Star Wars fans will never be renowned for their collective patience, and as the debut of The Force Awakens begins to speed toward us like a Bespin Cloud Car, the hype for the movie is turning into outright anxiety.
Will J.J. Abrams succeed where a post-Return of the Jedi George Lucas failed? Will the Star Wars franchise return to its gee-wiz, swashbuckling glory?
Well, Monday night saw the long-awaited premiere of the movie for certain members of the press, and of course early reactions immediately began to trickle in from critics across Twitter.
So what’s the verdict? If these reactions are to be believed, Star Wars is once again in good hands with Abrams and company … just don’t expect The Force Awakens to bump A New Hope or The Empire Strikes Back off the top of the heap anytime soon.
Here is what some of the top critics (and some celebrity geeks) have had to say so far:
Steven Weintraub, Collider
Not going to say much till I see it again but rest assured THE FORCE AWAKENS is the best STAR WARS since 1983...maybe 1980.
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) December 15, 2015
Eric Vespe, AICN
I have some more complicated thoughts on TFA, but will save them for the review. Some faults, but no doubt best Star Wars film since '83. — Eric Vespe (@EricVespe) December 15, 2015
Josh Lincoln Dickey, Mashable
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS is a strong, promising kickoff. As a standalone, I'd rank it #3 in the series.
— Josh Lincoln Dickey (@JLDlite) December 15, 2015
Patton Oswalt, Comedian
JJ did it. #StarWarsForceAwakens — Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) December 15, 2015
Rainn Wilson, The Office
1st Star Wars review: it was epic, awesome & perfect. The cast was stellar. JJ killed it!
— RainnWilson (@rainnwilson) December 15, 2015
Germain Lussier, iO9
Star Wars: The Force Awakens spoke to my every emotion. Most of them good, a few not, but overall it was an amazing, overwhelming experience — Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) December 15, 2015
Devin Faraci, BirthMoviesDeath.com
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS is ok. I know it's poetry, I know it rhymes, but does every line have to rhyme with the last poem?
— devin faraci (@devincf) December 15, 2015
Pretty much all good, right? Well, to temper expectations, here’s one particularly grim omen from Faraci:
Last STAR WARS tweet: people excited about Captain Phasma need to temper their expectations immediately. — devin faraci (@devincf) December 15, 2015
So there you go; The Force Awakens is already off to a promising start this early in the game. But remember, it’s a dangerous thing to review a new Star Wars movie right after you leave the theater. And it’s even more dangerous to put all of your hopes into the hands of a few 140-character reactions. But if these are any indication of what to expect, Friday could be the day Star Wars fans have been waiting for since 1983.
h/t: ComicBook.com
