Watch This Neat ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Practical Effects Test Shared By Rian Johnson
It’s May the Fourth, and you know what that means:finally, a day where we can talk aboutStar Wars! I know we never, ever talk about it any other day, but the 4th of May is the exception to the rule. So go ahead, talk aboutStar Warsall day. But once tomorrow rolls around, you better stop.
To get into the spirit of the day,Rian Johnson, director of the bestStar Warsmovie, uploaded a nifty littleStar Wars:The Last Jedipractical effects test for the scene where Luke catches Rey almost Force-smooching Kylo Ren (they’re technically only touching hands, but c’mon, it’s clear they were going to kiss if Luke hadn’t shown up) and gets so angry he blows up the walls of the little stone hut Rey is in. While this is the sort of thing another filmmaker might use only digital effects to create, Johnson and company did it practically, and it looks great.
The Last Jedi Practical Effects Test
Chris Corbould testing the practical (!!) effect his team created for TLJ. Happy#maythefourthbewithyouto all the incredible technicians who pull stuff like this off over the years, and to the best fans in the galaxy. ❤️pic.twitter.com/rYd3h1NShm
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson)August 06, 2025
This footage won’t bethatsurprising to you if you watched the excellentThe Director and The Jedi, a documentary that chronicles the making ofThe Last Jediand shows the filming of the scene where Luke uses the Force to pull apart a stone hut in anger. But here’s some test work they did first. It looks great even in its raw form, but for reference, here’s the scene in question in the film.
Anyway, while I have you here, let me just reiterate that I sincerely believeThe Last Jedito be the bestStar Warsmovie. I know that’s a controversial opinion, and if you don’t agree, hey – that’s fine. But to me, it’s a stunning, intelligent, and most of all,differentapproach to the overarching material. And it’s theStar Warsmovie that most impressed and amazed me when I saw it – and that hasn’t changed. In fact, my love of the film has only grown and strengthened over the years. And the fact thatLast Jediwas followed by the shockingly lacklusterThe Rise of Skywalkerwill always bug me.Last Jedialso feels like the only entry in the sequel trilogy that’saboutsomething, other than, “Hey, remember this stuff you used to love?“Last Jediactually investigates the franchise as a whole, and asks challenging questions of the material.
But hey – while I’m throwing out these hot takes, let me also add thatSolo: A Star Wars Storyis pretty good! Certainly a lot better than its reputation suggests, at least. Everyone should give that one another chance. I’m only telling you all of this because it’s May the Fourth, remember. In a few hours, the sun will set and this day will end, and then we’ll all be forced to stop talking aboutStar Warsagain for a full year. It’s rough, but those are the rules.
