The Last Jedi and Trying Too Hard
Everyone and their adorable kitten/puppy has now written a review of what is awesome/awful about The Last Jedi. So this is going to be something different.
I don’t hate The Last Jedi. It does some things right, it does a lot more wrong, but the one issue I have is with the reviews. They continually call the director or the movie stupid.
It’s not stupid at all. It’s just trying too hard.
I’ve been guilty of this in the past. There was a time when the expectation of a page count or a word count or some big idea of what I want to do to impress people got in the way of telling a good story got (it led to the burial of a full awful novels that will never see the light of day). And that is what is on display here.
Rian Johnson loves Star Wars and he wants to do something different and smart and show you how much he loves this franchise. And this is the trap writers fall into. The need to be different and special and unique. And it caused more problems than it fixed.
Maybe The Force Awakens was a rehash of what we had seen. I’ll admit it. But it gave us (the fans) all the things we wanted. I get that the guys who are working on these want to put them on the same level as the original trilogy. But it’s not up to them. It’s up to us. And the more complicated you make things, the better the chance it will be forgotten.
Because it’s the timeless things that make us love these movies.
A young man staring at twin suns wanting an exciting adventure.
A father looking for redemption.
A force greater than any piece of technology.
And a hope that returns no matter how hard it is struck down. Pack these into a movie (or any story for that matter) and it probably isn’t going to matter how simple the story is. It’s when we get stuck in the plot we forget that characters with dreams and conflict are what remind us about what’s important.
So, with that said, let’s take The Last Jedi for what it is and move on to the next one.
May the Force be with you.
Because it’s the timeless things that make us love these movies. A young man staring at twin suns wanting an exciting adventure. A father looking for redemption. A force greater than any piece of technology. And a hope that returns no matter how hard it is struck down.
==========
Exactly! The original Star Wars trilogy wasn’t perfect, but that didn’t (and still doesn’t) matter because of all it got right. If you reach the heart of your audience they’ll overlook the flaws. But if you don’t, the flaws are pretty much all they’ll remember. To be honest, I think your point shows not just in The Last Jedi, but in many of those movies Hollywood’s been making in recent years. Rather than going for simple, timeless stories and themes that everyone can relate to, they either over-complicate things, narrow their focus so that it fits only segments of the movie going population rather than wider audiences, or they go too negative. There’s so much negative going on in the world right now, I want to escape that when I watch movies. I went to so many movies growing up and have good memories of seeing those films playing out on the big screen and hearing the reaction of those with me in the theater (like the original Star Wars) or around us at the drive-in movies. I rarely go to movie theaters more. Few movies grab my imagination enough to make it worth the cost. That’s kind of sad.
Hey Sondra. It’s an interesting idea.
I’m glad you liked the book. Sorry it took so long to respond (I had quite a few personal things going on and didn’t check my blog for longer than it was healthy. I also haven’t set up an e-mail alert on comments, something I need to do). All the credit for the cover goes to James T. Egan of Bookfly Design.
And yes, those are books are mine. I tried a little bit of western, sci-fi and fantasy before diving into my first love: Heroes (and villains). Fair warning, they are short pieces but I liked writing them. I haven’t posted them on my website yet, because, well, like everything else with technology I’m a little slow on the uptake.
As for Star Wars I agree with your point. So many times I feel Hollywood has been playing to cynical critics who want dark and edgy because they see it as complex (which it can be). They have so much money around they forget what they are doing: Selling a product to customers. And your customer isn’t the critic. Case in point, the new Death Wish reboot. Now I’m not a fan of reboots, never have been, but the critics have savaged it on Rotten Tomatoes. The average joe? He loves it. The disconnect is apparent.
Hollywood has forgotten that even if a movie ends on a hopeful note, you can still show darkness. In fact, the darkness can make the light and hope stand out even stronger. But I guess that is what happens when you let one ideology, one mindset, and a handful of people dictate your tastes.
As for a Vader POV, I haven’t read the book, but I believe Lords of the Sith is written in such a way. However, I don’t believe it ends on a positive note or has any hope. Ah well. Again, sorry on the late response. I’m going to see why I wasn’t notified when you commented on my blog.