Star Wars: The Last Jedi is set to be the longest Star Wars film in the franchise’s history. That may make some of you groan inwardly while already feeling your rear end falling asleep at the prospect, but worry not: Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, says the protracted runtime isn’t an issue. Hamill takes it a step further, and favorably compares The Last Jedi runtime to that of The Godfather.
Why are movies so long these days? That probably sounds like a cranky old man kind of question, but you have to admit that more often than not, films have gotten long. What happened to the 90 minute movie? If you were hoping the latest Star Wars film The Last Jedi would cool it with the long runtimes, you’re going to be disappointed. The film is going to run for 2 hours and 30 minutes, making it the longest film in Star Wars history. But you shouldn’t let this lengthy running time concern you. At least, that’s what The Last Jedi star Mark Hamill says. Speaking with Vanity Fair, Luke Skywalker himself said that while he’s not a fan of long runtimes on movies, it’s not a problem with The Last Jedi. In fact, the long runtime makes it just like The Godfather.
“The good news is I’ve seen it, and it’s like The Godfather. It doesn’t feel that long. And I’m really cranky. I’m one of those guys where you go see, like, a big superhero movie and you go, ‘I really love it, but it’s too long!’”
To be clear, Hamill isn’t saying The Last Jedi borrows its plot from The Godfather (although that would be pretty cool), but rather that just like The Godfather, the film is so good that the long running time never becomes a problem. I can definitely understand where Hamill is coming from. While a long movie that’s not very good, or even just average, can feel as if it’s stretching on forever, a good movie that happens to be long might feel like it’s flying by. Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather runs for 177 minutes, yet the film is so engrossing that you don’t find yourself checking your watch as you sit through it. Another great example of this, as least as far as I’m concerned, is David Fincher’s Zodiac. Zodiac runs for 158 minutes, yet whenever I watch it I find myself wishing it were even longer.
Of course, since Hamill is involved with the film directly, it’s unlikely he’d go on record saying the film’s runtime is too long. But here’s hoping Mr. Hamill is speaking the truth, and that The Last Jedi breezes by and has us longing for more.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens December 15, 2017.
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