JamesYTP
Star
- Nov 23, 2015
- 227
- 0
I'm gonna put mine in spoilers, it's really long.
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My thoughts, first on The Last Jedi, are that it's all around a decent movie on its own. But as a second entry in a trilogy of films, it doesn't really work that well. What I mean by the latter is that it doesn't really feel like it expands a lot on the new concepts JJ Abrams laid out in The Force Awakens, basically ignoring the Knights of Ren, not explaining much about Snoke and where he came from or about where The First Order came from and why it was they were able to gain followers after things were seemingly really bad during the Empire. On top of this, I still came out of it both times without really feeling that there was a very clear direction things were going in general from an overall plot standpoint. I chalk this up in part to the decision to start it up right where TFA left off since the original trilogies would usually skip a year or two ahead at least we're able to get a sense that a lot has happened and that a bigger story is unfolding. [/font]
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[font=Tahoma, sans-serif]Part of that is also that the second entry in the previous two trilogies was where the full extent of the conflicts in both were firmly established as well, in Empire we learn that Vader is Luke's father and thus we know what he'll have to grapple with as the rebellion and empire gear up for the last stretch of the war, in Attack of the Clones we see Anakin's first horrible deeds committed in the name of revenge and we see him forming a new attachment that we can probably assume will be the impetus for his ultimate fall to the dark side as well as the start of the clone war. Here? It almost feels more like it tries to resolve the threads in the first that it does build on them for the last movie, ending the plotline about Rey's parents before we the audience are given much time to understand the emotional gravity of Rey's desire to be reunited with them and killing Snoke before we knew anything about him. I will give it that it does leave the resistance in the most dire position imaginable with a single cell comprising its whole military. It sadly also makes me very much doubt they'll have a satisfying way for the resistance to rebound and win in just 1 movie. Perhaps they'll go a darker route?[/font]
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[font=Tahoma, sans-serif]That said, as an individual film, it has enough going for it. Yeah it has some plot elements that don't make so much sense if you really read THAT much into them like the whole extended ship chase or Holdo holding information on Poe when faced with a mutiny that could be solved by simply saying they're going to hold up on Krayt for a while or what have you. But given that it's been long established that this is a franchise that's internal logic can swing from Obi-Wan suspended holding on to a...thing noticing his fallen master's lightsaber and defeating his opponent by somersaulting over his head is a viable strategy (while Maul does nothing and gets cut in half) to Obi-Wan defeating his opponent by proclaiming he has the high ground and slicing his opponent in half when he tries to do that very same thing, and a series where it swings from "only Imperial Stormtroopers are so precise" to these same imperial Stormtroopers rarely hitting anything as they're defeated by an army of teddy bears with rocks, I'd let most of that slide. [/font]
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[font=Tahoma, sans-serif]When it's not trying and failing in building a larger cohesive narrative though, it actually works quite well as a deconstructive piece. First, I am a big fan of them going the way they went with Luke Skywalker. A lot of people were shocked and appalled by this, especially people who knew the Legends version of the character that goes on to be the hero most imagined he would. But divorced from all of that and any prior expectations that were painted on the character going into the new trilogy, on top of being a challenging and compelling way to go with him, it strangely only makes sense that he'd go that way when you examine the original and prequel trilogies with this new lens. Luke in the original trilogy didn't get very far in his training with Obi-Wan and when Yoda attempted to teach him bits and pieces of the Jedi philosophy, directly or indirectly he almost never followed what Yoda said and often did the opposite. He tells him he needn't take his weapons, he goes in with them anyway and his cave experience even reveals an aggressive side when faced with his trial (which I'll get to again later). Later when his friends are captured on Bespin, Yoda tells him to be patient and to think about the greater implications of his actions in the conflict with the Sith, but Luke decides his friends are more important to him (a very Anakin like thing to do). In the end, Obi Wan's spirit tells him if he cannot bring himself to kill his father that the Emperor has already won, Luke disobeys yet again and lo and behold his disobedience is the very thing that allowed him to overcome the Emperor. [/font]
