Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Ben Child

The Star Wars sequel trilogy was a galactic mess. Who should take the blame?

The Last Jedi.
Anticlimactic clash … The Last Jedi. Photograph: Lucasfilm/Walt Disney Pictures/Allstar

Who’s to blame for the ultimate failure of the most recent Star Wars trilogy? Ask some fans and they’ll point to JJ Abrams, who kicked it off to acclaim from most quarters with The Force Awakens, then completely ruined it with the baffling and ill-conceived Rise of Skywalker. Others will point to Rian Johnson, whose controversial second film The Last Jedi upset many fans for apparently trashing Luke Skywalker and making light of the Force, Jedi and Sith as little more than labels to be discarded when convenient.

In the latest edition of Empire magazine, Johnson speaks of his pride in his film. “I’m even more proud of it five years on,” he tells the magazine. “When I was up at bat, I really swung at the ball.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.