Despite its critical and commercial success, Star Wars: The Last Jedi has become one of the most divisive films in the Star Wars franchise, causing an uproar amongst fans who feel outraged by subverted expectations and skewed Star Wars lore.
Taking to Medium, Golden Globe nominee Joseph Gorden Levitt has decided to defend The Last Jedi after just recently seeing the film. Gordon-Levitt's worked starred in almost all of Johnson's films, so he goes starts with a disclaimer saying that the essay's simply his own opinion and that he's "probably biased in its favor."
"But then again, we're all biased somehow, so there's that," the actor points out. In his essay, Gordon-Levitt tries to explain why it made sense that Luke would have ended up a bitter and jaded hermit forty years after A New Hope.
"Leaving Luke unchanged would have been a huge missed opportunity," Gordon-Levitt wrote. "Think about how rare this is. A trilogy of movies is made with a young protagonist played by an actor in his 20s. Then, no fewer than 40 YEARS LATER (A New Hope came out in 1977) this actor gets to play the same character as an older man. I don't know how many times that has ever happened in the history of movies. Has it ever happened?"
According to Gordon Levitt, seeing Luke at such a low point in his life made his character even more compelling and cathartic to watch on the big screen.
"No one is a perfect hero or a perfect villain, we're more complicated than that, every one of us," the actor went on. "Flawless characters feel thin. And forgive me if I blaspheme, but the young Luke Skywalker always did feel just a little light to me, which is why it was so cool this time around to see him fill out into a more imperfect human being."
Of course the actor understands why fans would feel a tad bit upset by Johnson's version of Luke. In his essay, Gordon-Levitt acknowledges that "Luke is the epitome of a hero. He is what we strive to be. He's also our access point into a world we love." However, seeing Luke change makes him even more human, and even more complex.
What do you think? Do you think Gordon-Levitt's explanation makes sense?
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is currently screening in cinemas.
Read: StarWars: The Last Jedi Director Explains Why Luke Tossed Away His Lightsaber
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