While the fans and critics have all weighed in on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker to divisive results, there are many who have been waiting to hear what The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson thinks of the film. Now, the wait is over. Johnson spoke to MTV while walking the red carpet for the 2020 Academy Awards and shared how he felt after watching JJ Abrams complete the Skywalker Saga.
“I had a blast, man,” Johnson said. “Made me so proud and seeing the heart and soul that JJ put into it. And seeing my friends who were in the movie just like, bring the whole thing to a conclusion. Yeah, for me as a Star Wars fan, it was a really special experience.”
Johnson clearly enjoyed himself watching the film, although he didn’t get into any specifics. If anything, Johnson would have reason to be miffed at how The Rise of Skywalker unfolded because it seemed to contradict, ignore, and outright retcon numerous things he did in The Last Jedi, from Rey’s parentage to the restoration of the Skywalker saber. Much has been made about how Abrams and co-writer Chris Terrio’s story went out of its way to “fix” things that certain fans didn’t like about The Last Jedi, but Johnson seems unbothered by any of that.
Johnson also seems unbothered by the fact that Kelly Marie Tran’s Rose Tico, a character he created and introduced in The Last Jedi, was only given 90 seconds of screen time in The Rise of Skywalker.
Regardless, Johnson has been enjoying the success of Knives Out, which earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay and has just received the green light for a sequel starring Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc. And despite rumors to the contrary, Johnson is still working on a series of new Star Wars movies for Disney.
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Joshua is Senior Features Editor at IGN. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.
Source: IGN.com Rian Johnson ‘Had a Blast’ Watching Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker