Star Wars: The Last Jedi has been receiving negative backlash online as chat threads are filling up with heated fan debates, with many fans expressing disappointment. Much of the online backlash is aimed at writer/director Rian Johnson, and now he has addressed the fans' criticisms. During an interview with Business Insider's Jason Guerrasio, Johnson said:
"Having been a "Star Wars" fan my whole life and having spent most of my life on the other side of the curb and in that fandom, it softens the blow a little bit.I'm aware through my own experience that, first of all, the fans are so passionate, they care so deeply, sometimes they care very violently at me on Twitter. But it's because they care about these things and it hurts when you're expecting something specific and you don't get it from something that you love. It always hurts so I don't take it personally if a fan reacts negatively and lashes out on me on Twitter. That's fine. It's my job to be there for that."
Johnson stated that the negative backlash comes from fans who are disappointed that their expectations didn't match up with his choices.
"...every fan has a list of stuff they want a "Star Wars" movie to be and they don't want a "Star Wars" movie to be. You're going to find very few fans out there whose lists line up. And I also know the same way the original movies were personal for [George] Lucas. Lucas never made a "Star Wars" movie by sitting down and thinking, "What do the fans want to see?" And I knew if I wrote wondering what the fans would want, as tempting as that is, it wouldn't work because people would still be shouting at me, "F--- you, you ruined 'Star Wars,'" and I would make a bad movie. And ultimately that's the one thing nobody wants."
When The Force Awakens came out last year, J.J. Abrams was criticized for recycling same old plot elements from A New Hope, and although Rian Johnson has taken a more original approached, the backlash against his film seems stronger. Nonetheless, Johnson still ended on a positive note, expressing his appreciation to the fans.
"And let me just add that 80%-90% of the reaction I've gotten from Twitter has been really lovely. There's been a lot of joy and love from fans. When I talk about the negative stuff, that's not the full picture of the fans at all."
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is now showing in theaters.
Read more: Top 13 Reasons Why Some Star Wars Fans Hate The Last Jedi
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