Rian Johnson‘s “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” riled up some long-time franchise fans and quickly became the most divisive movie in the series’ history. The main point of contention was the way Johnson treated Luke Skywalker, and how his all encompassing statement that “it’s time for the Jedi to end” could not have been uttered by the same guy who told Yoda in 1980’s ‘The Empire Strikes Back,.’ “I won’t fail you, I’m not afraid.” Alas, this supposed deviation from the original spirit of the character rubbed many people the wrong way. Others also complained about the new characters whom, coincidence or not, were mostly female (Laura Dern‘s Admiral Holdo and Kelly Marie Tran‘s Rose Tico,) which even led to a fan deciding to edit his own 46 minute, MRA version of the ‘The Last Jedi’ without any women in it.
With all that being said, J.J. Abrams‘ claim that the reason for the nasty backlash is because these very fans felt “threatened” by having strong women in the movie kind of misses the point. Sure, there is some truth in that statement, but it wasn’t just the fact that Rose and Kelly were in the movie that had some fans wanting Johnson’s head on a platter. It was more than that, but first let’s get to Abrams’ quote which is from an interview he did with IndieWire‘s Kate Erbland:
” ‘Star Wars’ is a big galaxy, and you can sort of find almost anything you want to in Star Wars,” Abrams told IndieWire. “If you are someone who feels threatened by women and needs to lash out against them, you can probably find an enemy in ‘Star Wars.’ You can probably look at the first movie that George [Lucas] did and say that Leia was too outspoken, or she was too tough. Anyone who wants to find a problem with anything can find the problem. The internet seems to be made for that.”
Point taken. Of course, we want strong female characters to be included in big-budget tentpole blockbusters and “Star Wars” has, quite frankly, done it quite well with this new trilogy, especially when it comes to Daisey Ridley‘s Rey who is, no doubt, turning into one of the great sci-fi heroines of our time. However, Abrams assertion that fans who didn’t like ‘The Last Jedi’ feel threatened by strong women kind of misses the point of the backlash. Being against art that doesn’t affect you or resonate deeply inside you in not always as simple as just a matter of sexism.
For many, the joys of “Star Wars” comes from the comfort of familiarity from the mythology Lucas created. ‘The Last Jedi’ challenges that comfort. The primary intent of the film was to reinvent the franchise. Of course, purists wanted things to stay the same, but watching ‘The Last Jedi’ you can sense director Rian Johnson trying to, as Kylo Ren says to, “let the past die.” It’s a theme that resonates throughout the film. The little moments that make up this backlash are not “little” to fans of Lucas’ original films. For example, Rey handing off the blue lightsaber to Luke, who then goes on to toss it over his shoulder and brush off Rey? That’s sacrilege for them. Luke doesn’t even believe in himself anymore. The mythology, his legend, was, in fact, a sham according to this new movie. I enjoyed the film, but I do understand some fans’ frustrations and even though sexism may be the reason for a minority of fans, Abrams needs to realize it is much, much more than just that.