‘Phenomenal’: Fans approve of Star Wars: The Last Jedi after midnight viewings
Fans arrived in costume to watch the eighth film in the saga.
Star Wars superfans have praised The Last Jedi after hundreds of midnight screenings across the country.
Moviegoers watching at the Odeon Leicester Square cinema cheered, clapped, gasped and whooped throughout the latest film in the saga.
Hundreds of fans, some dressed in costume, filed into the cinema late on Wednesday night to be among the first to watch the movie.
Cameron Longer, 19, said: “It was incredible, it was a rollercoaster, a lot of things you didn’t see coming, so credit to the storytellers.
“Some of the visuals were fantastic as well, so it was a real treat.”
The film, which was introduced to the cheering crowd by a man in a Stormtrooper outfit, lasted just over two-and-a-half hours – the longest ever in the Star Wars series.
But Matthew Johnston, who came dressed as a First Order executioner, did not mind, simply saying: “You’ve got to go and see it.”
The message was similar online – one Twitter user wrote: “Waited two whole years to see star wars and wasn’t disappointed! Loved every second of it.”
Many users applauded writer and director Rian Johnson for creating a story that felt “fresh”, “new” and “bold”.
Oliver Dyson wrote on Twitter: “#thelastjedi is like no Star Wars movie ever. Consistently surprising and moving the series forward into a new era.
“So much to digest but pretty sure I loved it.”
As for acting performances, Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) scooped up the most praise.
Jack Bottomley wrote: “I was unprepared for the film Rian Johnson gave me tonight but very thankful for such an unpredictable and fresh experience and @HamillHimself gives not only his greatest @starwars performance but perhaps his greatest ever…he is incredible.”
Thousands of fans were expected to attend midnight screenings across the country – Odeon alone hosted more than 500 over 117 of its cinemas.
It stocked more than 100,000 boxes of popcorn and 16,000 hotdogs in preparation for one of its busiest nights of the year.
