Audiences Do Not Like 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'

Mark Hamill plays Luke Skywalker in 'Star Wars'
Mark Hamill plays Luke Skywalker in 'Star Wars' (REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)

Are you one of the fans who has been eagerly awaiting the most recent Star Wars movie? If so, it's possible you may find yourself disappointed.

It seems that many Star Wars fans who attended Thursday-evening previews of The Last Jedi disliked the movie, according to the Rotten Tomato's audience score, which states that just 58 percent of the users liked the movie. This stands in stark contrast to the 93 percent rating from critics.

I've heard Rian Johnson, director and writer of The Last Jedi, warned ahead of time that he was really pushing the envelope with the characters and storyline, something the critics seemed to approve —but the general audience did not.

The audience score for the film's predecessor, The Force Awakens, was a solid 88 percent.

So why did the initial viewers come away disappointed? Many of those who wrote the Rotten Tomatoes reviews complained about various elements, including the movie's long run time (152 minutes), multiple convoluted plot lines and lack of resolution to the red herrings from The Force Awakens regarding the background of its heroine, Rey. "It doesn't feel like a Star Wars movie," they complained.

One viewer even noted that the movie borders on political correctness, with male characters appearing weak and female characters appearing unusually strong.

It's quite possible that Lucasfilm and Disney so concerned about franchise-building for the Star Wars universe that they failed to tell a satisfying story that's both complete and compelling, teasing the larger universe of the world in which it exists. This is a quality Marvel Studios has mastered in its superhero films.

At this point, many of the fan reviews are calling for the firing of writer/director Ryan Johnson, currently hard at work creating the third installment of the current trilogy and a brand-new Disney Star Wars trilogy as well.

 
Dr. Ted Baehr is founder and publisher of MOVIEGUIDE®:  The Family Guide to Movies and Entertainment and Chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission® ministry, as well as a noted critic, educator, lecturer and media pundit. His life's purpose is to be used of God to redeem the values of the media while educating audiences on how to use discernment in selecting their entertainment.

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