Today, I complete the list, tackling gripes from #6 to #1 from the original article found on the fan site Epicstream. While these contain some valid criticisms (which I will acknowledge), they still betray a gross misunderstanding of what director Rian Johnson intended in both his script and direction for the film.
As usual, spoilers, spoilers, spoilers! Go away if you still haven't seen the film!
Okay, Chewie, go for lightspeed!
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| Fish Nuns? Is that right? |
Some fans didn't like the moments of humor, such as Rey's unintentional abuse of Ahch-To's caretakers, citing it as a distraction from the drama of the film. First of all, humor has always been part of the best Star Wars films, particularly in The Empire Strikes Back. One of the elements lacking in the prequels was a genuine sense of humor (Jar Jar Binks acting like an asshole doesn't count). The second thing to consider is that humor in drama is necessary for an effect known as "comic relief." Playwrights from Sophocles to Shakespeare have used it to great effect, most notably Shakespeare's grave digger in Hamlet, who wittily spars with the Danish prince for great humor, which is then in contrast with Hamlet's discovery that the grave being dug is for his love, Ophelia. Making the audience laugh just before you make them cry is a hallmark of effective dramatic writing. Hey fanboys, take a theater appreciation class, wouldja?
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| Purple hair is sexy |
#5—Why Didn't Vice Admiral Holdo Just Tell Poe About Her Plan from the Beginning?
Okay, this is the most legitimate criticism of them all to me. If she had confided in Poe, he would have had no reason to mutiny against her. While I will grant this as a plot hole, let me try to fill it in a couple of ways. First, her not telling him leads to his mutiny, which adds drama to the Resistance fighters' plight, and also leads to the great scene of a revived Leia stunning Poe on the bridge. Second, Poe has already demonstrated insubordination on several counts, which led to his demotion from commander to captain. In a military setting, he doesn't need or deserve to know the plans of his superiors; his responsibility is to follow orders. Again, I can't explain away this plot hole, but it doesn't ruin the whole thing for me.
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| The Last Jedi |
#4—Rey's Parents Are Just Nobodies
This is the complaint that pisses me off worse than all the others. First of all, it's not only a brilliant conceit, but it fits perfectly with two other scenes in the film. First, when Luke explains to Rey that the Jedi don't have ownership of the Force, that implies that you don't need to be a Skywalker or a Kenobi or a Palpatine or a Windu or any other family that the Internet theories obsessed about as Rey's parents for two years. She has no Force parentage, no great Jedi or Sith heritage.
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| Not a "Mary Sue" |
Do you know who that makes her the equivalent of? Hermione Granger, a Muggle-born witch who has more skill and knowledge with magic than most other pureblood wizards. Rey is the same; she's a "nobody" who happens to be The Last Jedi and the only Force user who can stand up to both Snoke and Kylo Ren.
Second, Kylo Ren himself, a Skywalker who wants more than anything to be the true heir to his grandfather, Darth Vader, tells her that although she is a nobody with no role to play in this story, none of that matters to him—he still wants her by his side. This is brilliant storytelling, and complaining because your goddamn blogsite theory wasn't true is nothing more than third-degree butthurt because you were wrong.
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| Actually listened to Obi-Wan Kenobi |
#3—Luke Skywalker Gets Force-Ghosted
Again, another bit of brilliant storytelling that ties in so well to A New Hope that the fanboys missed it in their outrage. Luke knows that he is not powerful enough, even as a Jedi Master, to defeat Kylo Ren. Why else would he exile himself forever instead of confronting his former apprentice? But think back to the final living words of Obi-Wan Kenobi to his former apprentice, Darth Vader: "Strike me down, and I will become more powerful than you can imagine." In giving himself up to the Force, Luke has gained the same power. I fully expect that he may team up with fellow Force spirits Yoda and Obi-Wan to help Rey achieve her final victory (which we all already know is the inevitable end of Episode Nine). Luke fully surrenders himself to the full power of the Force, and in doing so, he hasn't disappeared...he's preparing himself to do what must be done to defeat the Dark Side.
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| Dude, she is SO into you... |
#2—That Canto Bight Subplot With Finn and Rose
Sorry, FinnRey shippers, but FinnRose is the next romance on the horizon in Episode Nine. Canto Bight not only established the foundation for that, but it introduced Benicio Del Toro's twitchy, backstabbing mercenary D.J. (Lando Calrissian, anyone?), who I'll bet a BB-8's worth of coins is coming back in Ep. 9, as well as a group of Force-powered kids to step up as the next generation of resistance fighters. I understand if you didn't like elements of this subplot for whatever reasons, but it fits into the overall plot arc of the film itself as well as creating expectations for the final episode.
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| Killed by a blind guy |
#1—Supreme Leader Snoke is Dead!
Boo forking hoo. Your Boba Fett fixation died again, and he died like a bitch, just like Boba Fett did in Return of the Jedi. Seriously, I've been a Star Wars fan since the original theatrical release in 1977, and I've never understood the fanboy jones for Boba Fett, so much so that George Lucas made his father the foundation for all original stormtrooper clones. He was a minor character who served a plot purpose to put Han Solo in peril, nothing more. Stop making such a big deal about him.
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| Read your Greek tragedy...hubris kills every time |
The same is true of Snoke. His backstory is irrelevant; all you need to know is that he is a powerful Dark Force master whose overwhelming arrogance blinded him to the fact that the apprentice who he mocked, belittled, and humiliated (Kylo Ren), murdered him and took over his throne. He's a Bond villain, nothing more, and we didn't need to waste one extra second of exposition on him when his purpose was to show us the strength and power of Kylo Ren, who is the central figure of this trilogy, as I've blogged about previously.
The Supreme Leader is dead...long live the Supreme Leader!
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