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[font=Tahoma, sans-serif]Now he has the sacred Jedi texts and knows all about their history and philosophy. Given his previous actions might it not make sense that he may come to the conclusion that it's time for the Jedi to end? Their training people to ignore their human side and desires was their undoing as it probably led to Anakin's fall and it was his deviation from this that lead to his victory after all. So I suppose the idea that the light side of the force does not belong to the Jedi and that the Jedi ought to end with him seemingly makes sense. [/font]
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[font=Tahoma, sans-serif]Even his activating his lightsaber on Ben isn’t necessarily all that out of character for him. We don’t really know much about how he’s developed since Return of the Jedi in this sense but when shocked enough his fight or flight responses are pretty aggressive. Not only did he take his weapons into the cave against Yoda’s wished in Empire Strikes Back, but when faced with the illusion of Vader, he draws his weapon first in contrast to Obi-Wan who drew his in the previous film only after seeing Vader had his drawn already (interestingly enough prior to the Clone Wars beginning when the Jedi lost many of their peaceful and idealistic ways they never drew their lightsabers on screen unless they were attacked first). He does the very same thing when he meets Vader in person and even takes the first offensive. By Return of the Jedi when provoked he drew his weapon AND went for the kill before anyone drew their weapons. In the end, he was able to control his dark side and cast his weapon away, but we know he didn’t always start with a cool head. [/font]
[font=Tahoma, sans-serif]Now he looks at Ben, and he sees what Snoke has done to him. Once again I reiterate, chances are right now he knows EVERYTHING about Anakin and Vader, and chances are he's looking down at Ben and he's probably seeing the younglings on the temple who Vader butchered after massacring the rest of the Jedi temple. Probably also seeing the babies and children he had rounded up and killed or indoctrinated in some cases if they seemed force sensitive. Given his history, it makes sense to me that when faced with this he might reflexively go for his weapon. On another note, while some might say "well he never gave up on Vader", I honestly am not sure he really knew the extent of Vader's depravity in the original trilogy. Sure he did some pretty bad stuff in those movies and Luke had seen them, but that's kinda just what happens in the heat of battle. The child murder and everything though? Maybe that would've changed his mind. [/font]
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[font=Tahoma, sans-serif]Finally, there’s his feeling of ultimate defeat. This one even Mark Hamill was shocked by, understandably. But then again, 30 years of aging and learning you probably disagree with what you thought your entire way of life was and seeing everything you’ve built it up to be fall could make one jaded. More than that though, the angle of Luke feeling as though he hadn’t really lived up to what people built him up to be was especially clever. It’s like they’re talking both about the people of his universe and the viewers who were predictably disappointed by what he had fallen to. His final scene where he breaks out of it was pretty darn clever too, not showing his real self but creating an illusion and projecting the legendary Jedi master to the people around him who needed that lift, before his ultimate death. That’s almost pretty cynical in a way as well as inspiring that he felt they needed the illusion and that he still felt that the real him wasn’t good enough. Only thing I didn’t like about it is he seemed to have a slightly more positive tone about not being the last Jedi, but then again what he really thinks he probably isn’t saying. [/font]
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[font=Tahoma, sans-serif]As for the rest of the movie…had some good laughs and some great special effects but I can’t help but feel like it was mostly filler. The parts with Rey and Ren were kind of interesting, although I’m kind of perplexed by the bond they develop so quickly. Ren’s development as well felt a bit rushed. He is the most interesting new character and I kind of like the idea that he wants to go his own way. I guess a lot of people were upset with this because they really wanted him redeemed? I dunno. [/font]
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[font=Tahoma, sans-serif]As for the sheer vitriol it gets, I think it’s more political than anything. Seems to me that the former gamergate crowd is attempting to hijack Star Wars and make it and Kathleen Kennedy their new strawman for “ESSJAYDUBBLEYOOS RUIN EVURYTHING!!!”. That’s my general guess anyway, but almost all the people I’ve encountered who are still steaming mad at it are of that general crowd. Chuck Wendig who writes some of the new Star Wars novels pointed out that there seemed to be some of those sock puppet twitters out there that are usually run by people paid to espouse an opinion online popping up and shitting on TLJ too.
