Director Rian Johnson Addresses The Negative Fan Backlash For STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI
After Star Wars: The Last Jedi was released, I was honestly surprised by the negative backlash that it was getting from the fans. There's so much of it, it not like you can ignore it. The movie just ended up being a huge disappointment for some fans and during a recent interview with Business Insider, director Rian Johnson talks about all the negative fan reaction saying:
"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."
Damn, the guy seems to be stepping up and taking the punishment he's getting like a champion. I do like that he understands the way fans are and is there to take the lashing and not run away from it. The director went on to talk about fandom and explains how his story choices just weren't in line with what the fans environed in their minds:
"...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. And I also know the same way the original movies were personal for [George] 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."
Johnson left things on a positive note, saying that he has also been enjoying the comments from the enthusiastic fans that did love the film, saying:
"And 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."
I thought Johnson did a fantastic Job with The Last Jedi. Sure, it wasn't a perfect film but I sure did enjoy the hell out of it! What do you think about what Johnson had to say here about the negative commentary on his film?