It’s that time of year again, everyone! And no, we’re not talking about the holiday season and its many excuses for giving overwhelming amounts of kitchenware, ugly sweaters, and canned Christmas dinners to friends (and enemies); we’re talking about Star Wars time. Although according to this video from YouTuber and comedian, Gus Johnson, there’s no better way to navigate Star Wars time, or really any time of the year, than by not being interested in the $65 billion franchise at all.
Gus Johnson’s “my life as a non star wars fan” video.
While the rest of us have been battling it out like Sith and Jedi over whether or not The Rise of Skywalker—or The Last Jedi, for that matter—makes for a great Star Wars story, there are, presumably, lots of people out there who haven’t bothered to see the movies or defend their critical opinions at all. Johnson’s character is one of those people, and even though this video is tongue-in-cheek, it raises some very interesting ideas. For example:what if, instead of trashing filmmakers, studios, and each other in various internet comment sections, we took after these opinionless people and all just went outside and played on some rocks at the park?
The first reviews are in for Star Wars: #TheRiseOfSkywalker – currently it’s #Rotten at 56% on the #Tomatometer, with 117 reviews: https://t.co/e1WYY9r3jR pic.twitter.com/k0oL07kwOw
— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) December 18, 2019
What seems like the most notable aspect of Johnson’s social commentary is the fact that he highlights how bitter Star Wars mania can make people because of the rigid points of view it sometimes (often times?) inspires. And yes, Johnson doesn’t say this outright, but it’s implied when his non-Star Wars fan character says that some of his hobbies include “respecting [his] fellow man, actually having a good time on twitter, and somehow having all the non-Star Wars rides all to [himself] at Disneyland.” That last point isn’t about being kind when hearing about other people’s opinions or taming our desires to defend our version of the Star Wars universe tooth and nail, but is a great Disneyland hot tip nonetheless.
Having said all that, there is still a meta-moment of truth for Johnson himself. Yes, we’re talking about how his own fans received his non-Star Wars fan comedy short. His video is certainly popular on YouTube (as of this writing it’s #11 on the platform’s list of top trending videos), but does Johnson’s audience think he lived up to his own brand with this clip, or did he fail to deliver the caliber of comedy stylings that people have come to expect? It’s time to debate the answer to that question endlessly!
Dude this video killed me, I havent been keeping up w/ star wars but the blowback after evey movie is nuts.
Also, same. Good stuff Gusy
— Bun Boi (@BunBoiArts) December 23, 2019
No, wait. Johnson’s video has 65 times more likes than dislikes and the comments on twitter seem to be universally positive. Which raises another question: Should it be this Johnson who helms the next major Star Wars movie? At the very least it would have a lot more Jar Jar Binks! And nobody could argue over that being a good thing. Nobody.
What do you think about this “non-Star Wars fan” video? Does watching Johnson’s spoof clip make you want to loosen up and take your Star Wars opinions less seriously, or are you simply too invested in the fictional universe to ever stand down? Tell us about how ironic it is to ask for your opinions on this matter in the comments!
Images: Gus Johnson