While critics loved it, fans were divided on the eighth Star Wars sequel. In an interview with Empire magazine, director Rian Johnson feels “even more proud” of The Last Jedi five years since its release. He said of his approach, “When I was up to bat, I really swung at the ball.”
Rian Johnson continued about Last Jedi and Star Wars as a whole. To him, tackling the IP meant handling the “myth” that embedded itself into people at a young age. Growing up on the franchise made him reach for that “power of myth.” He wanted a movie about Star Wars and what it means to fans, including himself.
“I think it’s impossible for any of us to approach Star Wars without thinking about it as a myth that we were raised with, and how that myth, that story, baked itself into us and affected us. The ultimate intent was not to strip away—the intent was to get to the basic, fundamental power of myth.”
Five years after its release, Rian Johnson is “more proud” of The Last Jedi
Out of everything Rian Johnson directed, The Last Jedi is his most divisive and arguably remains the most controversial within the franchise. On Rotten Tomatoes, critics loved it as its 486 reviews made for a score of 91%, but with over 100,000 reviews, the audience score is 42%. Still, it did not stop the film from being a massive hit as it grossed $1.3 billion worldwide, making it the second highest-grossing film in the franchise behind Force Awakens‘ $2 billion.
A divisive film like The Last Jedi did not stop Rian Johnson from more success. He regained love from audiences with his star-studded whodunit, Knives Out. Its thoughtful questions and answers, humor, and cast with heavy hitters like Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, and Daniel Craig made it a huge hit. This year will be the sequel, Glass Onion, as Craig tackles another brain twister of a murder case with an eccentric cast of characters with A-listers like Ethan Hawke, Dave Bautista, Jessica Henwick, and more. The film will be released on Netflix and theatrically.