When the first Star Wars movie, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope was released it was a hit in 1977. The film became a cult classic as George Lucas’ ability to successfully tell an intergalactic adventure managed to amass countless fans of different generations who still tend to watch the intergalactic adventure and the battle between the Jedis and the Siths. Even after almost five decades, the original Star Wars trilogy stayed relevant as it featured relevant themes such as the battle between right and wrong, the struggle for freedom, personal growth, romance, and more.
The original trilogy not only features iconic dialogues but also well-written characters that fans could not get enough of, leaving a lasting impact on the viewers. However, the same could not be said for Daisy Ridley’s Trilogy as fans want to forget that those trilogies had ever happened because they were immensely disappointing.
Rian Johnson Defends Daisy Ridley’s Star Wars Trilogy
As fans know that Daisy Ridley‘s Star Wars trilogy failed to make a lasting impact like its predecessor, fans, and critics have bombed the trilogy for a multitude of reasons. Majorly, the film was criticized for its inconsistent plot direction, treatment of iconic characters, major plotholes, and bits of comedy featured in the new Star Wars films.
During an exclusive interview with GQ, Rian Johnson breaks the silence on the hate received from some new Star Wars fans complaining about the light-hearted moments in the trilogy. Johnson affirmed that “Slightly goofy humor” has always been part of the sci-fi franchise, and dates back to the original films by George Lucas.
The Knives Out director continued that everything that was featured in the film was an essential part of the franchise, and he sees the franchise in that manner. Though he pointed out that “everyone has a different take,” and explained why his film was not scary like the Batman movies.
“For me, everything in the movie is ‘Star Wars,’ and everything in the movie I can trace back to deeply, in a deep way, what ‘Star Wars’ is for me. Everyone has a different take. I know there are ‘Star Wars’ fans who somehow think that ‘Star Wars’ was a serious thing, like the Batman movies or something.”
“I was so young that when I watched ‘Empire Strikes Back,’ it had this deep, profound impact on me, because it was terrifying, because I was just young enough to not experience it as watching a ‘Star Wars’ movie, but to have it feel like too real.”
Rian Johnson continued that any person who claims to be a fan of the sci-fi franchise would enjoy the comedy, and points out various examples from the numerous movies.
“Anyone who thinks that slightly goofy humor does not have a place in the Star Wars universe, I don’t know if they’ve seen ‘Return of The Jedi’. There’s literally a scene where Han Solo is like a cartoon… tied up to a pole and a torch goes by him and he [tries to blow it out repeatedly].”
“The slightly self-aware element of gleeful humor is something that is part and parcel to ‘Star Wars.’ We get very serious as well. That balance is also something that is very ‘Star Wars.’”
While Johnson can not force the fans to change their perspective of the film because the ones who despised it, really despised it. As a result, the new trilogy was not a fan favorite and Disney had to change their roadmap for the future.
George Lucas Enjoyed Watching Star Wars: Episode VIII
When Episode VIII was released, George Lucas stated that the film did not feature new elements, and it was similar to the original films. As it was the first film that excluded any involvement from the 79-year-old actor, however, the film had an uncanny resemblance with the original Star Wars trilogy. The film had positive reviews from both fans and critics and it did immensely well at the box office as well, earning $1.3 billion, but Lucas was not convinced with the film.
Though the film was a controversial addition to the franchise, it was praised by critics for breaking the stereotypes and taking a different approach. Additionally, George Lucas criticized The Last Jedi for lack of creativity, but it looks like the director did enjoy watching the beautiful cinematography, and breathtaking shots. Connie Wethington, his representative told THR that the shots of the film were “beautifully made.” Only if he had commented on the film’s plot it would have been helpful if he loved the sequel or not.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi can be streamed on Disney+.
Source: GQ
