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.