https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/1/12/16834684/the-last-jedi-lost-its-nerve
Also, I have been working on a Last Jedi review, but it's such a slog getting through it. So, it will come out... Eventually.
After reading this, I find it necessary to respond (which I
don’t normally do), so here goes.
First of all, David, you do make some fair points about several
things in the film: it is a tragedy;
we aren’t allowed to dwell on any of the rather colossal failures that happen
throughout the film. Feminism (well, a version of it) played a significant role,
and moral ambiguity was another theme. Yes, the film could have gone darker, it
would have been better if it had done so as it doesn’t feel like there are
consequences or even all that much danger for the main cast.
However…. I must disagree with you on several points. First,
the Finn-and-Rose storyline was not significant to the plot. I did not see how their
actions tipped off the First Order to the escaping transports (in a way that they
wouldn’t have done anyway, perhaps slightly later, but the consequences would
have been the same). There was no payoff for that arc. Yes, there was some
character development for Finn (which he was later robbed of) and Rose, but the
mission they set out to do ultimately failed. You’re right, we aren’t allowed
to sense the magnitude of the failure as the plot just keeps rolling on
(treating this side-story as a romp), but it doesn’t further the plot it is
supposed to affect; that is why people see it as pointless.
Second: Men screw everything up (and yet are still given
accolades). You’re right, it’s mainly the male characters who make the screw-ups
and yes, they do get treated nicely at the end (for the most part), but don’t
you think you’re taking it a little too far? Poe, yes he’s a hot-headed pilot
who just wants to blow things up, but let’s look at him versus Holdo for a
second. Poe succeeded in his mission (yes, lots of people died, he should have
tried harder, but that is war. You need consequences in a war film) Holdo seemed
to sit back and allow ships and people to be destroyed and killed, thereby causing
many people (not just Poe, he just had the nerve to do something) to question
her loyalty. From the information he was getting (i.e. nothing!), he was
completely justified in wanting to remove Holdo from authority to save what was
left of the Resistance.
“at one point or another, every major male character
disregards the pleas of his far more sensible female counterpart, to disastrous
effect.” […] (The women, Leia and Holdo, are the natural leaders, calm and
focused.)
True, this does happen. However, I would point out that this,
if the goal of feminism is to make men and women equal, then we need to see
them working side by side. Sure the women can be in command, Mon Mothma was in
charge of the Rebellion, Padmé Amidala was in charge of the Nubian forces, and Ahsohka
was in charge of clones, (see, it’s been done before…), but treating the men
like complete dolts who can’t do anything right, simply exacerbates the issue.
Bringing an issue to our attention and handling it like an adult by showing us
the right way is good (or showing us the wrong way so we know what not to do),
but having it supplant any male character’s good judgement in the film is not
helpful at best and manipulative agenda pushing at the worst.
I would also say: Luke’s “redemption” is mediocre at best,
so he doesn’t get the save there; Kyle Ren is the bad guy in a dark film, of course
he’s going to do well; Finn…. Finn was going to sacrifice himself (completing
his story arc) and then is robbed of that moment… By Rose for… love? “We can’t
only fight against something, we have to fight for something.” Yeah… I agree,
silly, contrived moment, but I think it is so, because it makes Rose do
something out of character and cuts short Finn’s arc.
Third: The moral ambiguity. Yes, they could have gone with
more of a balance thing. Many of us were speculating that this film was going
to bring in the concept of a “Grey Jedi,” which would have been fine. The Force
does need a little more balance. But if the takeaway for you is that the Jedi suck,
then you’ve missed the point of all the movies before this. (“From my point of
view the Jedi are evil.” “Then you are lost!”) The Jedi in the prequels were
arrogant, using the Force incorrectly, bozos. But that was admitted by the Jedi
later (mostly through books and interviews with Lucas). But Yoda doesn’t say to
Luke that the Jedi must end, nor is that the conclusion. The Jedi, as a concept
are good, what some incompetent bozos in the past did was not.
Yes, DJ was pointless as a moral agent and even as a character,
so you’ve got a point there.
Yes, if Kylo and Rey had joined forces it would have been
better. Most of what you said here was fine. But, I do think it isn’t a good
idea to muddy the waters too much on good guys and bad guys as this has been
the point of the Star Wars Universe (at least in the main saga films; books,
comics, and video games have explored this idea before).
In the end, you are right, there are no consequences for the
characters, there is no feeling of hopelessness at the end of the film, like
you’d expect; similar to the ending of Revenge
of the Sith (although, we did know it was going to turn out well in the
end). It didn’t go dark enough. However, I think that the main thing that would
have helped it is having consequences, the moral ambiguity may have helped if
it was done well, but more feminism (of this variety) would have caused the
film to spiral even more. You say that
this film could have broken the self-repeating rote-ness of the Star Wars
franchise. I would remind you that this was really only said in earnest when
the new Disney-led films started coming out. The Prequels, for all their faults,
were different stories than the original Trilogy (though they did rhyme).
Besides, ignoring the past isn’t always the way to go forward
(as was indicated in the film), more often than not, we need to learn from it,
or suffer when history repeats itself.
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