The Star Wars fandom remains fairly divided when it comes to the prequels and sequels to the original trilogy of films, and nowhere is the divide more stark than with the latest movie, 2017’s The Last Jedi. Of all of the movies that have been released thus far, this one seems to spark the most controversy — to the extent that some viewers are still complaining about it on the internet two years after it hit theaters.
And while the rare complaint about the film is valid, much of the criticism has been attributed to fans wanting a different approach to the storytelling. Some feel that the movie took too many risks when compared to the other Star Wars movies, many of which follow a well-established formula. Others, unfortunately, are generally unhappy with the inclusion of women and people of color in leading roles.
Director Rian Johnson, who has been dealing with criticism of The Last Jedi for years now, has some harsh words for that last set. Comicbook.com reports that Johnson clapped back at fans during a WIRED live event to promote his upcoming film Knives Out.
"If someone’s responding to diversity negatively, fuck ‘em. If anyone didn’t like the movie, I’m not saying that’s why they didn’t like it… It wasn’t surprising at all to me, I grew up as a Star Wars fan. And I grew up — I was in my twenties when the prequels came out and this whole idea that it’s all been sunshine and roses and suddenly everybody’s yelling at each other is baffling to me."
Johnson clearly isn’t concerned with Star Wars fans complaining about “SJWs” and diverse lead roles, and he shouldn’t need to be — those criticisms don’t stem from an issue with his work, but from opinions that very likely shouldn’t still exist in 2019.
What he addresses later in his statement is interesting, though, as it seems plenty of fans have forgotten how much backlash the prequel trilogy received upon its release in the late ’90s and early ’00s. The complaints have slowed over the years, especially with a new trilogy for viewers to discuss, but Episodes I, II and III saw plenty of backlash back in the day.
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Either way, it doesn’t seem like Johnson is letting the negative feedback get to him. If the hype is to be believed, The Rise of Skywalker will be one of the most risk-taking Star Wars films yet. We might even start hearing about that one instead…
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