Critics love The Last Jedi
Fans who have lined up for days to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi could have told you so, but critics’ reviews that began pouring out after an embargo lifted Tuesday also reveal a lot of love for Walt Disney Co.’s latest film in the space adventure saga.
National Post film critic Chris Knight has given the movie 4.5 stars out of five.
Of 43 reviews from top critics, including those at The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, 95 per cent were positive, according to Rottentomatoes.com. That beat the 89 per cent score for the extremely successful The Force Awakens, which became the biggest U.S. movie of all time in 2015.
While loyal Star Wars fans always turn out, the positive word of mouth from reviewers will boost box office sales and help Disney draw in a new generation of fans in the U.S. and beyond. The consensus among critics is that the movie “honours the saga’s rich legacy while adding some surprising twists,” the site says.
The Last Jedi, which opens Friday with select screenings Thursday, is the eighth film in the series created by George Lucas. For Disney, it’s the second instalment in a new trilogy and the third Star Wars film, including last year’s spinoff Rogue One, since the entertainment giant bought series producer Lucasfilm.
Burbank, Calif.-based Disney is anticipating that The Last Jedi could reach $200 million on its opening U.S. weekend. That’s more than Rogue One but less than the record-setting $248-million weekend of The Force Awakens.
For international markets, Disney isn’t providing a forecast. The Force Awakens holds the current record for opening-weekend sales outside the U.S. with $281 million, followed by Avatar with $164.5 million and The Hobbit 1 with $138 million, Disney said.