Good news, everybody! The reviews for The Last Jedi are in — Rian Johnson’s hotly anticipated new instalment in the massive Star Wars franchise –and folks, they’re really good.

This is a pretty massive achievement, as not only does The Last Jedi have to compete with the original and beloved legacy trilogy, but it must also match the hype from The Force Awakens, which was a critical and box office smash. Plus, nobody wants another Star Wars film relegated to the Phantom Menace pile of ignominy.

So, it’s incredibly exciting that Rian Johnson (director of films like Looper and The Brothers Bloom) has smashed it out of the park with his first foray into a galaxy far, far away.

Why The Critics Loved It

One of the most exciting comparisons being made The Last Jedi is between it and The Empire Strikes Back, which is generally acknowledged as the strongest of the original trilogy, with precisely the right mixture of space drama, hi-jinks and big reveals.

Joshua Yehl – IGN

“By the time The Last Jedi ends, the Star Wars universe feels like it’s been through an entire trilogy’s worth of revelations. That’s why it’s so satisfying to watch: it feels more like a complete story than your typical instalment of Star Wars.

“Writer/director Rian Johnson packs the eighth episode in the Skywalker saga with genuine surprises of all kinds, which all amount to a thrilling, emotional, and funny film that is easily the best Star Wars movie since The Empire Strikes Back.”

I am STUNNED by #StarWars #TheLastJedi. I gasped, I laughed, I screamed, I cried and I had the time of my life. Rian Johnson pulled it off, making what might be the best Star Wars movie ever. pic.twitter.com/0VE5M90dsH

— Joshua Yehl (@JoshuaYehl) December 10, 2017

Ira Madison – The Daily Beast

“The Last Jedi harkens back to what made Star Wars so important in the first place — it’s fun, it’s kind of all over the place, but it’s dripping with emotion and pathos and, most importantly, it tells a hell of a story.”

Matt Singer – ScreenCrush

“Rian Johnson grew up a Star Wars fan. There’s a well-known story about him getting a Millennium Falcon toy as a kid and accidentally breaking it when he tried to make it fly. Watching Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which Johnson wrote and directed, one gets the distinct sense he’s been waiting his whole life to make this movie; to guide these characters, to make the Falcon fly.

The people in Star Wars implore one another to fulfil their destinies. With The Last Jedi, Johnson fulfilled his. Given the opportunity, he made the best Star Wars since The Empire Strikes Back.”

Some Criticism

The reviews are not blindly positive however, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s easy to get swept up in the Star Wars fever and give people false expectations. But it seems that the majority of criticisms come from the length of the film:

Chris Nashawaty – Entertainment Weekly

“I’d stop short of calling director Rian Johnson’s undeniably impressive initiation into the Star Wars fold the masterpiece that some desperately want it to be. The film simply drags too much in the middle. Somewhere in the film’s 152-minute running time is an amazing 90-minute movie.”

Todd McCarthy – The Hollywood Reporter

“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.

It’s Also Funny!

Some of the most exciting praise for The Last Jedi comes from the inclusion of humour in the film. It’s easy to forget that Star Wars has some brilliantly funny moments, and it sounds like this one is no exception.

Mike Ryan – UPROXX

“The Empire Strikes Back and The Last Jedi are both well-made Star Wars movies with a lot of humour, where also some bad things happen to characters we like. In fact, The Last Jedi is so funny at times, I could also see that element being divisive. But people forget how funny the original trilogy actually is. In Empire, Han Solo and C-3PO are basically doing a vaudeville routine.”

#StarWars: The Last Jedi is so beautifully human, populist, funny, and surprising. I cried when one POC heroine got her moment because films like these leave their mark on entire generations — and representation matters

— jen yamato (@jenyamato) December 10, 2017

Justin Chang – The Los Angeles Times

“Those who have seen Johnson’s mind-bending time-travel thriller Looper (2012) — or, for that matter, his insouciantly clever crime capers Brick (2005) and The Brothers Bloom (2008) — know the director takes an old-school delight in pulling the rug out from under his audience.

Frankly, I cannot wait.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is in cinemas from December 14.

–

Via Junkee.