The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special feels like it was built in a factory -- it's not bad, but isn't as interesting as the original

Vulture

"Ultimately, The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special doesn’t so much tell a story as spit out callbacks that seem to have come from a random Star Wars reference generator," Jen Chaney says of the Disney+ special, a successor to the disastrous The Star Wars Holiday Special that aired in 1978. "For some, particularly children who may be thrilled by all the frenetic, illogical action, that will be enough. Certainly there are some older Star Wars fans who also will appreciate the more insider-y and adult humor that’s worked into all of the hopping. Yes, there is a Jar Jar Binks joke. Also, at one point, it is strongly implied that Lego Allegiant General Pryde has the hots for a shirtless Lego Kylo Ren, who, even in mini-fig form, still has killer abs. But many, this critic included, may come away feeling like this Lego Star Wars Holiday Special was built in a factory, possibly located adjacent to Lego’s North American headquarters in Connecticut, where the humor, allusions, and doses of holiday sentimentality were assembled, brick by brick, to create the most widely appealing product. The 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special was an utter disaster in a way that this one is not. But it was also gloriously bizarre in a way that only human beings, possibly under the influence of Ripple and disco biscuits, could make it. This new Holiday Special is less embarrassing. But it also takes far fewer risks."

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• The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special, coming in at a brisk 45 minutes, is quite enjoyable: "And compared to the pacing of the first special, this one feels lightning fast," says Mike Ryan. "Taking place after the events of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey is trying to train Finn as a Jedi, but things are not going well. Rey takes off with BB-8 to seek guidance at an ancient Jedi temple. It’s there she discovers a mysterious crystal of some sort that allows her to time travel through some of the most memorable events of Star Wars canon. But Return of the Jedi era Palpatine and Darth Vader get wind of this and decide they want this power for themselves and chance Rey through space and time to get it. It’s all good fun!"
• The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special has to clear two bars: one incredibly low, the other almost impossibly high: "Is it better than the Star Wars Holiday Special? By a parsec," says Christian Blauvelt. "Will it be legendary like the Star Wars Holiday Special? Eh… only if a Jedi Mind Trick convinces you it will. Lego has riffed on Star Wars many times before — including in a whole animated TV series called The Freemaker Adventures — but The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special is by far the most accessible to newcomers. Its premise is something fans really, really want to see."
• Unlike its 1978 predecessor, The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special plays it safe with the kitsch showing what amounts to a "greatest hits package"
• This Lego-ified version of Star Wars events strikes a similarly cheeky and self-deprecating tone to The Lego Movie franchise
• The special reminds us of one of the most important parts of the franchise: friendship is what matters most
• The special, in all its warm and fuzzy glory, is a nice addition to the holiday season, but it cannot entirely redeem the dumpster fire that is the original
• The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special ties up one of The Rise of Skywalker's biggest loose ends
• The whole thing feels strange and surreal to watch, and it dips into direct parody more than it doesn't