It's no secret that Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi is among the most controversial films in the Star Wars canon, polarizing fans and frequently stirring up debate. There are many who absolutely love the film, and a number who hate it, and people will likely continue arguing its merits for years and years to come. But while most of that discourse will take place on the internet and in between friends, now the debate has arrived on the public record in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and it has earned the writer/director's stamp of approval.
A video from a local city council meeting has been going viral online in recent days thanks to the final comments by a member of the public addressing the government officials, specifically hailing Star Wars: The Last Jedi as the best movie in its franchise, and part of its popularity has been spurred on by the blockbuster's director. On Thursday Rian Johnson found the clip and shared it with his followers on Twitter via a quote retweet, writing,
In the nine second clip, a masked man identified as simply "Kyle" is seen delivering his final comments at a city council meeting, and while we don't know exactly what it was that he was advocating for when he first stood up at the microphone, he had a definitive point to make as he was stepping away. Seeing a specific opportunity to have his comments registered permanently, he told the members of local government,
In conclusion, I want it to be on the city record that The Last Jedi is the best Star Wars movie.
Given much of the vitriol that has been spit online, you might think that this sentiment would have been been given a harsh reception by the room, but this turned out to not be the case. Rather than strike up an argument or a counterpoint, one of the councilmembers instead simply responded,
I agree. Thanks, Kyle.
Can you believe it? During a time when humanity seems to be exceptionally divided, people found some actual unity in this world bonding over a shared love of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
I'll admit that I'm personally a bit biased in this circumstance, as I my enjoyment watching the clip and seeing Rian Johnson's reaction stems from the fact that I am an unabashed supporter of the eighth chapter of the Skywalker Saga as well. I personally don't go so far as to call it the best film in the entire franchise, as I still believe that title still rightly belongs to Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back... but would I call it the third best movie in the entire franchise? Not only would I, I have:
Obviously there is still a ton of hate out there for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but those of you who didn't enjoy it the first time around should really try to revisit it, as there's a significant possibility that you may change your mind. Should you feel the impulse, the film is currently available to stream by subscribers on Disney+, and is available for purchase digitally as well as on 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD.
