Your Star Wars: The Last Jedi First Impressions are in, and They’re Insanely Positive
There are very few sure things in life, and the things that are sure (death, taxes, Monday mornings) tend to be bad. While it was entirely reasonable to assume that Rian Johnson would knock Star Wars: The Last Jedi out of the park, it was far from certain. A finished film is the work of dozens, sometimes hundreds of people, and even a filmmaker as sure footed, clear-eyed and collaborative as Johnson can make mistakes. There are a thousand and one little reasons a film can just not work, especially one with this much hype, this much historical baggage, and this many people’s aggregated, often out-of-proporiton expectations. Even after it became clear that Lucasfilm was thrilled with what Johnson and his team had done, and word from set told of a smooth, steady production, you still wanted to try and temper your expectations. This is Star Wars, after all—and along with our outsized expectations comes this sense that we’d know what to do with a galaxy’s worth of material. With all that said, The Last Jedi has premiered for some very lucky viewers, and their initial impressions backs up what many of us have quietly assumed the whole time—Johnson’s film was always going to be a sure thing. He was the right writer/director to take the reigns for the crucial middle-of-the-trilogy segment, and now we’re all going to get a truly awesome new Star Wars film. According to some viewers, The Last Jedi even stacks up to The Empire Strikes Back. We can breathe.
There are no spoilers here, folks. Reviews are embargoed. Only Supreme Leader Snoke (or Kylo Ren in one of his trademark rages) would have the gall to take to social media and cough up a major plot point. What we’re about to share are simply the impressions of people who have seen the film—all of them are hugely positive. You’ll find nothing here about Rey’s parentage, Luke’s state of mind, whether the porg’s adorability remains intact after a viewing, or, if they start to become Jar Jar-like annoying, what Benicio del Toro’s mysterious DJ is up to, how Poe gets along with Vice Admiral Holdo (newcomer Laura Dern), and whether Rey really considers joining Ren on the Dark Side (highly doubtful). We’ll get our answers to these questions (at least some of them) when The Last Jedi premieres on Deceber 15. What follows are simply a collection of Tweets from people who stepped out of the theater and wanted to share their very first thoughts and feelings. How good do these people think The Last Jedi is? So good that we warn you now—remember to still keep your expectations in check and enjoy (or not) the film through your own lens. Yet, it’s hard not to get excited after reading these.
Enjoy.
I can’t believe The Last Jedi exists. @rianjohnson is a madman and I love him for it. He takes Star Wars to the edge and throws it over. What a crazy, awesome movie. We’ll be talking about this one for a long, long time.
— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) December 10, 2017
#StarWarsTheLastJedi floored me. @rianjohnson and the team nail so much – thrills, laughs, heart and most of all, pushing the characters/overall franchise a major step forward. Some really rich material to explore in the future. Can't wait for more.
— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) December 10, 2017
https://twitter.com/Breznican/status/939734975024209920
Whoa #TheLastJedi!. Filled with epic space battles and gorgeous cinematography. It satisfied my love for Star Wars in so many ways. I can't wait to see it again. Also heading to the store to buy Porgs merch. Thank you @rianjohnson
— Wendy Lee Szany (@WendyLeeSzany) December 10, 2017
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is so very different, exciting, surprising. So many emotions, so many amazing moments. Stay away from spoilers.
— /Film (@slashfilm) December 10, 2017
There aren’t enough words to express how much I LOVED #StarWars #TheLastJedi! It is mind-blowing! I’m in geek heaven! pic.twitter.com/unXfYMkIle
— Jenna Busch-Henderson (@JennaBusch) December 10, 2017
Featured image: Finn (John Boyega) battles Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie) in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Courtesy Lucasfilm/Walt Disney Studios.