Steve Galloway and James Burns catch up with author Jason Fry to discuss his well-received adaptation of The Last Jedi over at Jedi News.
JN: The Last Jedi has split some of the fan base and deemed as controversial. Do you think the novelisation could help fans understand Rian’s vision better and possibly ease some of those tensions?
JF: I loved The Last Jedi and will admit some of the negative reactions caught me off guard. But then I remembered that I’d needed some time to think the story through after I first read it – the resolution of Luke’s story was a surprise for me as well. But after a little reflection, I understood what Rian was after and came to appreciate it.
This is a movie that warns “this is not going to go the way you think” and means it. At first it feels like it’s deconstructing the heroic stories we’re used to getting when we go see a popcorn movie. But ultimately, it reaffirms those stories – and Luke is the key to that. He starts off dismissively asking Rey if she expects him to go out with a laser sword and face down the entire First Order, and in the end he does exactly that.
This isn’t to say people have to like the movie – they can think whatever they want. But I do hope fans who were initially skeptical have had some time to wrestle with Rian’s story, as I did, and come to appreciate it more. Maybe by coming out when it did, the novelization can help them reconsider it.
