The review embargo forStar Wars: The Last Jedihas officially been lifted by Lucasfilm and much like the early fan reactions on social media, the criticfirst impressions have been overwhelmingly positive. The reviews mentioned ahead are spoiler free, but if you intend on going in completely blind, you may want to avoid reading any further. Rian Johnson’sThe Last Jediis a sequel to J.J. Abrams’The Force Awakensand the story begins right where the last movie left off and sets the groundwork for Abrams' upcomingEpisode IX.
Movieweb’s own Julian Roman praisedThe Last Jedi, declaring that it “shatters” fan theories and leaves us in a remarkable place. Roman also indicates that there’s a lot to take in for the first viewing, insinuating that repeat viewings may be in order. He had this to say.
“What you’ve pontificated, argued, and theorized about, is going to be shattered utterly. Rian Johnson takes the fabled lore from a galaxy far away into uncharted territory. He will have you spellbound. It’s a lot to comprehend at first blush, and there are a few down beats.”
Roman also went on to say that the movie “cuts no corners” in its storytelling, allowing a more complex narrative to shine. These thoughts are echoed in the majority of the early reviews forThe Last Jedi.
Collider’s Matt Goldberg spoke about J.J. Abrams’The Force Awakenswalking familiar ground from the originalStar Warstrilogy and went on to reveal that Rian Johnson went out of his way to avoid those pitfalls. Goldberg talks about the strengths, but also sees some weakness in the pacing. He explains.
“Although, likeThe Force Awakens, it takes more than a few beats from the Original Trilogy, Johnson feels eager to subvert our expectations, challenge the archetypes the series was founded on, and take bold steps to establishing a new concept of what aStar Warsmovie can be while still feeling very much in line with previous films in the franchise. Although the movie suffers from a few pacing issues, they ultimately don’t detract from the film’s stunning craft and confident storytelling.”
There’s a lot of ground to cover inThe Last Jedi, so it makes sense that there could be some pacing issues. Many find that the pacing and length of the movie are blamed on loose ends that were not explained inThe Force Awakens.
Indie Wire’s Eric Kohn raves thatThe Last Jediis the bestStar Warsmovie sinceThe Empire Strikes Back, which has been reiterated in other reviews as well as the early fan reaction. Many thought that the movie was going to borrow a lot fromEmpire, but that does not seem to be the case at all. If anything,The Last Jedishares some darker tones, but nothing in the story is a direct link. Kohn had this to say.
“Under the fastidious guidance of writer-director Johnson,The Force Awakensturns the commercial restrictions of this behemoth into a Trojan horse for rapid-fire filmmaking trickery and narrative finesse. The result is the most satisfying entry in this bumpy franchise sinceThe Empire Strikes Backin 1980.”
Ira Madison III from the Daily Beast also praisedThe Last Jedi, noting that she loved the Canto Bight scenes, which have come under fire from other critics. The Wrap’s Alonso Duralde also compared the movie toEmpirewhile also calling it a lot of fun. He explains.
“If having purefun at a Star Wars movie is wrong, I don’t want to be right. So for me,The Last Jedifalls right behindThe Empire Strikes Backand maybe the original film in providing the thrills and the heartbreak, the heroism and villainy, and the romance and betrayal that makes these films such a treat even for those of us who can’t name all the planets or the alien species or even the Empire’s flunkies. (Sorry, the First Order’s flunkies.) And make no mistake: This is an entertaining chapter, but it also features loss and sacrifice and devastating consequences.”
All in all,Star Wars: The Last Jediis receiving high praise and is even setting up anOscar campaignfor Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridely, but will it be able to live up to the expectations of the hardcore fans? That’s the real question, but it looks like it is, at the very least,a step in the right direction. Lucasfilm didn’t just hand over the reins to Rian Johnson for his own trilogy for nothing. You can read more reviews forThe Last JediviaCollider’s Twitteraccount.
