Why a Good Movie Disappoints Fans

Rating: 5/10 (31 December 2017)

Star Wars, Episode VIII: The Last Jedi has been rightfully lauded for its many plot twists. Rian Johnson places characters in positions that audiences believe can only end in one way...barring the deux ex machina that turns each situation around just as the audience has given up hope. Johnson's latest addition to the Star Wars Saga introduces new characters and builds upon old ones. In true Star Wars fashion, the budding (and perhaps unreciprocated romance) of the sequel trilogy occurs in the second episode of the trilogy, just as it did in Attack of the Clones and The Empire Strikes Back. This particular romantic subplot was a quaint and somewhat tragic departure from the main plot, which allowed Johnson to introduce new characters, locations, and species. Ultimately the individual subplots that follow each of the stars neatly converge in the typical, climactic Star Wars battle that one has grown to expect from the franchise. It is worth noting that The Last Jedi is one of the most beautifully shot films of the series. Each frame creates a balance of color, light and dark, that seems to echo the Force itself. And, as always, John Williams demonstrated his magical mastery of music and melody. As a work of cinema, The Last Jedi is enjoyable, even good.
As the latest installment of the Star Wars franchise, it is a miserable failure. The sequel trilogy has understandably disregarded what is now known as Star Wars Legends and Lucas's ideas of what should follow Return of the Jedi. Unfortunately, in doing so, Disney, Abrams, and Johnson have left a sketchy gap of 30 years that has been only vaguely filled in. This is unacceptable for a franchise film. Cinema has entered a new age with the film franchise. Individual films must now be judged not only on their quality as a cinematic work but also as components of a larger whole, which some franchises and some critics have yet to understand. As Marvel Studios (another Disney property) has come to realize, building a franchise must be done very carefully so as to avoid inconsistencies. Sometimes inconsistencies are unavoidable; plot lines are dropped, plot holes are formed. The plot holes of the Star Wars sequel trilogy were not unavoidable.
This latest Star Wars series is two-thirds complete and valuable exposition has been completely ignored. The questions that audiences had hoped would be answered in The Last Jedi were completely ignored. Details that establish who characters are have been completely ignored. That is not artistic. That is sloppy. The Star Wars sequel trilogy is sloppy. Plot twists and flashy visuals are unsuitable replacements for a cohesive overarching plot. Even if Star Wars, Episode IX addresses the many plot holes that the sequel trilogy has created, it will be a little too late. The second episode of a trilogy is the perfect act for the writers to explore the past and give backstory, which is what should have happened in The Last Jedi. The film should arguably have been the slowest-paced film, filling in the details after the audience has been hooked by the first film. Perhaps Disney was afraid of criticism that the film was slow and uninteresting, unfit for modern audiences. Whatever the case, it was a misstep that led to too much action and not enough plot. Indeed, the constant tension of the drawn-out, two-part climax (an unfortunate trend in blockbusters that feel a need to give the audience their money's worth) stretched the limits of the audience's attention span.
Additionally, the sequel trilogy seems to interpret the balance and interaction of the Light and Dark Sides of the Force differently than the prequel trilogy. The prequel trilogy seems to interpret the Force as a system analogous to an organism or an ecosystem. As long as nothing foreign, no pathogen or invasive species, was introduced, the system functioned normally, i.e. it was in balance. However, the introduction of the Sith and the Dark Side (the analog to the pathogen or invasive species) throws the system into chaos. In contrast, the sequel trilogy treats the balance between the Light and the Dark Sides as a scale. Where there is Light, there must also exist Darkness for balance to exist. As the balance of the Force was always vague, Disney's differing interpretation is not exactly a glaring inconsistency.
For a film that sought to redefine the Star Wars franchise, The Last Jedi fell short. Gareth Edwards's Rogue One, in contrast, had several departures from franchise: the lack of a title crawl, cutting short the "I have a bad feeling about this" line, not including a Jedi, and killing off all the main characters. It was fitting that a story separate from the Saga had so many differences. Edwards took Star Wars in a new direction-and yet was able to stay true to its roots. The franchise has historically stood at the forefront of special effects in cinema. Edwards took a chance recreating Tarkin and Leia, and, though he may have fallen short, the chances he took were ultimately much greater than the chances Johnson took (which were comparatively safe). For all of the twists in The Last Jedi, there is very little payoff. Even the film's greatest twist of all, which was hinted at in the trailer, leaves the situation status quo. If the Star Wars sequel trilogy were a stand-alone trilogy, it would be quite good. As a series that must fit into a larger story and live up to a legacy, I can only say: "Amazing. Everything it has done is wrong."