While his opinions of changed a lot since the movie's release, Mark Hamill is again questioning why Rian Johnson cut some major Luke Skywalker moments from the latest instalment.
Picking up where J.J. Abrams left Rey and Luke on the rocky outcrop of Ahch-To, Episode VIII seemed to skim over the death of Han Solo with ease. John Boyega had already warned that there may be too much going on for The Last Jedi may not directly address Han Solo's death, however, with the relationship between Han and Luke stretching back to A New Hope in 1977, it isn't only disgruntled fans calling out the move.
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Hamill opened up about Luke's time on Ahch-To and said he would've played it a little differently. Speaking to IGN, the 66-year-old was asked if he regretted Johnson's cut that did away with an emotional scene of Luke ing Han:
"Yes, of course because it shows Luke was putting on a facade in front of Rey and even Chewie, that he was embittered and sort of a broken man. And I think the fact that he could let his emotions out when he was by himself would have made an impact on the audience because it allowed them to grieve the loss of Han Solo just the way Luke felt it.
"But that always happens in films. You say, 'Oh, what about this scene where this happens or that happens?" because you want to give the fullest experience that you can. And like you say, it was brief enough that I was -- [chuckles] They had time for me to milk that big alien but to show any human emotion? Nah, we don't have time for that. But again it's not my call."
Out of the 14 deleted scenes on the Blu-ray and DVD release, "Luke Has a Moment" is arguably one of the biggest. In the aftermath of Chewie kicking down his door and the realization that Han isn't alive, Luke is given a moment to gather his thoughts and think of his deceased friend and brother-in-law.
It is also interesting to note that the scene was supposed to then cut to the shot of Leia deep in thought to imply she was feeling the same as her brother. As it stands, Leia is suggested to be worrying about the state of the Resistance and their plight while fleeing the First Order (but it could also be interpreted as Leia mourning all of the loss she's experienced in her life). Johnson has already said he cut "Luke Has a Moment" to keep the pace of the movie rolling, but Hamill is clearly a er of keeping it in The Last Jedi.
That being said, The Last Jedi gave Luke an equally touching moment, in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon, when he picked up Han's golden dice in memory of his fallen friend. Either scene was a nod to the story of Solo, but it is ultimately up to fans to decide which Han sendoff they prefer. ittedly, two "goodbye Han" scenes may have felt like overkill in the movie that moved a breakneck speed, but both can be seen on the home release.
The Disney trilogy doesn't have much luck when it comes to emotional farewells, and the Han issue has reared its head again after that Episode IX, but let's assume it won't be the mistake of two characters hugging again while Chewie warbles in the corner.
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Source: IGN
