After what feels like an eternal wait, we *finally* get to return to a galaxy far, far away. Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theaters this weekend. (I don’t know about you, but I’ve been going absolutely bonkers since The Force Awakens ended on such a massive cliffhanger. What will Luke say? What will he do? Is he Rey’s father? What will be the repercussions of Han Solo’s death? Will General Leia go out in a blaze of glory?)
SO. MANY. QUESTIONS.
We’ll all get to find out soon enough what happens, and how we feel about it. However, one very important person has already seen the film – and given it his glowing seal of approval. And that person is George Lucas.
Say what you will about the prequels (believe me, I have), but let’s give respect where it’s due. It was Lucas’s brilliance that brought us Star Wars in the first place. Just take a moment to imagine cinema – or pop culture in general – without Darth Vader, Princess Leia (both the cinnamon bun hair and the gold bikini versions), R2-D2, the Force, Jabba the Hutt, the Kessell Run, Chewbacca’s roar, and scores of people misquoting “Luke, I am your father” from the back end of a box fan.
Sounds pretty depressing, right? So, whatever he may have done afterwards, Lucas gave us a priceless gift. And losing control of that intellectual property must have been incredibly difficult. However, the sale of LucasFilm to Disney in 2012 is what has enabled us to have the more recent Star Wars films.
Lucas was reportedly not a very big fan of The Force Awakens. Perhaps he felt the same way some moviegoers did – that it borrowed a bit too heavily from A New Hope. This time around though, he appears to be quite pleased with the new film.
Lucas’s spokesperson, Connie Wethington, reports that he said the film is “beautifully made.” And that he spoke with director Rian Johnson afterwards, and was “very complimentary.”
I’d say if anyone deserves an advance screening, it’s George Lucas. The rest of us mere mortals will have to wait for the weekend, when the film is expected to bring in over $200 million – and that’s just domestically. It seems destined to shatter box office records.
They’re definitely getting my ticket and popcorn money Friday night! How about you? If you plan to see the film this weekend, sound off in the comments! And tell us what you think of Lucas giving his seal of approval.