The Last Jedi Is The “Most Sophisticated” Star Wars Movie Since Empire, According To Mark Hamill

Few movie sequels hold a candle to The Empire Strikes Back, but Mark Hamill believes Star Wars: The Last Jedi comes pretty damn close.

While appearing alongside Rian Johnson at the ongoing SXSW film festival, the franchise veteran went so far as to suggest that The Last Jedi is the “most sophisticated” Star Wars movie since Irvin Kershner’s classic of 1980. Of course, this is by no means the first time that Episode VIII has been talked about in the same breath as Empire – nor is it likely to be the last – considering they were both conceived as the middle chapters in their respective trilogies.

However, Hamill has now gone one step further to claim that Johnson’s follow-up belongs in the Star Wars pantheon:

…probably the most sophisticated Star Wars movie since Empire…I just think it’s a stunning film — it’s challenging, it’s surprising, it has humor. I have to put aside my feelings and try to realize the director’s feelings the best I can.

Ever since Star Wars: The Last Jedi hit theaters back in December, Mark Hamill has made no bones about his issues with Luke Skywalker’s arc – from his isolated home on Ahch-To to his fraught relationship with Daisy Ridley’s Rey – and that’s something he addressed head-on during his time at SXSW.

I’m like a lot of you. I feel an investment in it, a certain sense of ownership. I’m sorry I lowered my bar and expressed my misgivings about it, because that belongs in the process, it doesn’t belong to the public. I made that statement before I saw the finished film.

To his credit, Hamill also took issue with George Lucas and his vision for Luke Skywalker during the creation of Jedi, so it’s hardly surprising that the series stalwart struggled to come to terms with The Last Jedi. Rian Johnson, meanwhile, has nothing but praise for the actor’s commitment to the role.

At the end of the day, you’re always going to have back and forths with every actor about the character. The fact that Mark gave the emotionally powerful performance that he did in this movie, that comes from completely committing yourself to putting that story on the screen.

Both Rian Johnson and Mark Hamill, director and Jedi, have their own dedicated featurette on Star Wars: The Last Jedi‘s imminent Blu-ray, which traces the sequel’s journey from conception to release. Be sure to pick it up when it drops on March 27th.