Rian Johnson explains his approach to the finale in order to defend Star Wars: The Last Jedi once more. The Last Jedi, the second installment in the Star Wars sequel trilogy and the eighth movie in the Skywalker saga, continued Rey’s (Daisy Ridley) journey as she sought Luke Skywalker’s (Mark Hamill) assistance in her Jedi training. She did, however, discover a Luke who was very different from the main trilogy’s hero and who had abandoned his duties as a Jedi. In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Luke, who had left the Jedi Order after becoming weary of its ways, reappeared as a hologram and heroically sacrificed himself to aid Leia (Carrie Fisher), Rey, and the other Resistance fighters in escaping.
Johnson discusses his approach to Star Wars: The Last Jedi in an interview with The Atlantic, stating that his desire to prioritize an epic, satisfying finale had a significant role in the final result. The Last Jedi’s epilogue now has more meaning thanks to director Rian Johnson’s self-described goal to “burn the Viking boat into the sea” with the film’s climax. See the complete quote from Johnson below:
“In terms of the Star Wars movie I did, I tried to give it a hell of an ending. I love endings so much that even doing the middle chapter of the trilogy, I tried to give it an ending. A good ending that recontextualizes everything that came before it and makes it a beautiful object unto itself—that’s what makes a movie, a movie. It feels like there’s less and less of that. This whole poisonous idea of creating [intellectual property] has completely seeped into the bedrock of storytelling. Everyone is just thinking, ‘How do we keep milking it?’ I love an ending where you burn the Viking boat into the sea.”
Johnson’s Intention for The Last Jedi Was Admirable – But Disputed
With Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Johnson had to strike a delicate balance between telling a compelling, original tale while also feeling connected to all that has gone before. Johnson’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi strategy was well-intentioned; it didn’t sacrifice a movie’s quality for its sequel potential, suggesting that a well-made and gratifying film was produced. Though many fans of the franchise complained that the last sequel trilogy film didn’t seem like a Star Wars movie and purposefully seemed to reject the rest of the brand, Star Wars: The Last Jedi was immensely divisive among moviegoers.
Luke’s character development was one of the main criticisms in Star Wars: The Last Jedi from fans, who expressed dismay with Luke’s choice to disregard the laws and teachings of the Jedi and walk away from a battle in his advanced age. It didn’t seem to fit with the heroic character he had been depicted as in the beginning. Johnson’s remarks on the cost of producing several sequels are pertinent in this sense, as fans were only irritated by Luke in Star Wars: The Last Jedi as a result of all that came before it. Johnson aimed to make Star Wars: The Last Jedi stand alone and be more self-contained.
Johnson’s Continued Comments Are More Relevant Than Ever
Despite the fact that Star Wars: The Last Jedi has divided audiences, Johnson’s thesis about how sequels alter the movie-going experience is especially pertinent to the Disney+ age, in which both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars have accrued several more chapters. The struggle over intellectual property has permeated many aspects of the narrative, even outside of Disney+, as prequels, spinoffs, and sequels have grown more prevalent. Recent examples include Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water. While Johnson’s explanation of his method contextualizes the reasons why Star Wars: The Last Jedi notoriously tried to defy viewer expectations, the picture can’t escape its place as a sequel.