[font=Tahoma, sans-serif]Part of that is also that the second entry in the previous two trilogies was where the full extent of the conflicts in both were firmly established as well, in Empire we learn that Vader is Luke's father and thus we know what he'll have to grapple with as the rebellion and empire gear up for the last stretch of the war, in Attack of the Clones we see Anakin's first horrible deeds committed in the name of revenge and we see him forming a new attachment that we can probably assume will be the impetus for his ultimate fall to the dark side as well as the start of the clone war. Here? It almost feels more like it tries to resolve the threads in the first that it does build on them for the last movie, ending the plotline about Rey's parents before we the audience are given much time to understand the emotional gravity of Rey's desire to be reunited with them and killing Snoke before we knew anything about him. I will give it that it does leave the resistance in the most dire position imaginable with a single cell comprising its whole military. It sadly also makes me very much doubt they'll have a satisfying way for the resistance to rebound and win in just 1 movie. Perhaps they'll go a darker route?[/font]
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[font=Tahoma, sans-serif]That said, as an individual film, it has enough going for it. Yeah it has some plot elements that don't make so much sense if you really read THAT much into them like the whole extended ship chase or Holdo holding information on Poe when faced with a mutiny that could be solved by simply saying they're going to hold up on Krayt for a while or what have you. But given that it's been long established that this is a franchise that's internal logic can swing from Obi-Wan suspended holding on to a...thing noticing his fallen master's lightsaber and defeating his opponent by somersaulting over his head is a viable strategy (while Maul does nothing and gets cut in half) to Obi-Wan defeating his opponent by proclaiming he has the high ground and slicing his opponent in half when he tries to do that very same thing, and a series where it swings from "only Imperial Stormtroopers are so precise" to these same imperial Stormtroopers rarely hitting anything as they're defeated by an army of teddy bears with rocks, I'd let most of that slide. [/font]
[font=Tahoma, sans-serif] [/font]
[font=Tahoma, sans-serif]When it's not trying and failing in building a larger cohesive narrative though, it actually works quite well as a deconstructive piece. First, I am a big fan of them going the way they went with Luke Skywalker. A lot of people were shocked and appalled by this, especially people who knew the Legends version of the character that goes on to be the hero most imagined he would. But divorced from all of that and any prior expectations that were painted on the character going into the new trilogy, on top of being a challenging and compelling way to go with him, it strangely only makes sense that he'd go that way when you examine the original and prequel trilogies with this new lens. Luke in the original trilogy didn't get very far in his training with Obi-Wan and when Yoda attempted to teach him bits and pieces of the Jedi philosophy, directly or indirectly he almost never followed what Yoda said and often did the opposite. He tells him he needn't take his weapons, he goes in with them anyway and his cave experience even reveals an aggressive side when faced with his trial (which I'll get to again later). Later when his friends are captured on Bespin, Yoda tells him to be patient and to think about the greater implications of his actions in the conflict with the Sith, but Luke decides his friends are more important to him (a very Anakin like thing to do). In the end, Obi Wan's spirit tells him if he cannot bring himself to kill his father that the Emperor has already won, Luke disobeys yet again and lo and behold his disobedience is the very thing that allowed him to overcome the Emperor. [/font]
[font=Tahoma, sans-serif] [/font]
[font=Tahoma, sans-serif]Now he has the sacred Jedi texts and knows all about their history and philosophy. Given his previous actions might it not make sense that he may come to the conclusion that it's time for the Jedi to end? Their training people to ignore their human side and desires was their undoing as it probably led to Anakin's fall and it was his deviation from this that lead to his victory after all. So I suppose the idea that the light side of the force does not belong to the Jedi and that the Jedi ought to end with him seemingly makes sense. [/font]
