Artist Gabriel Dishaw uses found and recycled objects as inspiration for his work, including a current series of "Star Wars" fan art. (December 2017) Robert Scheer/IndyStar
Best Star Wars movie since "Empire?" Or the biggest black eye since Jar Jar Binks?
Well, fans might not actually be asking that second question. But with so much hype surrounding this weekend's release of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," moviegoers are picking apart reviews to see if the film can live up to it.
To make things a little easier for you, here is a collection of what some top reviewers are saying about the latest entry in the series, both without and with spoilers. And after you check it out, see if any of these nerds were right about their "Last Jedi" predictions.
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Spoiler-free reviews
In his 9.7 out of 10 review for IGN, Joshua Yehl called "The Last Jedi" the "quintessential Star Wars movie. It embraces everything in the franchise that came before while taking big risks to push the story into new and unexpected places."
The Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy placed the eighth film in Star Wars franchise perspective with some praise: "Far from the last or the least."
"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," McCarthy wrote. "But there's a pervasive freshness and enthusiasm to Johnson's approach that keeps the film, and with it the franchise, alive, and that is no doubt what matters most."
In his four-star review, Roger Ebert says, "'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. It’s everything a fan could want from a “Star Wars” film and then some. Even the sorts of viewers who spend the entire running time of movies anticipating every plot twist and crowing “called it!” when they get one right are likely to come up short here."
In her review for Polygon, Susana Polo assures us that the movie really is "that good."
"There are some scenes in this movie I can’t wait to talk about. Not because they’re beautiful, though they are. Not because they’re heart-wrenching, though some of them are. But because 'The Last Jedi' challenges itself with moments that, if mishandled, could easily have tainted beloved Star Wars moments in the same way that many people feel the prequel trilogy did. Instead, it navigates those narrative rapids with aplomb."
USA TODAY's Brian Truitt raved about writer/director Rian Johnson's space opera with a glowing 3½ star review. Truitt had quibbles with the 2½ hour length, calling it "overlong." "Yet writer/director Rian Johnson still turns in a stellar entry that owes much to George Lucas’ original films while finding a signature vibe of its own and unleashing a few welcome twists," Truitt wrote.
Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair said the force is definitely with this movie.
"Johnson expands the psychology of Star Wars, bringing shading and moral ambivalence to this mythic tale of dark versus light. No Star Wars has ever made a better case for the Force than this film, which finally mends the damage done by the midi-chlorian humbug introduced in the disastrous prequel films. One could make the corny assessment that Johnson himself has tapped into this elemental magic, has learned how to tease out its true power, the ways it can manipulate and enrich the film without drowning it in pseudo-religious pretension."
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If you hate spoilers (or even semi-spoilers) turn back now!
One last chance to reconsider ... OK then, looks like you're all in to ruin the movie for yourself and others. So enjoy these spoilerific breakdowns!
Peter Debruge of Variety said, "'The Last Jedi' possesses the same reverence for the galaxy Lucas created, paying homage in all the right places (from the chills we get from John Williams’ iconic fanfare to the new-and-improved walkers that appear during the climactic siege) while barely advancing the narrative. Ultimately, there’s only so much wiggle room Johnson has to play with a property that seems destined to generate a new installment/spinoff every year until we die — which means that however many Death Stars or Sith Lords the Resistance manages to defeat, there will always be more, and no matter how few Jedi remain, there can never be none."
Only very light spoilers here, but EW's Chris Nashawaty said The Last Jedi "is (mostly) a triumph" in his B+ review of the film.
"There are a handful of truly spectacular moments in The Last Jedi — some as visually sumptuous and others as emotionally poignant and raw as anything in the intergalactic ring cycle so far," Nashawaty wrote, stopping short of calling the film "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."
Alissa Wilkinson of Vox said, "Star Wars has been with us for four decades now, telling that same essential story in a format that’s overwhelming and engulfing. With wit, skill, and love, 'The Last Jedi' takes up the torch and carries it for a new generation."
Chris Jager of Lifehacker said ... you know what, this thing is so full of spoilers that I can't give you a pull quote. It's also not much of a review, so just read it if you want to know what happens.
Call IndyStar reporter Justin L. Mack at (317) 444-6138 or email him at justin.mack@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @justinlmack.
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