--- description: The Last Jedi may have debuted to the second-biggest domestic box office opening of all time, but it was met by mixed reviews from fans. title: Last Jedi Director Addresses Backlash From Star Wars Fans image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt45385f4b3d7588d2/6988f658929fad4cdbbef014/rian-johnson.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 'The Goal Is Never to Divide.' _Last Jedi_ Director Addresses Backlash From Star Wars Fans  by [Megan McCluskey](/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Dec 22, 2017 3:28 PM CUT  Director Rian Johnson attends the 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' press conference at the Ritz Carlton Tokyo on December 7, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan. Director Rian Johnson attends the 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' press conference at the Ritz Carlton Tokyo on December 7, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan.Christopher Jue/Getty Images for Disney  by [Megan McCluskey](/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Dec 22, 2017 3:28 PM CUT [_The Last Jedi_](http://time.com/5061707/star-wars-the-last-jedi-review/ "undefined")may have debuted to the [second-biggest domestic box office opening](http://time.com/5068109/star-wars-the-last-jedi-box-office/ "undefined") of all time—behind only its _Star Wars_ predecessor, [_The Force Awakens_](http://time.com/4150168/review-star-wars-the-force-awakens/ "undefined")—but it was met by mixed reviews from moviegoers. While critics seemed to love _The_ _Last Jedi_, scoring it at 93 percent on [Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star%5Fwars%5Fthe%5Flast%5Fjedi/ "undefined"), hardcore _Star Wars_ fans were more divided — Episode VIII has only a 53 percent audience rating on the site. However, director Rian Johnson has said that he believes the controversy surrounding the movie was an inevitable result of the saga moving forward. After being asked what he thinks of _Jedi_‘s polarizing nature, Johnson took to Twitter to explain his stance. “The goal is never to divide or make people upset, but I do think the conversations that are happening were going to have to happen at some point if \[_Star Wars_\] is going to grow, move forward and stay vital,” Johnson tweeted on Thursday. > [](https://twitter.com/rianjohnson/status/943930384852574208) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5077310/star-wars-last-jedi-rian-johnson-criticism/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5077310/star-wars-last-jedi-rian-johnson-criticism/"},"headline":"'The Goal Is Never to Divide.' 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