[font=Tahoma, sans-serif] [/font]
[font=Tahoma, sans-serif]Even his activating his lightsaber on Ben isn’t necessarily all that out of character for him. We don’t really know much about how he’s developed since Return of the Jedi in this sense but when shocked enough his fight or flight responses are pretty aggressive. Not only did he take his weapons into the cave against Yoda’s wished in Empire Strikes Back, but when faced with the illusion of Vader, he draws his weapon first in contrast to Obi-Wan who drew his in the previous film only after seeing Vader had his drawn already (interestingly enough prior to the Clone Wars beginning when the Jedi lost many of their peaceful and idealistic ways they never drew their lightsabers on screen unless they were attacked first). He does the very same thing when he meets Vader in person and even takes the first offensive. By Return of the Jedi when provoked he drew his weapon AND went for the kill before anyone drew their weapons. In the end, he was able to control his dark side and cast his weapon away, but we know he didn’t always start with a cool head. [/font]
[font=Tahoma, sans-serif]Now he looks at Ben, and he sees what Snoke has done to him. Once again I reiterate, chances are right now he knows EVERYTHING about Anakin and Vader, and chances are he's looking down at Ben and he's probably seeing the younglings on the temple who Vader butchered after massacring the rest of the Jedi temple. Probably also seeing the babies and children he had rounded up and killed or indoctrinated in some cases if they seemed force sensitive. Given his history, it makes sense to me that when faced with this he might reflexively go for his weapon. On another note, while some might say "well he never gave up on Vader", I honestly am not sure he really knew the extent of Vader's depravity in the original trilogy. Sure he did some pretty bad stuff in those movies and Luke had seen them, but that's kinda just what happens in the heat of battle. The child murder and everything though? Maybe that would've changed his mind. [/font]
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[font=Tahoma, sans-serif]Finally, there’s his feeling of ultimate defeat. This one even Mark Hamill was shocked by, understandably. But then again, 30 years of aging and learning you probably disagree with what you thought your entire way of life was and seeing everything you’ve built it up to be fall could make one jaded. More than that though, the angle of Luke feeling as though he hadn’t really lived up to what people built him up to be was especially clever. It’s like they’re talking both about the people of his universe and the viewers who were predictably disappointed by what he had fallen to. His final scene where he breaks out of it was pretty darn clever too, not showing his real self but creating an illusion and projecting the legendary Jedi master to the people around him who needed that lift, before his ultimate death. That’s almost pretty cynical in a way as well as inspiring that he felt they needed the illusion and that he still felt that the real him wasn’t good enough. Only thing I didn’t like about it is he seemed to have a slightly more positive tone about not being the last Jedi, but then again what he really thinks he probably isn’t saying. [/font]
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[font=Tahoma, sans-serif]As for the rest of the movie…had some good laughs and some great special effects but I can’t help but feel like it was mostly filler. The parts with Rey and Ren were kind of interesting, although I’m kind of perplexed by the bond they develop so quickly. Ren’s development as well felt a bit rushed. He is the most interesting new character and I kind of like the idea that he wants to go his own way. I guess a lot of people were upset with this because they really wanted him redeemed? I dunno. [/font]
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[font=Tahoma, sans-serif]As for the sheer vitriol it gets, I think it’s more political than anything. Seems to me that the former gamergate crowd is attempting to hijack Star Wars and make it and Kathleen Kennedy their new strawman for “ESSJAYDUBBLEYOOS RUIN EVURYTHING!!!”. That’s my general guess anyway, but almost all the people I’ve encountered who are still steaming mad at it are of that general crowd. Chuck Wendig who writes some of the new Star Wars novels pointed out that there seemed to be some of those sock puppet twitters out there that are usually run by people paid to espouse an opinion online popping up and shitting on TLJ too.
