For many “Star Wars” fans wishing the debate about ‘The Last Jedi’ would end when JJ Abrams’ recent ‘Rise of Skywalker’ hit theaters, that hope has long since been dashed. If anything, discussion about ‘Last Jedi’ has actually gone up as it’s easier to compare the discrepancies between “Star Wars” episodes when you can view all three of the Sequel Trilogy films side-by-side. And even editors on the new films have thoughts on ‘Last Jedi’s’ place in the legacy of the Skywalker Saga.
According to a discussion on the Light the Fuse podcast (via Digital Spy), ‘Rise of Skywalker’ editor Maryann Brandon and ‘Force Awakens’ editor Mary Jo Markey discussed Rian Johnson’s ‘Last Jedi.’
“It was a different take on the ‘Star Wars’ saga,” Brandon said. “To Rian’s credit, he stuck to what he wanted to do, and he wanted to deconstruct the film and go a different direction, and I know it’s controversial, but isn’t that good?”
Markey added, “It’s very strange to have the second film so consciously undo the storytelling of the first film. I’m sorry, that’s what it felt like. I don’t even feel like that’s true about the third film. It took where the second film ended and tried to tell a story, I didn’t feel like it was consciously trying to… it didn’t feel that way.”
A couple of interesting things should be mentioned when discussing these comments. Firstly, Markey, as mentioned, worked with Abrams on ‘The Force Awakens,’ so she obviously has ties to that film, which would probably explain why she doesn’t view ‘Last Jedi’ as fondly as some. And of course, Brandon is the editor of ‘Rise of Skywalker,’ who has already been pretty vocal about her thoughts on the new “Star Wars” films and is clearly someone that will defend Abrams. I’m not saying that their opinions are wrong. It just needs to be understood where they’re coming from and the context of their statements.
READ MORE: ‘Rise Of Skywalker’ Writer Talks Hectic Production: “There’s A New Script Every Morning”
That being said, even the most diehard defenders of Johnson’s film would agree that ‘Last Jedi’ was not interested in carrying on the story set forth in ‘Force Awakens.’ Is that a fault of the filmmaker or the bosses at Lucasfilm that allowed such disruption halfway through a trilogy? That’s probably a better discussion to have at this point, especially after adding ‘Rise of Skywalker’ into the equation.
Either way, what’s done is done and the Sequel Trilogy is finished. And with COVID-19 forcing us to self-isolate, at least we can discuss “Star Wars” and not take a break from the global pandemic wrecking so many people’s lives.