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[filmmaker42-blog]

Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Rant

Ok, it's been long enough...

There are probably spoilers here. This is a Star Wars rant.

Episode VIII is a fantastic film. "Let the past die, kill it if you have to." "This is not going to go the way you think." "We are what they grow beyond." The message is strong and clear: the old dies to nourish the new.

Every franchise "fanboy" who has decidedly rejected The Last Jedi as canon is blinded by expectation and fearful of change—tossed into a crippling conservative protectionism of a cinematic universe that never belonged to them.

Was this the installment that emboldened the original series in all its glory? Hell no. In the same sense that 1970s politics would have no place in shaping 21st century society. Johnson created a fun and powerful farewell to the black and white narrative structure of the original series by opening the flood gates to an ambiguity that not only aptly suits the audience's historical climate, but also complicates a 40 year old story in the same way that Star Wars literature has done quietly since 1977. And this is done simply by capitalizing on characteristics that were (sometimes subtly, sure) already intrinsic in the franchise’s construction.

Luke hides not out of cowardice of his environment, but out of doubt and fear in his own abilities which he projects onto Rey. The Skywalker bloodline is riddled with fear driven motivation (clearly demonstrated by Luke's interaction with Yoda in dagobah, and likely the reason for Yoda’s reprisal in TLJ). His arch makes perfect narrative sense, and Mark Hamill (his personal views aside) plays the part flawlessly.

The force is a magical energy that can be manipulated to do nearly anything by space samurai. That sentence is just as ridiculous as Leia's ability to move herself through space, Rey/Kylo's ability to communicate (we already saw a version of this in EpV), and Luke's projection. There is absolutely no valid argument that these phenomena had no place in the Star Wars universe.

Porgs are not marketing devices. Neither are wookies. Neither are ewoks. Porgs serve two purposes: 1. Practical. To explain the existence of the nature that exists on the Irish island Skellig Michael (Ahch-to) within the world of the film. 2. Balance. Porgs are emotionally stimulating, making the audience more vulnerable to the film’s dramatic moments, and they add comic relief which brings light-hearted fun to a plot which is otherwise fairly dark.

Star Wars is funny. It’s always been funny. Han smirks and quips back and forth with Leia every five minutes of screen time. Lando pokes and prods. Ewan’s Obi-Wan wisecracks. Jar Jar is in and of himself a jester. One of the biggest reasons we love the franchise is the laughter we enjoy amongst (again) a very dramatic and often dark story. EpVIII is not overly comedic. In fact, it’s one of the darkest films we’ve seen in the franchise. There is just enough humor to balance it out so you don’t leave the theater feeling depressed.

Supporting characters don’t need complex backstories or special treatment. Ackbar is far more important as a meme than as a piece of the Skywalker series. He gets no more than 10 minutes of total screen time in the entire 40 years of the franchise. His fate matches his value. We know as much (if not more) about Snoke as we do about Darth Maul, and that’s ok. As long as their plot significance is clear, we don’t need to know more. We got spoiled with info on Palatine, but that’s because his influence in the plot was far stronger than Snoke’s or Phasma’s. Snoke was a device to set up the characters we really care about, Kylo in particular. There will undoubtedly be literature written about Snoke (just as there already is for Phasma) for anyone who wants to delve deeper into those characters, but wasting valuable screen time on developing them would distract from the A plot.

Canto Bight is a wonderful addition to the Star Wars universe, and a completely necessary moment in the film to accomplish three big things: 1. Finn’s development from a coward into a rebel. Rose exposes to him a world which he has literally been brainwashed to be ignorant of. This moment humanizes him and evolves his character to justify his actions in the battle on Crait. 2. We learn to care about Rose. Her relationship to Canto Bight and its culture makes her a valuable character beyond her technical abilities. Again, she understands an underbelly of the Star Wars universe that’s necessarily complex in the overly saturated good vs evil binary. 3. It establishes the roots from which the film hints a renewed rebellion will arise. Without understanding the culture and characters of Canto Bight, we can’t understand why Leia’s admission that the galaxy has lost hope might be proven false. The setting is also just a fun expansion of the Star Wars universe and a satisfying reminder that there is a vastness to the world of the film. There exists life and culture outside of First Order ships and Ahch-to. Without Canto Bight, the film would be smaller and weaker.

Then there's the "I can't believe people take issue with this" points...

There are EQUALLY as many strong women (finally) as there are male characters. Get. the fuck. over it. It's about god damn time I can point to a popular nerd franchise and think my future daughter could find representation in something as cool as Star Wars.

This film has MINOR diversity (again, finally). Get. the fuck. over it. Three major non-white characters is hardly something to be proud of, let alone something to rebuke.

And I could go on….

The Last Jedi is a carefully crafted gem that was peer reviewed by a small army of industry-conscious fans who enjoyed the same original story as the rest of us. I understand the backlash but harshly disagree with its intention. Similar to losing a loved one (which, spoiler, we certainly did), this is a big transition in an important cultural artifact. It’s a reminder that this story needs to grow to survive, which simply is not possible if it spends all its screen time preserving the old and tired. Kathleen and Rian are “more interested in protecting the light than seeming like a hero” and I’m so happy to be alive to see this wonderful gift to humanity evolve into something new we can fall in love with all over again.

#Star Wars #The Last Jedi #rant #review #long reads #spoilers #episode viii #episode 8 #lucasfilm #jedi #scifi #film #cinema #critique #anthology #series #trilogy #nerd #nerdy

[filmmaker42-blog]

Yo-Yo

DING DONG, the old grandfather clock of the Sheri household rings in Christmas morning. LeVar Sheri races down the stairs to shred open his presents alongside his three brothers and sisters. Each of them unwrap a butterfly yo-yo. LeVar’s siblings tie the string around their fingers and begin to toss the toys up and down on endless loop. When LeVar tosses his yo-yo down, it stops at the end of his string and spins until it dies. He tosses it again and again but the yo-yo refuses to return to him. His siblings snicker. Frustrated with his broken gift, LeVar sends his yo-yo down and grips the center of the string, choking it back and froth. The toy begins to wobble and play, giving LeVar an idea. His eye catches the old grandfather clock’s pendulum as it rocks from side to side. Manipulating the string, LeVar creates a triangle, from which the yo-yo hangs and swings, imitating the clock. Amused with his discovery, LeVar’s siblings shift from mockery to wonder as they try to recreate LeVar’s contraption. Naturally, they’re unsuccessful as their yo-yos return to them without fail. They all drop their toys and rush onto LeVar to vie for a chance at playing with his yo-yo.

#short stories #writing #film #filmmaking

[filmmaker42-blog]

Chapel

Every drive home, in the twilight of the eve, I pass by a beautiful glow. A warmly lit building sits near the side of the freeway, just far enough to make getting a good look difficult at high speeds. In my peripheral snapshot, the structure has a tall steeple, so I assume it’s a chapel. Each time I pass by, I feel the warmth of God, lighting my way home, protecting me on my journey. It puts me at ease and brings a smile to my face. One day I decide to loosen my view of the road to get a good square look at the building. As I turn my neck and face the edifice straight on, reality strikes me: it’s a McDonalds. My drive home has never since regained its serenity.

#short stories #writing #film #filmmaking