It’s been 194 days since “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” was released in theaters. Before the fateful day in December, ‘Star Wars’ fans were elated as the prospect of the next chapter in the Skywalker Saga. However, when ‘The Last Jedi’ finally was released to audiences, the Internet exploded with fans decrying that their childhood love had died and that the galaxy far, far away was forever tainted.
And believe it or not, the most high-profile fan to let his issues with ‘The Last Jedi’ known is none other than Mark Hamill. The star of the film, and icon to sci-fi/fantasy fans around the universe, was one of the more vocal critics of filmmaker Rian Johnson’s newest film. And in the 194 days since, Hamill’s thoughts have slightly softened, but gosh darn it, he’s still hurt.
“There’s just such a huge gap between ‘Return of the Jedi’ and ‘Force Awakens’ – I had to really contemplate that,” Mark Hamill said in a new interview with IGN. “I said ‘hey, how did I go from being the most optimistic, positive character to this cranky, suicidal man who wants people to get off his island?’”
That, right there, is the crux of Hamill’s problem with ‘The Last Jedi.’ Hamill, like many fans, imagined Luke Skywalker would be the hero they knew and love 30 years ago. Instead, Lucasfilm and Rian Johnson gave fans a Luke that didn’t age nearly as gracefully and retreated to a planet far away from everyone else.
“It was a radical change, but I think sometimes being pushed out of your comfort zone is a good thing […] Although a part of me said to Rian, ‘but you know, a Jedi would never give up’. My concept of the character was that even if I chose the New Hitler thinking he was the New Hope, yeah I’d feel terrible, but I wouldn’t secret myself on an island and then turn off the Force,” he continued.
Really what it comes down to for Hamill is that he hoped that in the 30 years between appearances, Luke would have complete mastery of the Force and would be the superhero fans hoped for. He goes on to explain how ‘The Force Awakens’ helmer J.J. Abrams told him that the ending shot of the film, with Rey handing the lightsaber to Luke, would have included Luke’s power being shown by boulders hovering around him. So, instead of ‘The Last Jedi’ being filled with Luke’s incredible Force power, which Hamill wished would include lightning bolts, he was given a character that shunned his powers.
Ultimately, Hamill thinks Luke’s fate in the film is tragic. “It is tragic. I’m not a method actor, but one of the techniques a method actor will use is to try and use real-life experiences to relate to whatever fictional scenario he’s involved in. The only thing I could think of, given the screenplay that I read, was that I was of the Beatles generation – ‘All You Need Is Love’, ‘peace and love,’” Hamill says.
“I thought at that time, when I was a teenager: ‘By the time we get in power, there will be no more war, there will be no racial discrimination, and pot will be legal.’ So I’m one for three. When you think about it, [my generation is] a failure. The world is unquestionably worse now than it was then.”
So, while these comments are far from the confrontational tone of his original sentiments, it’s clear that Hamill still hasn’t let go of how his time as Luke ended. Hopefully, his acceptance of the situation will lead to more fans following suit. Because I don’t know about you, but if we have to keep hearing about ‘The Last Jedi’ and watching toxic fans attempt to bully and insult actors until December 2019, there might not be many actual ‘Star Wars’ fans left.