Catch-Up on the Star Wars Universe Before The Last Jedi

Tonight Star Wars: The Last Jedi will premiere in theaters around the world. In case you need a refresher course on how the Star Wars Universe stands before heading into the theater, below is two-part video that catches you up along with some speculation on what the new movie may have in store. These were made and posted before the world premiere last Saturday so no spoilers to worry about unless have not seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens or any of The Last Jedi trailers and TV spots. The video is focused on "recent" events of Star Wars but if want a breakdown of how it all comes together from the end of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi to now using current canon sources of movies, comics, TV show, and video games then i09.com has you covered with their Star Wars Timeline.

Reviews for Star Wars: The Last Jedi Are In

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is just days away from its worldwide release and in the states the reviews are in. In short - they are overwhelmingly positive. They also are specific to point out this mean does not rehash The Empire Strikes Back but paves its own way with a dense story line that is entertaining and moves the Star Wars universe forward. Below are a few highlights and can find more reviews over at Metacritic.

Collider

Although, like The Force Awakens, it takes more than a few beats from the Original Trilogy, [Director Rian] 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 a Star Wars movie 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.

I09

[Director Rian Johnson] instantly creates a tense, engaging tone for the film, because from moment to moment, you truly don’t know what’s going to happen next. Any time things seem to be going one direction, they don’t just zig or zag, they blast off into another dimension entirely. And it happens again and again. ...there are parts of the film that are incredibly weird and almost surreal—moments that seem more fit for an avant-garde movie. But they work too, because the very nature of Star Wars is that anything is possible. From scene to scene Johnson is basically saying, “Look, if we can have talking slugs, laser swords, and lightspeed, why can’t I do this?” And then he does it."

The Verge

It’s surprising how neatly and succinctly Last Jedi wraps up the open-ended stories — there are still plenty of details left to address about the new characters’ pasts, but the film answers the trilogy’s biggest questions to date with a directness that feels blunt and pointed: “You need to move on, and you can’t until you have your answers. So here are those answers.” If Last Jedi is fundamentally meant as a rebirth for the Star Wars series, the way Johnson addresses fan questions is the sharp smack on the ass that’s meant to prompt a baby’s first wailing breath. ...It isn’t just a single-story movie, it’s a kind of wide-ranging, almost soap-operatic check-in on an immense cast of characters up to their own adventures. Johnson doesn’t fully justify all the side adventures, but he does weave them into the larger loss narrative, and into an ongoing attempt for the Resistance to live up to its name, while the evil First Order attempts to wipe it out completely.

Deadline

In addition to brilliant action sequences and state-of-the-art CGI effects, there is strong character development as this chapter continues to pave the way for a new generation of stars to take on the mantle and lift it further into galaxies far far away. This one has it all and then some, and on top of everything else offers a poignant final goodbye to Carrie Fisher, who goes out with a strong presence as the Leia we know and love.

Bleeding Cool

This is a character piece, and the moments of building are subtle and lovely to watch. We see our main heroes each go through new trials and tribulations that help shape the people they will become in future movies — in both good ways and bad. Director/writer Rian Johnson doesn’t just take risks; he does things with this movie that could easily be considered “unsafe” for brand management, and no one at Lucasfilm seems to take issue with it. There is a reason they gave this man his own corner of the Star Wars universe.

The New Worlds of Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is just days away from hitting theaters. Here are two new short videos to promote the movie. The first is a behind the scenes look at some of the new worlds the movie will introduce while the other is very short TV spot.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi World Premiere Videos

Saturday night was the world premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Fortunately below are videos of the red carpet event in Hollywood, CA. The first video is a very short summary while the vid that follows is the entire hour or so event with cast interviews and the like. The movie hits theaters this Thursday night.

Two TV Spots, Training BTS for The Last Jedi

Below is two new TV spots and a brief training behind the scenes video from Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Cast on Jimmy Kimmel

Last week the cast of Star Wars: The Last Jedi appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live to promote the movie. Pretty much no plot or spoiler information was revealed. That is unless count the first word of the movie ("We're") and if you are now pissed then you have taken the definition of "spoiler" to bat-sh$^ crazy levels and I have no sympathy. Below are the links to the various segments from the show.

Kimmel Pitches Star Wars Ideas
Cast Talks About Their Characters
Shooting Final Scene for The Force Awakens
Unnecessary Censorship - Star Wars Edition
Mark Hamill Uses The Force
Cast on Being Part of Star Wars
RIP Failed Droids
Cast Thoughts on Porgs
First Word of the Movie
Kimmel Catches Up with BB-8