'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' praised at premiere

The cast of the eighth installment of the Star Wars science fiction saga took to the red carpet on Saturday evening ahead of the world premiere of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."

"It's a 'Star Wars' movie, and the energy tonight is pretty amazing," said Andy Serkis, who played the arch villain Supreme Leader Snoke.

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The film is scheduled for release on Friday, with industry experts expecting it to open with a weekend total of some $220 million (186 million euros), just shy of the "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" film that debuted in 2015 and raked in $248 million (210.8 million euros) on its opening weekend.

Director Rian Johnson introduced the film by offering an emotional tribute to Carrie Fisher, who played the iconic Leia Organa, a princess-turned-rebel general, after she passed away last year.

'Human, dark, narcissistic'

Gwendoline Christie, who plays stormtrooper commander Captain Phasma and is widely-known for her role as Brienne of Tarth in the HBO series "Game of Thrones," said "Star Wars" remains relevant today due to "its foundational mythology of good versus evil."

"I think it's because the world we live in is a changing and evolving place that it retains the simplicity of those elements," Christie said. "But it really resonates with what it is to follow your own human, dark, narcissistic tendencies, and where that will take you."

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Star Wars fans, followers and aficionados gave the film high-praise, but stopped short of offering a comprehensive review due to an embargo from Lucasfilm on all detailed analyses until 9 a.m. Los Angeles time (1700 UTC).

"There aren't enough words to express how much I loved Star Wars: The Last Jedi. It is mind-blowing! I'm in geek heaven," said Jenna Busch, editor-in-chief of LegionofLeia.com.

ls/jlw (AFP, AP)