‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’: Rian Johnson Responds To Backlash, Empathizes With Fans
Star Wars: The Last Jedi premiered last week, and with it came some unsatisfied fans, but there are always those out there that have something to say regarding their disappointment. The movie also received criticism via social media, and director Rian Johnson responded to the backlash on Twitter.
In fact, being a fan himself, he can understand. Rian further discussed his enthusiasm for the Lucasfilm franchise and understood how fan expectation can lead to a certain amount of disappointment. According to Business Insider, fans are divided, and Johnson talked about how he cannot go along with fans’ desires because there would also likely be backlash there, too.
“Having been a Star Wars fan my whole life, and having spent most of my life on the other side of the curb and in that fandom, it softens the blow a little bit.”
People will always find some reason to criticize and there’s no satisfying everyone. That’s the nature of the beast. Rian mentions Twitter to be an obvious venue for a fan’s passion, and he explains how he doesn’t take it to heart since he’s a fan himself and acknowledges that everyone has their own idea of what they desire in a Star Wars movie. Johnson even referenced Star Wars creator George Lucas, saying that his movies were personal to him and he never once thought of considering fan-based ideas.
“And I knew if I wrote wondering what the fans would want, as tempting as that is, it wouldn’t work, because people would still be shouting at me, ‘F**k you, you ruined Star Wars,’ and I would make a bad movie. And ultimately, that’s the one thing nobody wants.”
The Last Jedi’s Rian Johnson assured a good percentage of fan feedback had been positive on Twitter. So it’s nice to know a sizeable fan base is open to a different take regarding the Star Wars universe.
The Last Jedi’s critical fan reactions have been strewn about the internet. Media outlets shared the tweets where some Star Wars fans showed their disdain after having seen it opening night. The fandom has been quite divided, according to Screen Rant.
#StarWars….. See director Rian Johnson respond to questionable choices he made in The Last Jedi!
_______#StarWarsTheLastJedi #RianJohnson #TheLastJedi #WhatJustHappened #KyloRen #Rey #KyloRey #MondayMotivation #spoilers #LukeSkywalker https://t.co/GPZpLtkGoS
— Reuben Scott (@LightBulbDeals) December 18, 2017
There’s one example on Twitter in particular that cited the reason for the “hate.”
“People don’t hate
#LastJedi because it’s different. We hate it because it murders the story, destroys beloved characters, is filled with plot holes, has a dumba** narrative, all the new characters are s**t, the writing is a mess, and Rey is still an uninteresting Mary Sue.”
Johnson referred to fan expectation when talking with Business Insider. He was asked about “shocking choices” regarding his decision-making process as well as a concern about not being on par with his choices. The Last Jedi director laughed regarding this question.
“It’s been a combination of both of those things. When I was writing the movie, I was doing it while they were shooting The Force Awakens. So it wasn’t like I was reading all these theories online and being at my typewriter and going ‘Ha! Ha! Gotcha!'”
He mentioned at the time of his writing the Last Jedi script that it was due in part of his personal reaction to the J.J. Abrams-directed film.
The Last Jedi is currently in theaters. If you have not seen it yet, find out for yourself how Rian Johnson fared.
