Star Wars: The Last Jedi might have had a lot of critical success during its theatrical release, however, fan reactions towards the film have been varied, making The Force Awakens sequel one of the most divisive entries in the Star Wars saga.
Though there were those that appreciated the risks that were taken in The Last Jedi, others didn't really care for the way the film subverted fan expectations and tweaked with the development of legacy characters like Luke Skywalker.
Speaking in an interview with Den of Geek,Star Wars legend Mark Hamill admits that he's surprised by the backlash surrounding The Last Jedi, saying the film's haters go so far to be heard.
" I was surprised that there was some backlash to it, but I get it, because I'm a fan too. It's hard not to feel a sense of ownership, because they're so invested in [the characters]. I totally get that. Because yeah, I feel a sense of ownership with Luke, but he's really not mine. I'm the host body, but it doesn't belong to me. The investment I totally get, because yeah, when I'm making the film there's nothing more important. I question everything, I want it to be the best it can be. But once it's finished, it doesn't belong to me anymore, it belongs to the public. I'm more interested in what they think about it rather than me telling them what I think about it."
Things were very different back during the original trilogy. Fans didn't have the internet to aggressively voice out their opinions about the films they watched and they certainly didn't take time to send out hate mail.
"So, again, back in the day, you didn't have the internet, where people could deliver their opinions directly into your computer every day. Nobody wrote letters to say, "Dear Mr Hamill, I'm so not a fan, you stink. Sincerely, JG Jones."
Not only is Hamill surprised by how much time fans have on their hands to vent about how Star Wars didn't give them what they want, the Star Wars legend's also shocked by the effort fans take trying to bring down films like The Last Jedi.
"Now they can (go directly online to rant about Star Wars) ! Again, I'm surprised that people go to the effort of hacking the scores at Rotten Tomatoes. I dunno, they don't like diversity, they don't like the minority characters, they don't like the females. I mean, really? Don't you have something better to do with your life than spending your time venting because Star Wars doesn't give you what you wanted?"
Though it's understandable that fans have some sort of sense of entitlement over the franchise growing up with Star Wars, it's terrible that some would go as far as to bash the film every single day and push out petitions asking for the film to be taken out of canon.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is currently available on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital HD.
Read: Ninety Percent Of The Star Wars: The Last Jedi Feedback Rian Johnson's Received Has Been Positive
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