THIS IS NOT A REVIEW this is just a discussion peice.
For any poor soul who follows me on Instagram or Twitter you
have unfortunately been dragged into my Star War breakdown. Also apologies for
Twitter especially as I tried to not to post about it but everyone else had and
there were a few choice tweets that were just too good to not share, obviously
I mentioned there would be spoilers on there so now I say there are spoilers
galore in this post and the next so read on only if you’ve seen the film(s) or
you like spoilers.
Long have I waited to see the final Star Wars film in the
saga. And its rushed production issues, reshoots, script changes were its
undoing.
To start with, I wanted to state that I have always been a
huge fan of Star Wars. It is my childhood, my teenage years and now my
adulthood. I grew up watching the originals on VHS tapes that we used to record
of the TV. I even went to the cinema to watch The Phantom Menace and of course
I watched the new trilogy films multiple times in the cinema. Star Wars is
close to my heart and as much as I love the originals (prequels I do not like)
I really liked the new characters and the story of the newer films. I was
devastated by TROS. My immediate opinion was that the film was entertaining
(mostly) and apart from the abomination of an ending, it could be saved but
after a second watch, I have decided that, for me, the film is clearly a mess.
The film has been plagued by reshoots, last minute script
changes and rumoured test screenings with Disney folk, this has all been
confirmed by cast members, crew and yes in the media. This was a production
that was cowering under the weight of its own gravitas. Heavy is the head that
wears the crown. There was also a rumour that there were several different endings
which gives me hope that the better ending is somewhere and at the same time
makes me nauseous as this explains why the film, especially the end is a
complete mess.
Some people out there have praised the film and JJ Abrams
for his efforts saying that it wasn’t too bad after what he was left with after
Rian Johnson. This infuriates as not only because The Last Jedi is the superior
film and actually followed on from the previous, The Force Awakens, but also,
JJ Abrams was also involved in making TLJ. He was executive producer as well as
Johnson confirming that he and JJ discussed plot but as there was no end, yet,
he worked from TFA. So, idiots of the galaxy, stop blaming Johnson for
something that your precious JJ was involved with too. Johnson has been the voice
of reason throughout this whole saga since his involvement. He has rightly said
‘Catering to Fans,
Rather Than Challenging Them, Is a ‘Mistake’ and has been nothing but a true
filmmaker and gentleman throughout TLJ discourse that still rages across the
internet. Someone on twitter even wrote a letter to Johnson asking for help and
getting involved with Star Wars again and while its amusing there is so much
truth in it. You can read it HERE.
From Disney’s point of view, they won’t take risks so when half the Star
Wars loved TLJ and the other half hated it, they took no notice of the former.
For them the whole point of TROS was to squash any greedy needy fanboys/girls
out there who wanted nothing but fan service and no consistent story and just
give them what they wanted. This film was to appeal to the masses AND the TLJ haters.
But in doing so, they created an even greater divide, they didn’t get the peaceful
end. They instead got more discourse and an uproar. They didn’t just end the
film so terribly, but several characters were not given what they deserved. They
also acknowledged quite a few fan fuelled ideas that came out of characters’
chemistry but didn’t act on it. Some of these naturally evolved with the story
others were just ignored. Disney seemed to flat out refuse FinnPoe, even though
this was known and loved by the actors and wasn’t just a passing comment, the
fans wanted this. But Disney doesn’t take chances. Instead they make a huge
deal about 2 second kiss between two women that can easily be cut out and sold
to various territories. Ridiculous. Reylo was the other huge shipping but this,
as I said, evolved from the story as well as the great chemistry between the
actors. This actual pairing was a huge part of the story BUT JJ Abrams
stammered to say that its platonic while in the script Rey and Ben Solo are
named soulmates. JJ really doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
The way the trilogy was set up was that three different directors would
take the reins of each film. JJ Abrams gave us TFA which was about introducing new
characters, story and still paying homage the originals, fan service basically
but it worked here. Rian Johnson gave us what we needed for the story to continue
and to show that new ideas fuel new stories but in order to do so, you need to
let the past go. What was then needed was a director who could give us a fulfilling
ending while continuing the story and themes. BUT instead Disney and Lucas
Films made the mistake of getting JJ back and then collectively ruin one of the
greatest sagas in film history. How will they ever recover?
The fact that this is the last film in the Skywalker saga doesn’t mean
no more Star Wars films not by a long shot as Disney wants money above all
things. But with how the film ended, I’m worries no will get closure on the
glaring plot holes of TROS. The idea scenario would be new characters, new stories
BUT Rey without Ben alone on Tatooine needs to be fixed or an alternative
ending needs to resurface. With the amount of backlash over the film, this
terrible end needs to be addressed. Through all the videos, posts, features,
reviews and tweets the most consistent opinions I’ve seen about the film is
that it’s a mess (not even kidding) that the ending was terrible and most of
all, Ben Solo should have lived, he deserved so much better. This is a cry for resurrection
or he’s trapped in the worlds between worlds or something. But THAT needs to be
answered. And not by JJ who didn’t even know how the film was going to end until October this year.
All this and I haven’t really got into the film yet.
If you can stand to read my writing any longer, I’ll be writing just
about TROS next.