Why JJ Abrams, John Boyega and Daisy Ridley Are All of a Sudden Criticizing ‘The Last Jedi'

I predicted this would happen.

The creatives over at Disney and Lucasfilm are desperately trying to do a “course correction” to get back some of the fans they lost from “The Last Jedi,” just in time for the December 20th release of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” The cast and crew are now giving their honest opinions about “The Last Jedi.” We had already heard from Daisy Ridley and John Boyega about their problems with Rian Johnson’s controversial SW film, but now comes an even more important voice criticizing Johnson’s vision: ‘Rise of Skywalker’ director, JJ Abrams.

In a new profile over at NY Times, Abrams seems to be a little too comfortable in his criticism of ‘Jedi.’ Abrams came aboard to finish the Skywalker Saga after Disney probably realized the damage that Johnson had inflicted on their beloved billion-dollar franchise. And while the film received solid reviews, it made $300 million less domestically than “The Force Awakens,” with many hardcore fans feeling betrayed by Johnson’s vision. This led to Abrams coming aboard to somehow “fix” the franchise before it was too late.

And in the recent interview, it does appear as though Abrams will try to steer the ship back into place with ‘Rise of the Skywalker’:

“It was a bit of a meta approach to the story. I don’t think that people go to ‘Star Wars’ to be told, ‘This doesn’t matter,” Abrams bluntly said about Johnson’s movie.

Ouch.

Abrams added that because Johnson took so many risks, he felt that the final chapter he is directing provided him with a reason to “swing in the other” direction.

Yes, Rian Johnson’s “The Last Jedi” riled up many long-time “Star Wars” fans and quickly became the most divisive movie in franchise history. There’s no arguing that. You may say the film was “bold,” but there’s no discounting the fact that those who did the complaining were longtime fans who, in all essence, were purists when it came to the franchise and were allergic to any kind of change emerging in the characters and storylines. The main complaint was, of course, the way Johnson treated Luke Skywalker and how his all-encompassing statement that the “Jedi was dead” could not have been uttered by the same guy who told Yoda in 1980’s “The Empire Strikes Back” that “I won’t fail you, I’m not afraid.” Alas, this deviation from the original spirit of the character rubbed many people the wrong way. Others were also complaining about the new characters who, coincidentally or not, were female (Laura Dern’s Admiral Holdo and Kelly Marie Tran’s Rose Tico), which even led to a fan deciding to edit his own 46 minute version of the "The Last Jedi" without any women in it.

For many, the joys of Star Wars come from the comfort of familiarity, the mythology Lucas created. “The Last Jedi” erases all that. The primary intent of the film was to reinvent the franchise. Of course, these purists wanted things to stay the same, but watching “The Last Jedi” you can sense director Rian Jonson trying to, as Kylo Ren says, “let the past die.” It’s a theme that resonates throughout the film. The little moments that make up this backlash are not “little” to fans of Lucas’ original films. For example, Rey handing off Anakin’s blue lightsaber to Luke, who then goes on to toss it over his shoulder and brush off Rey? That’s a nono for them. Luke doesn’t even believe in himself anymore. The mythology, his legend, was in fact a sham according to this new movie. 

I do understand why Abrams, Ridley, Hamill, Kennedy, Boyego and company are being critical of “The Last Jedi.” They know Johnson is not popular amongst fans and they know that they desperately need the hardcores they lost to jump back on board this ship.

‘Rise of Skywalker’ opens on December 20th.