Star Wars: The Last Jedi

I totally understand why a lot of people hated The Last Jedi. The original mythological foundations of Star Wars are being shattered with a post-script. The Happily Ever After implied by the fairytale framework of the original trilogy doesn't hold up when you've got a post-script that includes more realistic character arcs such as divorce, estranged kids, disenfranchised heroes, etc. The fact that they are bending the franchise in that direction DOES create an aesthetic and thematic disharmony. I feel like this is the awkward teen years for the franchise. It couldn't stay a fairytale forever since the fanbase has grown up, had kids, divorces, been disenfranchised, etc. Many of us want those kinds of gritty anti-fairytale themes. But right now you have those more realistic moments uncomfortably sitting next to the mythological and the whimsical in the same movies. And that's bad art. That doesn't mean people can't love it despite those flaws, but I still recognize them and understand why it's upsetting/unsatisfying for so many.

That being said, no Star Wars film has ever resonated so deeply with me as The Last Jedi. As a 5-15 year old, the aliens and action were the things that made me love the franchise. As a 42 year old who's been divorced, has an estranged son, suffered through a faith crises and had to rebuild my epistemological framework... Somehow they made a space-wizard movie that SPOKE TO THOSE THINGS. I think that's important. I think that's worth celebrating.

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