The most anticipated movie of the year is very nearly here. Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens on Friday, but the reviews from critics have just landed online. What does everybody think of the latest entry in the saga? The general consensus seems to be that the movie is good, possibly even great. However, there are a few issues that made it a less than perfect experience for some. However, CinemaBlend's Eric Eisenberg was not of those people. He gave the movie 4.5 stars and says that the film should be applauded for taking risks. From his review...
Star Wars: The Last Jedi, however, does not play it safe. Not only are there no direct comparisons to make between it and any other story in the franchise, but the way it leaves things even prevents future chapters from trying to go back to that route. It's a game-changer for the series as a whole, and an immensely impressive one at that.
It's a glowing review to say the least and the sentiment here is shared by many others. The review on Vox compares the film to a symphony. It's not perfect, with some parts of the music getting a little slow, but overall, it seems to be everything you dreamed of.
[I]f The Force Awakens was a great variation on a theme, then The Last Jedi is another movement altogether in the symphony. There are images in this movie that provoke awe and delight, and creatures that feel lifted out of half-remembered childhood dreams. And though it briefly appears to lose steam in the middle, that's short-lived, with a third act harboring sequences that feel like a maestro conducting a concerto the size of the cosmos.
Still, not every review is quite so glowing. Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times liked the movie well enough, though he doesn't think it has quite the same emotional resonance of the last film, those looking for action and humor will almost certainly enjoy themselves.
Although it doesn't pack quite the same emotional punch and it lags a bit in the second half, this is still a worthy chapter in the Star Wars franchise, popping with exciting action sequences, sprinkled with good humor and containing more than a few nifty "callbacks" to previous characters and iconic moments.
However, along with rousing cheers, there are also those that just didn't find as much to love in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The Hollywood Reporter isn't entirely down on the film, but does end their review on a low note.
Maybe the film is a tad too long. Most of the new characters could use more heft, purpose and edge to their personalities, and they have a tendency to turn up hither and yon without much of a clue how they got there; drawing a geographical map of their movements would create an impenetrable network of lines.
Variety strikes a similar note, saying that while the film is certainly entertaining, it is, in the end, a letdown.
As it turns out, although The Last Jedi meets a relatively high standard for franchise filmmaking, Johnson's effort is ultimately a disappointment.
If there's a way to sum up all the reviews together, it would seem that Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a movie that does some things very differently. It succeeds in some of the chances it takes, while maybe failing in others. The difference seems to be in how the audience will react to those issues. If they don't bother you, you may be in for an epic Star Wars experience, though if they do you may not love what you see in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
