Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi

Samir Mehta: I'm finding the division on this movie fascinating. Having kids not of SW age, I'll probably see this in February on DVD or Netflix or whatever, but I'll say this - I think a lot of the fans have wildly romantic beliefs about the average quality of Star Wars. Until 1997, Star Wars basically had one groundbreaking film that was pretty good, one masterpiece, and one pretty good finale. Then we got three prequels which ranged from horrendous (TPM) to decent (AotC) to wildly uneven (RottS).

My point - when I hear how Disney is "ruining" the franchise, I think it's just a little silly - The franchise was never THAT great. Honestly, most franchises are uneven (Bond, Star Trek as standout examples) and I just think it's weird to get so down on a film like this... − December 20, 2017 • more by Samir

Scott Hardie: I do not comprehend the outrage over Last Jedi at all.

First of all, no popular movie is not worth getting outraged about, certainly not worth creating a petition to strike it from canon. If you didn't like it, shrug and move on. Maybe I'm just burned out at the end of a long, busy year, but I don't know who has the time and energy to really hate a movie like that.

Second, a lot of the quibbles I've seen are about minor canon violations at most, like force ghosts never before being able to interact with their environment. I was disappointed at Star Trek: Discovery once again changing the appearance of Klingons, but who cares? That's one minor strike against a mostly excellent show. If Last Jedi provides good drama and action and mystery, let it bend the rules of canon.

Third, a notoriously risk-averse company like Disney should be applauded for taking chances with one of its biggest properties, even if those risks didn't pay off. This sort of fan backlash is exactly the kind of thing that reinforces Hollywood's creative stagnation that leads to endless sequels and remakes that never change and never demand anything of their audience.

I feel weird defending Last Jedi, because I'm not a fan and I didn't love it. I turned down a free ticket to see it again, in fact. But the fans raging against it for its perceived flaws are out of their gourds. It reminds me of the AV Club's excellent article about fan entitlement from the height of the Ghostbusters remake controversy. A convergence of trends has led to fans demanding that everything be done their way, which is both obnoxious and damaging to cinema. We need to judge movies as they are, not as we wish they were.

If anything, the controversy makes me think even better of Last Jedi. The film makes iconoclasm one of its major themes; it is explicit about the importance of discarding old ways and forging something new. The fact that series purists hate the movie makes it seem even more successful in moving Star Wars to where it needs to go next, and even more correct about the need to do so. − December 25, 2017 • more by Scott