‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Wins AARP’s Best Movie For Grownups Award

The Star Wars saga has always brought joy to audiences of all ages, from the young to the young at heart. The latest chapter in the series, The Last Jedi, recently earned the distinction of Best Picture at the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards.

According to the outlet, “For 40 years, Star Wars has been the movie of our generations — the generations 50 and older — and The Last Jedi is the episode that honors them all. In an industry that’s too often preoccupied with youth, the film respects the past, taking us back to fond memories — yet it is also of the moment, innovative, vital and in touch with a vast public. And speaking of touch, Mark Hamill has just the right one as an older and wiser Luke Skywalker. In Jedi, the actor and his character passed the baton to a new generation. Hamill and costar Kelly Marie Tran presented director Rian Johnson with our top film award.”

“One of the things I like about the films is the intergenerational aspect,” Mark Hamill shared while presenting the awards. “Children that were fans of the original films are grown now and sharing them with their children and even their grandchildren. It’s amazing to me. I never get tired of people who come up to me and relate stories. It’s become such a fabric of pop culture and they say, ‘You helped me get through my mother’s illness’ or ‘I met my wife through the original and by the third sequel we had children named Luke and Leia.’ You visit hospitals and it’s so moving. A child told me. ‘I’m not afraid they’re going to amputate my arm because Luke lost his hand and Luke’s a hero.’”

Kelly Marie Tran, who made her Star Wars debut in the recent chapter, also shared her admiration for the filmmaker and the saga.

“During production I had the privilege of having to explore and walk around sets and different departments and what surprised me the most was probably the fact that everybody was just as in awe as I was,” Tran expressed. “It’s incredible to me how much these characters mean so much to people across different backgrounds and cultures and ages.”

The awards are distributed to “standout films with unique appeal to movie lovers with a grown-up state of mind and recognizing the inspiring artists who make them.”

The Shape of Water, Get Out and The Florida Project also earned awards.

The Last Jedi is in theaters now.

[H/T AARP]