#ThankYouRianJohnson trends on Twitter as fans defend 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' filmmaker, say he wrote a story that women could relate to
Filmmaker Rian Johnson's social media timeline was flooded with hate and angry messages after the release of 'Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker', as fans began to revisit the scorching debate over the previous installment, 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi', which was directed by Johnson. However, some benevolent fans decided enough was enough and took to Twitter to thank him instead. The hashtag #ThankyouRianJohnson began trending on Twitter, and fans penned positive and emotional notes for the filmmaker.
Fans noted the empowering role of women in the film and that they didn't have to 'belong to someone' to be someone. One fan wrote, "#thankyourianjohnson for writing women as people, for writing ben as an attentive, eager listener of rey's thoughts, for telling girls that we don't have to belong to someone to BE someone, and for reminding us all that love and hope are the two most powerful forces in the world."
Another mentioned that he had crafted a story that women could relate to. "#thankyourianjohnson for telling a story women relate to. I felt so heard, so respected, so seen by TLJ. From Rey, to Rose, to Holdo, to Leia, women were there and they felt real. Tlj made me feel like Star Wars was for me, for women. Thank you @rianjohnson."
One fan wrote that having women steering the story was 'satisfying' and 'compelling'. "#thankyourianjohnson for putting the heroine’s journey at the centre of your storytelling. it was both satisfying and compelling.thank you for just putting women at the focus of the story.the masculine learning from the feminine was something star wars had been lacking for a while," they wrote.
"#thankyourianjohnson for actually making me and other female fans feel listened to and respecting Luke enough to truthfully acknowledge his capacity to fall but finding his hope again to bounce back from his inevitable regrets as an older hero," tweeted another.
Fans also wrote about how the film was about hope and love. One fan tweeted, "The last jedi arrived at a time in my life when i needed its hope and its heart desperately. it gave me more than i could ever possibly explain within the word limit of a single tweet."
"#thankyourianjohnson for developing characters that I can relate to, seeing Rey and Kylo finding each other in times of loneliness gave me hope even though I’ve been a Star Wars fan for a long time I felt a huge connection to my life in this one," wrote another.
"#thankyourianjohnson for telling the world that broken people are worthy of love and hope," were the words of yet another grateful fan.
Another gushed over the Asian representation in the film, "#thankyourianjohnson for rose tico and her heart and strength of conviction, for opening my eyes to the possibility of an asian woman like me having a place in the story, in an epic work of fiction like star wars, and for finally letting me see myself in a galaxy far, far away."
"#thankyourianjohnson for making us feel represented by the concept of rey nobody. she was a nobody who was becoming a somebody on her own," wrote another.
"#thankyourianjohnson for still loving Star Wars enough to bless us with another trilogy. You were heckled and harassed by some fans but you chose to focus on those of us who love you and your work. And you always kept grace and class in your words. Save what we love indeed!" said another of the movie's fans.
Johnson had been slammed brutally for 'destroying' the character of Luke in the film and 'derailing' the franchise in the process. The director had sharply responded on Twitter at the time with, "I understand that point of view but I completely disagree with it. In fact I think it disrespects the character of Luke by treating him not as a true mythic hero overcoming recurring wounds & flaws, but as a video game character who has achieved a binary, permanent power-up."
'Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker' hit the screens on December 20 and is still getting mixed reactions from the fans.