Rian Johnson is "even more proud" of 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' five years on from the film's release.

The 48-year-old director helmed the middle part of the 'Star Wars' sequel trilogy and reflects on his time behind the camera with pride, even though the 2017 flick divided fans of the popular sci-fi franchise.

In an interview with Empire magazine, Rian said: "I'm even more proud of it five years on. When I was up at bat, I really swung at the ball."

The 'Knives Out' filmmaker added: "I think it's impossible for any of us to approach 'Star Wars' without thinking about it as a myth that we were raised with, and how that myth, that story, baked itself into us and affected us.

"The ultimate intent was not to slip away – the intent was to get to the basic, fundamental power of myth. And ultimately I hope the film is an affirmation of the power of the myth of 'Star Wars' in our lives."

The end of 'The Last Jedi' sees the death of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) as he becomes a symbol of hope against evil across the galaxy and Rian felt that it was a moment where the franchise could look to the future.

He explained: "The final images of the movie, to me, are not deconstructing the myth of Luke Skywalker, they're building it, and they're him embracing it.

"They're him absolutely defying the notion of, 'Throw away the past' and embracing what actually matters about his myth and what's going to inspire the next generation.

"So for me, the process of stripping away is always in the interest of getting to something essential that really matters."