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Rian Johnson Talks About the Backlash to Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Published Tue, 19 Dec 2017 15:37:32 -0600

The reaction to Star Wars: The Last Jedi has been contentious to say the least. There are people that have been losing their minds since the movie was released last weekend, and one of the people that has been baring the brunt of that insanity is writer/director Rian Johnson. Johnson is active on Twitter and recently spoke to Business Insider about the backlash to the movie.

"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. I'm aware through my own experience that, first of all, the fans are so passionate, they care so deeply — sometimes they care very violently at me on Twitter. But it's because they care about these things, and it hurts when you're expecting something specific and you don't get it from something that you love. It always hurts, so I don't take it personally if a fan reacts negatively and lashes out on me on Twitter. That's fine. It's my job to be there for that. Like you said, every fan has a list of stuff they want a Star Wars movie to be and they don't want a Star Wars movie to be. You're going to find very few fans out there whose lists line up."

As a fan himself, Johnson also knew that there was going to backlash no matter what he did, so he aimed to make good movie with passion behind it instead of the movie he thought the fans would want.

"I also know the same way the original movies were personal for Lucas. Lucas never made a Star Wars movie by sitting down and thinking, 'What do the fans want to see?' 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— you, you ruined Star Wars,' and I would make a bad movie. And ultimately, that's the one thing nobody wants."

While the loudest voices in the room are the ones pitching a fit, botting Rotten Tomatoes, and making petitions, Johnson says that they are not the majority.

"Let me just add that 80-90% of the reaction I've gotten from Twitter has been really lovely. There's been a lot of joy and love from fans. When I talk about the negative stuff, that's not the full picture of the fans at all."

It's easy to get lost in the negativity when it comes to something like this, but Johnson seems to realize that they are the minority no matter how loud they get.

Summary: Rey develops her newly discovered abilities with the guidance of Luke Skywalker, who is unsettled by the strength of her powers. Meanwhile, the Resistance prepares to do battle with the First Order.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi, directed by Rian Johnson, stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Mark Hamill, Oscar Isaac, Carrie Fisher, and Adam Driver. It's out now.

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