storylines, builds on the goodwill resurrected by its predecessor, “The Force Awakens” and doesn’t leave viewers hanging at the end with a cliffhanger.

The main focus of “Last Jedi” continues the Skywalker saga, with Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) as the current Shakespearean tragic hero of the lineage. His main foil in the proceedings is Rey (Daisy Ridley), whose background we still do not know, although hinted at during the previous installment.

Meanwhile, the depleted Rebel Forces continue to be hunted down by the hegemonic, evil empire known as the First Order. Hotshot pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaacs) does his best to make things difficult for his pursuers, but a grim end seems inevitable. Finn (John Boyega) and newcomer Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) go all-in on a dangerous mission to help their group escape.

This new generation of young characters Kylo, Rey, Poe, Finn and Rose is surrounded by the old guard, the familiar faces of Luke, Leia, Chewbacca, the droids and a handful of other characters, ships and weapons that first made a massive stamp on pop culture in 1977.

While “The Last Jedi” is not the shameless greatest hits replay of old tropes that was Episode VII (in that review I joked that it was an attack of the clone movie), there are still plenty of echoes of past glory. It’s high time the filmmakers moved on to some new ideas.

Fortunately the movie concludes with a hard stop, rather than a pause or setup for the next chapter. While there remain a few seeds for the ninth and final movie coming in 2019, they could germinate in many directions or simply remain dormant forever, allowing the producers to move into different directions for the franchise.

Is it possible? Is it even what audiences want?

Rian Johnson was an excellent choice to direct. Ship to ship battle in space and on the ground are up to all standards of good sci-fi. Plus, the chase sequences are exhilarating. But the real action standout in “Last Jedi” is the lightsaber combat where Johnson takes it to full kung fu mode (ala Samurai movies or more recently, “Kill Bill”).

Let’s not automatically assume that Johnson’s assured command of the action sequences precludes an amazingly deft touch at managing intimate character-driven scenes. He knows how to dig up poignancy and drama from the interactions and the spaces between the lines.

The script and acting performances are superb, especially the injections of humor spread generously throughout the 152 minute running time.

The pacing is steady, and the movie does not rush from one set piece to the next like most movies that have nine-figure budgets. It takes its time to develop the plot and the characters and as mentioned before, it has a real ending.

It’s no surprise, Johnson was recently granted his own Star Wars offshoot trilogy to develop. He earned it with this effort. Next up, J.J. Abrams returns to the franchise to direct the ninth and real final chapter. Hopefully, he and the producers continue the handing off of the baton/lightsaber from old generation to new.