This week the cinematic world stops in its tracks, with the arrival of director Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Fans are going ballistic the world over, and the stakes could not be higher.
The first reviews have arrived and the response from critics has been overwhelmingly positive. Like, ‘throw your undies at the big screen’ type positive.
We’ve searched the net and found quotes from the best reviews. Because these are quotes about the film, rather than descriptions of the plot, there be no spoilers.
We also have all the session times for Star Wars: The Last Jedi across Australia. For non-3D screenings go here, and for 3D ones go here. And now, without further ado…
Robbie Collin, The Telegraph: ‘Star Wars as you’ve never felt it’
“The Last Jedi mounts some genuinely startling narrative twists and feints, while charting an onward course for the franchise that has you itching to discover what comes next.”
Sam Adams, Slate: ‘A bold new vision’
“Johnson brings to The Last Jedi a cinephile’s erudition as well as a geek’s devotion, and he’s made a film that connects to Star Wars at the root—not just the first movie, but the ones that inspired it.”
Sara Stewart, New York Post: ‘A daring, high-octane masterpiece’
“If 2015’s “The Force Awakens” was a righting of wrongs, burying the memory of those dreadful prequel films, then “The Last Jedi” is the new “Star Wars” trilogy fully coming into its own.”
Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com: ‘Everything a fan could want’
“Writer/director Rian Johnson’s “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” is a sprawling, incident- and character-packed extravaganza that picks up at the end of “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens” and guides the series into unfamiliar territory.”
Kevin Jagernauth, The Playlist: ‘Daring and dazzling’
“Working on his biggest canvas yet, Johnson — who has never been short on ambition — makes the most of the huge sandbox he gets to play in.”
Christopher Hooton, The Independent: ‘A feast that pushes the saga forward’
“There is a pleasing feeling of “where to begin?” coming out of the cinema for one of those dazed, so-what-did-you think discussions. There are new aliens and areas aplenty, and the movie zings with fresh ideas.”
Nell Minow, Huffington Post: ‘I cried and laughed’
“He has produced a film that longtime fans will find very satisfying, with a stunning black, white, and red color pallette, thrilling adventure, appealing new characters and worthy developments for old friends.”
Tasha Robinson, The Verge: ‘A painful, mournful film about loss’
“Audiences will likely come away from The Last Jedi with a lot of complaints and questions. But they’re at least likely to feel they’re in the hands of someone who cares about the series as much as they do, someone who loves its history, but sees the wide-open future ahead of it as well.”
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian: ‘An explosive thrill-ride of galactic proportion’
“The Last Jedi gives you an explosive sugar rush of spectacle. It’s a film that buzzes with belief in itself and its own mythic universe – a euphoric certainty that I think no other movie franchise has. And there is no provisional hesitation or energy dip of the sort that might have been expected between episodes seven and nine.”
Peter Howell, The Star: ‘Will gladden the hearts of even the fussiest fanatics’
“Rian Johnson’s muscular contribution to the enduring space fantasy franchise is filled with plot-quickening images of outstretched arms and hands that beckon and entreat. There are more jokes than before, sometimes at risk to the drama — imagine kidding about the solemn exhortation “May the Force be with you.”
Tim Grierson, Screen Daily: ‘Mythic and riveting’
“The space battles and lightsaber duels are appropriately exciting, but Johnson keeps a close eye on the human element that girds this galactic odyssey. Rather than simply regurgitating Star Wars’ past, The Last Jedi emphatically builds on it.
Bilge Ebiri, Village Voice: ‘Humour, verve and charm’
“Writer-director Rian Johnson has certainly made the busiest Star Wars film of them all, but he keeps it from becoming a slog by infusing it with humor, verve, and visual charm.”
Rob Hunter, Film School Rejects: ‘More than enough to love’
“The Last Jedi continues what Star Wars began and The Force Awakens magnified. It’s a simple story, stretched to lengths but populated with character, beauty, action, and cheese.”
