Monday, December 18, 2017

The First Order Strikes Back

‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi,’ the middle installment of the new Disney Star Wars trilogy and Episode VIII of the Star Wars saga started by George Lucas 40 years ago, is the best movie of the popular and beloved space opera franchise since ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ according to the critics who raved about it, giving it a “certified fresh” rating of 93 percent on the aggregate review website Rotten Tomatoes.  Audiences are divided and decidedly less enthused, as its current audience score closer to 50 percent would suggest.  Why the disconnect?  Inquiring minds want to know: The Great Star Wars Divide.
 
By any measure, TLJ seems to have checked off most—if not all—of the boxes one would expect in a Star Wars movie.  It is packed with thrilling action in space and on the surface, filled with individual acts of derring-do and noble sacrifice, spiced with a good dose of humor and topped off with the good-versus-evil melodrama that had become its trademark.  While there isn’t anything in TLJ that truly can be called surprising (such as—spoilers ahead!--Kylo Ren’s manipulation of Rey for his own ends, his betrayal of Snoke, or the twist in Luke’s final “appearance” on Crait) and the story is somewhat reminiscent of TESB, TLJ still managed to be a rollicking, entertaining and crowd-pleasing adventure yarn, porg or no porg (just don't eat them).
 
Alas, when an event movie from as popular a pop culture phenomenon as Star Wars comes along, it is inevitable that there will be a high degree of anticipation and expectations from diehard and casual fans alike.  And if the movie falls short of said expectations, well, then the movie had failed to the individuals concerned.  It can be a subjective and highly personal experience.  With this in mind, I’ll jump off the fence and side with the critics on this one.

Grade: A
  
TLJ

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