Warning: This post contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Last Jedi
“I felt a great disturbance in the Force... as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror.” — Obi-Wan Kenobi
The Internet is buzzing about director Rian Johnson’s new Star Wars: The Last Jedi movie. Unlike the two most recent entries in our Disney-era Star Wars universe, audience reaction is all over the place, and seems to be on a divergent path with media critics (who have near-universal praise for the film).
Why is this?
Why is Rian Johnson’s stylized, gripping and compelling Star Wars tale being met with such ire?
What is causing the bipolar reaction on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, for example? Critics have it at 93%, and viewers have it at 57% (as of this post).
It is an odd thing, and I’ve been trying to put my finger on what might be happening to cause such a visceral reaction to Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
I was alive when the original Star Wars trilogy films were released in 1977, 1980, and 1983. I saw all three films during their initial runs in theaters.
I was there to experience the surprise and shock when Han Solo was imprisoned in a block of carbonite, and Darth Vader declared that Luke Skywalker was his son.
I can tell you — as a Star Wars superfan back then — that Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back was a jarring experience. At the time, I didn’t appreciate Empire’s dark, introspective tone. I spent three long years wondering about the fate of our heroes. Empire challenged our perception of the Force, and it didn’t have a triumphant finale like the first Star Wars movie.
Is the reaction we’re seeing for Star Wars: The Last Jedi similar to fan feelings back in 1980 when Empire was released? Will the film age well, and become one of the beloved entries in the saga?
We didn’t have social media in 1980. The only way people could express their feelings was face-to-face, or in “letter to the editor” type forums. It would be fascinating to see how public opinion back then would have changed with current technology.
I understand that Star Wars: The Last Jedi had some suprises — some shocking.
It was surprising when Luke nonchalantly tossed away his lightsaber, after a sincere Rey hands it to him on Ahch-To.
The final moment of Star Wars: The Force Awakens led us to believe Luke would say something profound to her like, “Rey... where did you find this? It’s been missing for years. By the way, Internet theorists are correct, I am your father.”
Instead of a more profound moment, Luke tosses the weapon over his shoulder, and spends the first act of The Last Jedi verbally wondering who Rey is.
Was it all a gimmick by Rian Johnson to elicit a cheap laugh, or was it exactly what a disillusioned old Jedi would do after being in a self-imposed exile?
Was he being unnecessarily coy with her about her parents — like Obi-Wan was with Luke in the original trilogy?
Or, was Kylo Ren correct — that Rey is merely the child of junk traders?
It’s hard to tell at this point. The peculiar closing scene of The Last Jedi might provide some insight into Rey’s origin — where we see a young stable boy on Canto Bight use the Force to snatch up a broom.
Not only was it an unusual way to end a Star Wars film, it could mean that Rey is merely one of many who is strong with the Force. (Personally speaking, I still think she’s Kylo Ren’s sister).
Rian Johnson has been tasked with developing a new trilogy for Lucasfilm — a set of films unrelated to the Skywalker family saga.
Some have speculated that The Last Jedi was being used as a gateway to set up those films.
The way Johnson “shakes up” what we know about the Force in The Last Jedi has left some observers scratching their heads.
As Yoda said to Luke in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, “You must unlearn what you have learned.”
The question among fandom is whether it is correct to change course in the eigth episode of a nine-part saga.
The idea that the Jedi can mentally “transmit” a version of themselves from place-to-place — while they are alive — is something new. When you are looking at the saga’s narrative structure, it makes you wonder why this was something we didn’t see before.
That is likely the biggest surprise of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
The more I’ve analyzed the film (yes, I know I spend way too much time thinking about this stuff), the more I think Rian Johnson’s vision might be what Star Wars needed.
At issue is whether the Star Wars franchise could have gone on using the same old tropes (we’ve had one release per year since The Force Awakens was released in 2015).
Think about it. How many more stories could have been told using a 40-year-old structure?
This is where many of you will point to efforts like the Star Wars: Rebels series and suggest things could have gone on in similar fashion forever.
Perhaps, but this allows the Lucasfilm Story Group (the entity responsible for Star Wars canon) to add new elements to efforts moving forward. We need to remember that the story group ultimately approved Rian Johnson’s visions for The Last Jedi.
The reality — in the near term — is that these changes are jarring. Regardless, that doesn’t mean that the saga is dying under Disney’s watch, nor does it mean Rian Johnson was off the mark.
And while I agree that it was odd seeing a wounded Leia use the Force to fly in space after a battle, it opens up new possibilities for the future.
It is surprising the amount of free rein Lucasfilm honcho Kathleen Kennedy gave Rian Johnson in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. She’s known for being a stickler (the reshoots for Rogue One and the upcoming Solo are examples of this).
The fact remains that Rian Johnson created a big, sweeping space fantasy that is fun and compelling.
It might not be perfect, but I think fans are being too harsh.
I’ve always said that Star Wars — unlike any other pop culture franchise in our lifetime — has evolved beyond the realm of mere “entertainment.”
It has become a sort of pop culture religion. As a result, the fans of Star Wars have a cult-like devotion and reaction to the entire property.
Any of you who are members of an organized religion know that change can be hard.
Rian Johnson making changes to the mythos behind the Force can be just as unnerving to fans as it was to Catholic parishioners when The Vatican changed the wording of the liturgy several years ago.
Let’s face it, for Star Wars to become a living, breathing saga that lasts, it needs to change. If it wants to stay influential in the manner that Marvel Studios has over the past decade, it has to grow.
I’ve heard that Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a superior experience on repeat viewings. I’ve only seen it once so far, but I plan several more trips to the theater.
Let’s face it, a lot of fans went into the movie with preconceived notions about how things were going to unfold in the film. The reality is that fans were treated to a wholly original story that spit in the face of internet theories.
What Star Wars: The Last Jedi illlustrates is that a 40-year-old franchise still has the ability to surprise.
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