Rian Johnson Is ‘Even More Proud’ Of ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Now Than When It Came Out

The Last Jedi is either your favorite of the Star Wars sequel films, or your least favorite. It’s hard to imagine it being anyone’s second favorite. I personally think it’s the third best Star Wars movie overall, after The Empire Strikes Back and A New Hope, and a lot of critics agree: it has a 91 percent “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes… but only a 42 percent “Audience Score.” That’s even lower than The Rise of Skywalker, the clumsy conclusion to the Skywalker saga. The Last Jedi inspired a backlash from very online Star Wars fans who did not enjoy Luke being a crank, among other supposed misdeeds, but writer and director Rian Johnson is still proud of his vision, as he should be.

“I’m even more proud of it five years on. When I was up at bat, I really swung at the ball,” the Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery filmmaker told Empire. “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.” He continued:

“The ultimate intent was not to strip away – the intent was to get to the basic, fundamental power of myth. And ultimately I hope the film is an affirmation of the power of the myth of Star Wars in our lives.”

The Last Jedi has a auteur-like vision, which is not something you often get from blockbusters these days, let alone a Disney movie. Also: porgs. It’s hard to believe that anyone could hate The Last Jedi when it gave us porgs. And “let the past die…” and the throne room scene. But mostly the porgs.