It’s hard to see Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker as anything but a slap in the face to Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Episode IX takes everything that its predecessor sets up, including Rey’s heritage and Kylo Ren’s descent into evil, and throws it to the side in favor of more traditional Star Wars arcs. Given the backlash to The Last Jedi, it’s easy to see why J.J. Abrams and Co. went in that direction, as they were trying to save a sinking ship ahead of its big finale. Whether the retcons were warranted or not, it would be hard to blame Rian Johnson if he was a little bitter about the situation. After all, he was brought in to solve all the mysteries Abrams set up when he made Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Surprisingly, all these years later, Johnson has a good attitude about the whole thing. During an interview with Rolling Stone, he revealed that he enjoyed watching The Rise of Skywalker and understood what Abrams was going for.
“When I saw the movie, I had a great time watching it,” Johnson explained. “Again, this is all about point of view. I never approach this as, like, a territory I’m carving out for my thing. In my perspective, J.J. did the same thing with the third that I did with the second, which is not digging it up and undoing – just telling the story the way that was most compelling going forward. That means not just validating what came before, but recontextualizing it and evolving and changing as the story moves forward. I didn’t feel resentful in some way.”
Johnson did have one caveat, though, saying that there really wasn’t a scenario where he wouldn’t have enjoyed Episode IX because the people who made it are near and dear to his heart.
“But you’re talking about a movie made by my friends, with my friends in it,” he continued. “I sit down to watch a movie, and it’s a Star Wars movie. It’s all stuff I love. I’m not the one to come to for a hard-hitting critique. You can go to YouTube for that.”
Of course, opening up YouTube and searching for content about the sequels isn’t for the faint of heart. Even half a decade after the release of The Rise of Skywalker, detractors still love to be critical of the trilogy’s choices and the people who made it. However, there may come a time when the sequels get at least some of the credit they deserve.
Star Wars’ Sequel Trilogy Can’t Be Bad Forever
It’s easy to forget that the prequel trilogy received its fair share of backlash. Critics thought the story was dull and that it rushed Anakin Skywalker’s fall to the dark side. However, the conversation around the prequels is very different today than it was a decade ago, mostly because the people who grew up with the movies are now older and able to convey their love for that era of Star Wars.
While there will always be those who can’t stand the sequels, the same thing is bound to happen, where, despite their flaws, the movies find their fair share of fans. They’ll embrace the uniqueness of each film and how, for better or worse, The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker take huge swings. Johnson already seems to get the idea that there’s room to love all Star Wars, so it’s only a matter of time before others follow his lead.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Star Wars: The Last Jedi are streaming on Disney+.
Are you surprised by how Rian Johnson feels about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker? Do you think its retcons are bad? Let us know in the comments below!
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