There is little doubt that Star Wars: The Last Jedi was a risky film to make. However, Rian Johnson has explained why it was necessary to bring in so many surprises in Star Wars Episode VIII.
Johnson was recently a guest on the Creative Processing with Joseph Gordon-Levitt podcast where he discussed the risks he made with The Last Jedi. Interestingly, the Knives Out director stated that he was keeping up with the traditions of the Star Wars Universe.
"I think the instant you start thinking in terms of how do you not step outside of the bounds of what the original movies did, you're not thinking the way the people who made the original movies did. They were with every movie, they were pushing it forward, with every movie they were stepping outside those bounds and pushing the characters into new, emotionally honest, but surprising places. That's why those movies are great. That's why they're alive," Johnson said.
The filmmaker pointed out that the original trilogy would not have been a huge success if it wasn't for the risks taken.
"If they had been looking at something that came before it and saying, 'Oh, we better not do this because that is outside of this or that,' it would've been different," he said.
Well, if you think about it, the original trilogy was a complete shock for moviegoers when they first came out in the 1970s and 1980s. In addition to that, the prequel trilogy was slammed by critics but have since been considered beloved classics. Is it possible that fans just need more time before they can accept what happened in The Last Jedi? We might find out in the future.
J.J. Abrams will take over Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which hits theaters on December 20.
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