EPISODE VIII: AT THE LONDON ROYAL EUROPEAN PREMIERE OF 'THE LAST JEDI'

Image: 'The Dark Side Wizard'

STAR WARS AFICIONADO Editor Scott Weller, forty years a fan (and now starting to feel like some kind of bizarre 'Legacy' character himself), was proud to attend last night's hugely enjoyable, glitz and glamour-packed, truly magical Royal European Premiere of The Last Jedi at London's red-light soaked Royal Albert Hall, of which pretty much the entire main cast were present to launch the film and meet the Royal brothers (who also make cameos as Stormtroopers in a key movie scene). It was particularly special seeing Mark Hamill at the red carpet, once again, and, more deservedly than ever, firmly back in the limelight for this movie. Believe me, his performance in The Last Jedi is superb- a true cinematic career best so far.

A detailed review for the film and a celebration of key scenes will follow on this site by Christmas. But some early thoughts... George Lucas's presence and genuine creative inspirations remains much-missed by this reviewer, but Rian Johnson proves himself a worthy successor to the work done by J.J. Abrams on The Force Awakens. Though it possesses a slightly sluggish and unevenly structured middle act, The Last Jedi ultimately triumphs thanks to its bigger-than-ever spectacular action and very emotional ring-true character moments (light and dark side) that will prove unforgettable to fans, especially relating to Luke and Leia. Carrie Fisher's final onscreen work is genuinely affecting.

AFICIONADO RATING: 4 out of 5

Early spoiler-ish-free reviews:

The closest to AFICIONADO's views on the film: http://ew.com/movies/2017/12/12/star-wars-the-last-jedi-review/

Other reviews:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-5172263/Star-Wars-Jedi-best-distance.html

Alternate Mail review: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-5172099/Star-Wars-Jedi-review.html

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-reviews/star-wars-last-jedi-review-11681473

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/star-wars-8-the-last-jedi-review-critics-reaction-spoilers-free-rian-johnson-adam-driver-carrie-a8106231.html

https://www.ok.co.uk/movies/1253152/star-wars-the-last-jedi-review-daisy-ridley-mark-hamill-anthony-daniels-john-boyega-isaac-gracie

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/star-wars-last-jedi-review-reviews/

https://www.buzzexpress.co.uk/star-wars-the-last-jedi-review-1/

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/dec/12/star-wars-the-last-jedi-review-episode-viii-rian-johnson