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Luke Skywalker’s actions and general behaviour in Star Wars: The Last Jedi might still sting for some (I get that. I still can’t get over that shoulder brush...), but if you’re ready to give the Jedi Master another chance, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is ready to convince you this version of Luke is actually spot on.
Published on Medium, JGL (who admits he’s a bit bias because Rian Johnson is a friend and even gave him a cameo in the movie) took the time to put his thoughts into words after (finally) seeing the movie recently. 2,000 words to be precise. Sure, that might sound a little daunting, but it’s worth reading, trust me. It made me see Luke Skywalker in a completely different light – and it’s got me wanting to watch the movie all over again - so it might just do the same for you.
For those of you who don’t have a spare 10 minutes, I’ve put together a few of his best points because I’m nice like that. But, seriously, give it a read in full if you can. It’s great.
Warning: If you haven’t seen Star Wars: The Last Jedi yet, there’s spoilers to follow.
JGL on The Last Jedi’s risks
“The way I see it, The Last Jedi takes two big risks in its depiction of Luke.
1) He’s different than he used to be.
2) Not only is he different, he’s changed for the worse.
As for the first risk, he didn’t have to be different. He’s one of the most iconic movie characters ever. A safer bet would have been to bring him back and make him just like he always was.”
JGL on how Luke has changed – and how we react to it
“It makes sense that all of this might not feel very good. For so many of us, Luke is the epitome of a hero. He is what we strive to be. He’s also our access point into a world we love. We got to know Star Wars through the eyes of this character. And now, after all this time, we finally get to see him again, and he sorta sucks as a person.”
JGL on seeing Luke after such a long time
“Time changes us. Go talk to anybody in their sixties and ask if they feel very different than they did in their twenties. The look on their face will almost surely speak volumes. As do so many such looks from Mark Hamill in what I feel is a beautifully nuanced and heartfelt performance.”
If you’re super lazy and didn’t read the TL;DR version, here’s a TL;DR of the TL;DR: getting old kinda sucks; we change (sometimes for the worse) and the people we love and used to recognise change around us. Luke Skywalker is no different. Yes, it hurts but we have to move on – that’s what The Last Jedi is about. I just don’t know why it took a college essay-length piece from an A-lister to make me realise that, but here we are.
Everyone has an opinion on The Last Jedi, good or bad. See what the critics made of it - and don't forget to check out our collection of The Last Jedi Easter eggs.
