Mark Hamill Regrets Airing Public Criticism of "The Last Jedi"

Over the course of the last couple of weeks or so, I have posted quite a lot on Star Wars and related themes, and it seems that a good portion of these have at least included, if not mostly focused on, Mark Hamill.

He has been everywhere lately. Obviously, he has a prominent role in the newest Star Wars movie, "The Last Jedi." And he has voiced his concerns and disagreements with director Rian Johnson's interpretation of the Like Skywalker character very publicly. Hell, he has even sparred politically with some prominent figures in Washington, particularly Ajit Pai and former presidential candidate Ted Cruz.

Perhaps the news that has generated the most headlines and received the most attention, and likely undermined the movie's success and/or credibility in the eyes of many Star Wars fans has been the very public disagreements that he had with Johnson over the Luke character. Here, in brief, is a summary of Hamill's criticism in his own words:

“I’ve had trouble accepting what [Rian Johnson] saw for Luke but again, I mean, I have to say, having seen the movie I was wrong. I think being pushed out of your comfort zone is a good thing because if I was just another benevolent Jedi training young padawans, we’ve seen it!”

Now, however, Hamill is expressing some public regret for his criticisms of Rian Johnson, and the new film overall. I am guessing that he was reprimanded and/or criticized in some manner, and probably was made to have a different take on "The Last Jedi" by someone. Here is his latest comments on the controversy, which he published yesterday:

I regret voicing my doubts & insecurities in public.Creative differences are a common element of any project but usually remain private. All I wanted was to make good movie. I got more than that- @rianjohnson made an all-time GREAT one! #HumbledHamill https://twitter.com/StupendousWave/status/945409809150500865 …  5:32 PM - Dec 26, 2017

And the saga continues...

It is interesting, this latest turn in the controversy surrounding the newest Star Wars movie, which seemed at first to be loved by critics and the first viewers, but which since has received some much more Luke warm support and, in some cases, downright dislike and even hated by some.

Now, I promise that I will stop procrastinating and publish my own, spoiler-filled review soon. There has just been so much about the movie that I have wanted to say, both good and bad. Because Star Wars does mean a lot to me, and has since I was a kid!

So, it will be done and published soon. But in the meantime, how fascinating is it to see the various reactions from fans and, in this case, some actors, alike?

Mark Hamill Regrets Criticizing Rian Johnson’s Portrayal of Luke Skywalker in ‘Last Jedi’ by Kirsten Chuba, December 26, 2017:


http://variety.com/2017/film/news/mark-hamill-criticism-rian-johnson-luke-skywalker-last-jedi-1202648884/