Heroine's journey of high literary value and geared toward women naturally causes a split in fandom

Rating: 9/10 (25 March 2018)

Current mood: Somewhere between Sheev Palpatine's cackle and that guy on Crait who licks his finger and says, "Salt." After reading some of the reviews (which made me roll my eyes so hard it gave me a headache) I'm even more satisfied the Star Wars franchise is shifting in a new direction. As a literature teacher and lifelong Star Wars fan, this movie was a breath of fresh air. It's intelligent, full of the symbolism that should be present in a story that draws heavily from fairy tales and the mythic, and includes some delicious use of irony, foreshadowing, and allusion. The story itself may be geared toward children, but the use of literary devices, as in The Force Awakens, is at a collegiate level.
First of all, this female character driven film could have just as aptly been titled "How to Train Your Man Child". Essentially a Star Wars film was made with a female perspective heavily in mind and some of the fandom doesn't know what to make of that. Hence the romantic drama, which is played in longing looks, proximity of the actors, tone of voice, and sexual symbolism rather than the overt "let's make out before that makes any narrative sense" strategy that audiences are used to in major blockbusters, not being mentioned at all in this site's user written synopsis.
The protagonist in this coming of age story is a young woman on a classic heroine's journey, which means her arc is to move away from childhood and family and into mature womanhood. Part of her growing up entails confronting the dangerous masculine. If you keep that in mind, the narrative choices regarding her background and romantic interest make thematic sense.
There are two primary romances going on, hence the infamous shirtless scene that some of the fandom can't seem to understand the relevance of. (Oh sure, when it's a woman in a gold bikini chained to a giant slug or a woman in a dominatrix getup when she's supposedly having a relaxing night at home, we understand the context, but when it's a male character trying to seduce a young woman, suddenly the fandom has a collective brain fart.) The parallel romance is between a classically handsome character and a girl who, while attractive, does not look like your typical Hollywood actress and can be taken to represent smart, nerdy female Star Wars fans. In other words, both romances are power fantasies typical of stories geared toward women -- Taming the Bad Boy/Girl and Ordinary Girl Gets the Hot Guy/Girl.
The other major controversial issue is Luke's story arc. I have to admit, while I understood we'd be getting tragic backstory that made our protagonist empathize with another character, I did not dream it would be that, and I still have some issue imagining the Luke I grew up with doing what he did. That said, Luke's character certainly was not stagnant and his arc serves to move the drama of the current narrative focus (which is not him nor should it be in a heroine's coming of age story) decidedly forward. If you can accept that Luke is now The Mentor rather than The Hero, and that one of the film's major themes is learning from failure, you'll have an easier time with his arc.
Now, all of this said, my major issue with the film was the pacing of the Resistance plot. That side of the house could have been cleaner cut and more streamlined. Also, Leia Poppins makes me cringe every time. (You'll know it when you see it...) But overall, the film departs from convention in a narratively sensical way. And the way some of the foreshadowing from The Force Awakens plays out is nothing short of delicious. "I will not be seduced" and "I'm not giving you anything", anyone? As a final fun note, Freud and Jung enthusiasts will have a good time with the imagery in this one.