Joseph Gordon-Levitt Defends 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

Star Wars: The Last Jedi” has been in cinemas for a month now, and debate continue to swirl around the movie, which is probably the finest compliment it could receive.

Many longtime fans of the franchise were left severely disappointed by writer/director Rian Johnson‘s movie, which declared that Rey’s parents doesn’t matter, nudged the lines of what it means to use the Force, and most crucially of all, killed off Luke Skywalker. Indeed, the Jedi master we meet in ‘The Last Jedi’ is far from the young hero of the original trilogy. Cynical and weary, he now believes the Jedi and the mythology around it are more of a threat than an asset to the Rebellion. And for those of us that like the film, that’s precisely what makes ‘The Last Jedi’ so enjoyable.

There have been many defenders and detractors of the movie, and the latest to step into the fray is Joseph Gordon-Levitt. In a piece for Medium, the actor makes clear his professional relationship with Johnson which has included lead roles in “Brick” and “Looper,” and cameos in “The Brothers Bloom” and ‘The Last Jedi.’ However, he only saw the completed film recently, and was spurred to share his thoughts after seeing divisive reaction online.

In short, Gordon-Levitt believes that the depiction of Luke is a natural progression for the character. Essentially, he’s forty years old, and so it only makes sense that his relationship to the Force and his outlook in general are quite different than when he was a young Jedi. Here are some excerpts from Gordon-Levitt’s piece:

Leaving Luke unchanged would have been a huge missed opportunity. Think about how rare this is. A trilogy of movies is made with a young protagonist played by an actor in his 20s. Then, no fewer than 40 YEARS LATER (A New Hope came out in 1977) this actor gets to play the same character as an older man. I don’t know how many times that has ever happened in the history of movies. Has it ever happened?

This gives the filmmaker and the actor an extraordinary opportunity to tell a story about one of the most universal truths in human experience — getting older. We all get older, and those of us who are lucky enough to survive our youth all face the joys, the terrors, the puzzles, the pitfalls, the surprises, and the inevitabilities that come along with doing so. Re-meeting our beloved protagonist decades after we last saw him, only to learn that the passing years have changed some of his most fundamental qualities, I’ll admit, it’s almost hard to see. But in that glaring contrast between the Luke of old and the new Old Luke, The Last Jedi offers a uniquely fascinating portrayal of a man’s life marching inescapably forward.

Time changes us. Go talk to anybody in their sixties and ask if they feel very different than they did in their twenties. The look on their face will almost surely speak volumes. As do so many such looks from Mark Hamill in what I feel is a beautifully nuanced and heartfelt performance….

….To me, this is a story about not losing faith: faith in the outside world, faith in your allies as well as your enemies, in the future as well as the past, in the next generation that will take your place, and yes, faith in your own damn self. Luke has made mistakes that had terrible consequences, and his regret is so strong that he wants to give up. We need to see that despair, hidden under a crusty front of indifference, so that when he finally decides to put himself out there and make the ultimate sacrifice, it means something. It means more than just stalling the First Order to let the remainder of the Resistance escape. Our protagonist has arrived at the end of his journey. He’s re-found his faith, both in the past and the future of the Jedi Order, and even more importantly, in himself. Again, it’s in that glaring contrast between a journey’s beginnings and its end where we find a story’s meaning.

It’s a great perspective on the film, and if you don’t agree with Gordon-Levitt, he’s cool with that. But he reminds you that, “This isn’t politics or sports. The fruit is in the subjectivity.” Damn, right.

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” is now playing everywhere. Give it a second or third viewing!