We finally know what Rian Johnson thinks ofThe Rise of Skywalker. Johnson directed the second entry in the sequel trilogy,The Last Jedi, but did not return to helm the finale. Instead, J.J. Abrams, who directedThe Force Awakens, came in to finish what he started. Now, nearly two months later, Johnson has weighed in on the end result and has nothing but nice things to say.
Rian Johnsonwas at the Academy Awards over the weekend, as his most recent movieKnives Outwas nominated for Best Original Screenplay. During an interview on the red carpet, Johnson was asked to give his “totally impartial review” ofStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Here’s what Johnson had to say.
“I had a blast, man. Made me so proud and seeing the heart and soul that J.J. put into it. And seeing my friends who were in the movie just like, bring the whole thing to a conclusion. For me, as a Star Wars fan, it was a really special experience.”
There are a few ways one can choose to look at this. First off, it’s highly unlikely Rian Johnson would ever say anything negative about a fellow filmmaker like J.J. Abrams, nor would he throw any shade Lucasfilm’s way as, for the moment,he’s still scheduled to make a new trilogy of Star Wars movies. Also, Johnson is an incredibly positive person. Even in the face of all the ugliness online that came ofThe Last Jedi,Rian Johnson stayed positive about everything Star Wars. So it’s hard to imagine him saying anything other than something nice about Episode IX, no matter how it’s sliced.
The past two entries in the Skywalker saga have been quite divisive, but in different ways. Critics largely adoredThe Last Jedi, as it currently holds a 91 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Yet, its audience rating is very poor, at just 43 percent. Meanwhile, critics were very divided onStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which sits at 52 percent critically. But its audience rating is much higher, currently at 86 percent. So the movies essentially had the inverse issue, when looking at the numbers. Financially speaking,Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalkeris taking the silver medal here, as it’s grossed $1.06 billion globally, whereasThe Last Jediearned $1.33 billion.
Lucasfilm will be taking a break from Star Wars on the big screen for a few years, with the next movie dated for December 2020. Originally, that was supposed to be the first entry in the trilogy fromGame of Thronescreators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, but they parted ways with the project late last year. Rian Johnson’s trilogy, which remains almost entirely mysterious, is still supposedly happening,but it’s not clear when that will happen, but withKnives Out 2in the works, it seems almost certain we won’t be seeing that in 2022. Feel free to check out the full interview clip from theMTV News Twitteraccount.
