Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a certified hit.
The film secured the second biggest domestic opening weekend of all time, after only The
Force Awakens, and it earned a stellar 93% rating on RottenTomatoes.
From critics, that is.
Audiences only gave it a 55%, with Star Wars fans quickly taking sides.
Sure, there are some things almost everyone can agree on: the movie was beautiful to look
at, Adam Driver gave his best performance yet as Kylo Ren, and the porgs weren't nearly
as annoying as some people feared.
But there are still plenty of other things to argue about.
Here's a spoiler filled look at why audiences are split on The Last Jedi.
Something old, something new
While The Force Awakens was criticized for basically being a retread of A New Hope, many
fans have praised The Last Jedi for being something new in the Star Wars saga.
One Twitter user wrote that the movie is "great because it subverts any and all expectations
one could have.
It goes places you wouldn't expect out of a Disney Star Wars film, and proves that despite
most blockbusters feeling the exact same and playing it safe, there can still be original
quality films."
Another said that they loved that everything turned out "messy and unexpected" and added,
"It's brilliant about making you lose all your mental bets about how things are about
to go."
And critics agree.
Terri Schwartz of IGN wrote that there was a scene that "is so stunning and unexpected
that I don't want to forget how I felt seeing it for the first time," while Wired's Oliver
Franklin-Wallis said that while the film was "imperfect," the unpredictability was "just
what Star Wars needs."
But some felt the film went too far, trying way too hard to be different at the cost of
telling a good story.
One Twitter user said, "The problem was that it tried to be original but ended up being
an unoriginal mess with no real accomplishments," while a Rotten Tomatoes user argued that "instead
of building and enriching the things that were set up in the previous movie, it DESTROYS
it and tries (unsuccessfully) to do its own thing."
And others point out that for all its supposed originality, The Last Jedi borrows heavily
from previous films, even swiping its entire structure from The Empire Strikes Back.
It's too long
Star Wars: The Last Jedi clocked in at 150 minutes, making it the longest film in the
franchise to date — 15 minutes longer than 2015's The Force Awakens, 17 minutes longer
than 2016's standalone Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and longer than other recent non-Star
Wars blockbusters like The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Captain America: Civil
War.
Even for a Star Wars fan, two and a half hours in a theater — not including previews — is
a big commitment, and some felt the slow motion chase scene through space in particular went
on for way too long.
"Anything you wanted to tell the audience or the world about this one in comparison
to the other ones?"
"It's the longest one."
Freshmen hazing
One of the most impressive parts of The Force Awakens was its ability to introduce and establish
a new, young, and diverse cast into the Star Wars universe.
The Last Jedi built on that by introducing new characters like Rose, DJ, and Vice Admiral
Holdo.
But while some fans loved these new additions, especially praising the franchise's new commitment
to diversity, not everyone was excited.
One fan called them "forgettable," and another said they were "useless."
Ouch.
Middle child syndrome
Making the middle movie in a trilogy is a difficult task.
You don't have the benefit of taking time to set up the characters, and you don't get
to resolve any dangling story threads.
Some Last Jedi critics felt this narrative stasis was the biggest issue with the film,
especially taking aim at Finn and Rose's side mission to the casino city Canto Bight.
It's also especially difficult for The Last Jedi to be a middle chapter considering the
lofty expectations set up by the second film in the original Star Wars trilogy, The Empire
Strikes Back — one of the most highly regarded sequels of all time.
Living up to it was no easy task.
A Jedi walks into a bar…
Star Wars has a history of blending the light and dark, using its cheekier characters to
introduce humor even in serious situations.
And some people loved the many jokes in The Last Jedi.
However, some felt The Last Jedi went a little too far, causing some fans to accuse the humor
of feeling forced.
Some fans called out the film's opening scene, in which Poe places a prank call to General
Hux as a distraction.
Others had issues with Luke Skywalker milking an alien for giggles, while one person said
he was given too many "cheesy" one-liners.
Let's talk about Luke
The good news for fans of Luke Skywalker is that this time around, he actually got to
say something.
The bad news?
He dropped dead of apparent franchise fatigue at the end of the movie.
While most people agree that Hamill gave one of his best performances, not everyone was
happy with the way Luke was portrayed — including Hamill himself.
"When I read 8, I told Rian, 'I fundamentally disagree with virtually everything you've
decided about my character."
And many fans were upset at how Luke died, peacefully disappearing into thin air instead
of going out in a blaze of glory.
One Twitter user called it the "lamest death ever" while another wrote that it was "honestly
insulting."
All your fan theories were wrong
After The Force Awakens planted a number of clues about who Rey's parents are and who
Supreme Leader Snoke really is, fans spent two years coming up with theories and debating
the possible answers.
And then it turned out that — surprise!
— none of that actually mattered at all.
Some critics loved the way director Rian Johnson threw all that back in everyone's faces in
order to just do his own thing, but many fans were upset at getting no payoff for all the
expectations the franchise had previously set up.
A flubbed farewell?
Carrie Fisher's tragic death after completing The Last Jedi made many of her moments in
the film as General Leia Organa even more poignant for fans.
Some fans, though, took issue with Leia's use of the Force in the movie.
The scene with the character floating through space was cited by some as beautiful, showing
her character's resilience and finally answering the long-held question of Leia's abilities.
However, others felt it was cheesy and negated what could have been a powerful moment for
the franchise.
Johnson didn't change Leia's arc after Fisher's death, and while Lucasfilm president Kathleen
Kennedy has said they won't use CGI to have the character appear in Episode 9, the question
of her character's fate still remains unanswered.
While no one could've predicted the real-life circumstances the film had to deal with, losing
a character so central to the series is sure to be difficult, and some felt The Last Jedi
sent her out on a mixed note.
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