Director Rian Johnson has opened up about the backlash to Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The Last Jedi has continued to face criticism since its release five years ago, mostly centering around Finn and Rose’s side plot, Rey’s anti-climactic parentage reveal, and Luke lashing out at Kylo Ren after the boy was corrupted by Snoke. However, some of the criticism of the movie stemmed from its diverse casting, which resulted in a racist backlash, particularly focused on Kelly Marie Tran and her character Rose Tico.
In an interview with Wired, Johnson was asked if he “heard echoes” between the response to The Last Jedi‘s casting and the racism Obi-Wan Kenobi star Moses Ingram faced this year. Check out Johnson’s quote below:
It’s all the same. There was a phase where the common wisdom was ‘Don’t feed the trolls. Ignore it.’ That’s not true. You gotta shut it down, like a body fighting an infection. It was very heartening to see the huge outpouring of very vocal, ‘This is not who this fan base is.’ And shoving it out.
It’s just so depressing. But if there’s any kind of hopeful glimmer, it’s the notion that these fan bases are getting wise and realizing, ‘No, we gotta punch these people out.’
Why The Last Jedi Wasn’t As Bad As Fans Say
Apart from the racist backlash that had nothing to do with the film’s story, The Last Jedi has been the subject of endless hordes of criticism. Still, it could be argued that the movie has aged better than The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker. While The Force Awakens benefits by playing on nostalgia, The Last Jedi offers a new perspective on the Star Wars universe that takes it in a fresh direction, rather than retreading old waters. The revelation that Rey’s parents are of no significance whatsoever may be a disappointment after so much fan speculation, but it proves that anyone could use the Force, rather than establishing a galactic Skywalker dynasty. Besides, it is a more inventive reveal than Palpatine somehow returning.
The fact that Kylo Ren failed to redeem himself was also a new trope for the Star Wars universe. After all, Darth Vader is well known as a villain who redeemed himself by putting his life on the line to protect his son from Palpatine. Had Ben not become Kylo Ren, a dark turn for him could have been interesting, but Kylo turning to the light is a tired Star Wars theme that is later realized in The Rise of Skywalker. Johnson’s courage and willingness to try something new should be commended after the repetitious nature of the rest of the sequels.
What’s Next For Star Wars Movies
For the moment, there are a few Star Wars projects in development, though little is known about them. Taika Waititi, Damon Lindelof, Shawn Levy, and Patty Jenkins are each working on their own films in the Star Wars universe, though it’s unclear if all of them will come to fruition. Additionally, Johnson’s new Star Wars trilogy remains in limbo. While Johnson readily admitted that he is waiting for producers to schedule time for him to commit to the trilogy, that still means waiting a long while before the project is actually put into production. Star Wars: The Last Jedi may have earned Johnson massive recognition, but the future of his time with Star Wars remains in flux, just as the rest of the universe seems to be.
Source: Wired