Here we go again. Another day, another person defending the Star Wars prequels online. This time though, the person in question is a little more high-profile than usual. That’s because it’s Rian Johnson, the writer/director behind Brick, Looper, The Brothers Bloom and one other small film you might have heard of: Star Wars: Episode VIII. Needless to say, you might want to hear his case.
Johnson revealed his thoughts on George Lucas’ often-criticized prequels on Twitter earlier today, playing “Devil’s advocate” by calling them “a 7 hour long kids movie about how fear of loss turns good people into fascists. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯” One could read this as comical or serious, yet Johnson is, nevertheless, throwing his foot down regarding the least popular chapters in the saga.
Always the inquisitive type, Johnson does, once again, bring an interesting perspective to the equation. It’s clear that Lucas, for better or worse, had some pretty heavy themes and deep ideas for his prequels. While they weren’t necessarily executed as well as they could’ve been, they offered more than merely fan service, and that’s worth some praise, however mild.
How does this affect Star Wars: Episode VIII? It doesn’t, but it’s nice to hear what the director behind the biggest movie of the upcoming year thinks about one of the series’ most divisive periods. Hopefully, it also bodes well for how he’ll approach this new, much-anticipated addition to arguably the most popular movie franchise of all-time. No pressure.
Tell us, do you agree with Mr. Johnson’s thoughts? Check out his Tweet down below and let us know in the comments section.
@HeerJeet Pssst. Devil’s advocate: the prequels are a 7 hour long kids movie about how fear of loss turns good people into fascists. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) December 26, 2016