It seems that the Star Wars cast and crew are now starting to voice their honest opinions about Rian Johnson's divisive The Last Jedi. Following on from actor John Boyega recently stating that he found the movie, and some of the choices there were made, a bit 'iffy', The Rise of Skywalker director J.J. Abrams has now questioned the movie's approach to some of the stories more mysterious elements.

In a recent interview, Abrams begins by praising The Last Jedi, and the way that it tackled the tropes of the series in an attempt to give audiences something different. He says that the movie is "full of surprises and subversion and all sorts of bold choices."

However, he then goes on to add his name to the ever-growing list of Star Wars insiders who do indeed take some issue with the movie, and its somewhat controversial handling of the material.

"On the other hand, it's a bit of a meta approach to the story. I don't think that people go to 'Star Wars' to be told, 'This doesn't matter.'"

His opinion here is very reminiscent of what some fans have been saying since the movie's release back in 2017. Abrams left an assortment of cliffhangers and unanswered questions, as he so often does as a lover of the 'mystery box' method of storytelling, and as each one was addressed in The Last Jedi it was simply batted away in ways that no one had really expected. Who are Rey's parents? Nobody. Who was Snoke? It doesn't matter. What will Luke's reaction be to being given his lightsaber back? Chuck it away unceremoniously.

Abrams seems to be on the side of the fans who felt almost insulted by so many dismissals and subversions, though it should also be pointed out that this approach worked for a large portion of the fanbase, as well as the majority of critics, with the film standing at 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Despite these reservations from Abrams, he does say that The Last Jedi laid the foundations for The Rise of Skywalker, and that Johnson's method may have even been beneficial.

"A story that I think needed a pendulum swing in one direction in order to swing in the other."

This strongly suggests that Abrams will going back to the kind of storytelling he prefers, and will no doubt deliver a more conventional Star Wars tale similar to The Force Awakens. This should hardly be surprising considering the pressure that Abrams is under in bringing the Skywalker saga to a satisfying conclusion. Picking up a year after the events of The Last Jedi, Abrams will pit the Resistance against the tyrannical First Order once again. Meanwhile, the conflict between the Jedi and the Sith reaches its climax, as Rey's journey comes to an end.

In light of these comments, will Abrams' The Rise of Skywalker end up being too predictable in order to avoid the response that The Last Jedi received? We shall soon see when the movie comes to cinemas on December 20. This comes from The New York Times