Star Wars: The Last Jedi might be experiencing both commercial and critical success, however, a vocal portion of the fanbase has been expressing outrage over the sequel trilogy installment. Fans felt very upset that The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson decided to subvert everyone's expectations, complaining to no end about Rey being a nobody, Snoke getting killed off too soon, and Luke getting turned into a bitter and jaded hermit.
Another prominent issue that fans have with the film is the Force powers being presented in The Last Jedi. Luke, Leia and Snoke's use of the Force are all things that fans have never seen before, and traditional fans felt like they were put out of their comfort zone.
Speaking in an interview with Empire, Johnson explains that he actually put in some restraint in displaying the new use of the Force in The Last Jedi.
"It was twofold," explained the filmmaker. "First of all, it's tough, because, at this point between The Force Awakens and even the video games, the level of Force powers has slowly come up. I feel like we still offered a modicum of restraint because we didn't have anyone pulling Star Destroyers out of the sky. And believe me, it came up when Luke came out on to the field, I was, like, 'should he wave his hand and all the walkers blow off like dust?' The things that are in there that are Force moments largely came out of the dramatic moments."
Johnson also went on to detail Leia's use of the Force, saying that though fans feel shocked how the Resistance General uses the Force to save herself, it actually didn't take much to move herself in space and bring her back to the ship.
"But the Leia thing is an interesting example. It's something that Kathy kept bringing up, which I thought was interesting," Johnson said. "She said, 'I've always been intrigued by what Luke says to Leia in Jedi in that she has the power inside her also, and why haven't we seen that?' And the idea behind Leia's big moment was that it was not incredibly powerful because she's in space and that doesn't offer much resistance, it doesn't take much to pull her back in. But also, that it's instinctual. It's like when you hear parents that have a toddler trapped under a car, and they lift the car up with Hulk strength. The idea that it's not going to end today, that she's not finished yet."
It makes a lot of sense when you put it that way – though we doubt that the angry fanboys would let this explanation pass through. The Last Jedi's managed to successfully divide the Star Wars fanbase and some fans are still too angry to see the merits of the film.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is currently screening in cinemas.
Read: Star Wars: The Last Jedi Director Explains Why Luke Tossed Away His Lightsaber
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!
Fandoms