Luke Skywalker’s epic journey from moisture farmer to cave hermit continues this Friday with Star Wars: The Last Jedi!
Wait, a movie with ‘The Last‘ in its title? Turns out we’ve seen that one before, prompting this week’s gallery of 24 best and worst Last movies.
The Last Starfighter (1984, 76%)
The plot is as barebones a teenager-fights-aliens-in-space movie will allow, but The Last Starfighter captures an era and eager style of filmmaking well.
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988, 81%) The Last Temptation of Christ is a surprisingly straight and passionate affair, one that also seeks to redeem Scorsese’s ’80s career.
The Last Stand (2013, 60%)
There’s nothing particularly distinguished about it, but for Schwarzenegger fans The Last Stand provides perfectly undemanding entertainment.
The Last Stand, X-Men (2006, 58%) X-Men: The Last Stand provides plenty of mutant action for fans of the franchise, even if it does so at the expense of its predecessors’ deeper character moments.
The Last Crusade, Indiana Jones and the (1989, 88%)
Lighter and more comedic than its predecessor, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade returns the series to the brisk serial adventure of Raiders, while adding a dynamite double act between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery.
The Last Samurai (2003, 66%)
With high production values and thrilling battle scenes, The Last Samurai is a satisfying epic.
The Last of the Mohicans (1992, 94%) The Last of the Mohicans is a breathless romantic adventure that plays loose with history — and comes out with a richer action movie for it.
The Last Airbender (2010, 6%) The Last Airbender squanders its popular source material with incomprehensible plotting, horrible acting, and detached joyless direction.
The Last Knight, Transformers (2017, 15%)
Cacophonous, thinly plotted, and boasting state-of-the-art special effects, The Last Knight is pretty much what you’d expect from the fifth installment of the Transformers franchise.
The Last Unicorn (1982, 63%)
A big-hearted fantasy that overcomes the limited animation.
The Last Exorcism (2010, 71%)
It doesn’t fully deliver on the chilly promise of its Blair Witch-style premise, but The Last Exorcism offers a surprising number of clever thrills.
The Last House on the Left (2009, 41%)
Excessive and gory, this remake lacks the intellectual punch of the 1972 original.
The Last Detail (1973, 93%)
Very profane, very funny, very ’70s: Director Hal Ashby lets Jack Nicholson and the cast run loose, creating a unique dramedy that’s far out to sea.
The Last Boy Scout (1991, 44%)
The buddy-cop movie starts entering the doldrums with this lurching, explosive, misogynistic effort.
The Last Rainforest, FernGully (1992, 67%)
The ’90s eco-movement gets its poster movie.
The Last Emperor (1987, 92%)
While decidedly imperfect, Bernardo Bertolucci’s epic is still a feast for the eyes.
The Last Dragon (1985, 33%)
A straight-faced hero’s journey through training and cultural appropriation.
The Last King of Scotland (2006, 87%)
Forest Whitaker’s performance as real-life megalomaniac dictator Idi Amin powers this fictionalized political thriller, a blunt and brutal tale about power and corruption.
The Last Waltz (1978, 98%)
Among one of, if not the best rock movie ever made, The Last Waltz is a revealing, electrifying view of the classic band at their height.
The Last Witch Hunter (2015, 17%)
Grim, plodding, and an overall ill fit for Vin Diesel’s particular charms, will bore and/or confuse all but the least demanding action-fantasy fans.
The Last Wave (1977, 87%)
A movie of cosmic terror in step with director Peter Weir’s preceding film Picnic at Hanging Rock.
The Last Mimzy (2007, 54%) The Last Mimzy makes efforts to be a fun children’s movie, but unsuccessfully juggles too many genres and subplots — eventually settling as an unfocused, slightly dull affair.
The Last Picture Show (1971, 100%)
Making excellent use of its period and setting, Peter Bogdanovich’s small town coming-of-age story is a sad but moving classic filled with impressive performances.
The Last Movie (1971, 43%)
After Easy Rider, Dennis Hopper was given the keys to do whatever he wanted, resulting in this indulgent, hazy, and maybe ahead-of-its-time drama shot in Peru.
