Kylo Ren: Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to. That's the only way to become what you are meant to be.
Kylo Ren: The Resistance is dead, the war is over, and when I kill you, I will have killed the last Jedi!
Luke Skywalker: Amazing. Every word of what you just said was wrong. The Rebellion is reborn today. The war is just beginning. And I will not be the last Jedi.
My Gist: See it. The Last Jedi (TLJ) is the rare squared circle that manages to be part of a corporate menagerie and yet art at the same time (flaws and all).
Considering Context: I have had to remind myself that Rian Johnson is 44 years old. His HHS graduation song would have been "Smells Like Teen Spirit". He's a Gen X-er. And I can't help but wonder how the themes he's playing with are a part of our larger generational communications. George Lucas was a very early boom (b. 1944) The world he grew up in was, in a large part, created to meet the needs of the boomer cohort; new schools, expanded universities, suburbs, power grids, healthcare, etc. With these gifts, the original trilogy can be seen as a promise by Lucas to his forebears to continue and win the fight against the darkness of the past. (Nazi's etc.) The prequel trilogy is in a sense, a treatise on how evil is product of apathy, self-interest, and complacency. A map for how new generations can avoid the same traps.
And here comes, Rian Johnson ,who from having watched TLJ, sees merit in burning down everything, starting from scratch, and killing every sacred cow. One thought is that, as a Gen X-er, he does not feel the same level of need to take on the mantle from Lucas. Gen-Xers existed in a world built for those that preceded them. It had cracks, its reality fell short of its promise, and it didn't fit their particular needs. -Yes, Star Wars is a part of that promise. All this goes double, if not triple, for my own generation. The solutions/conflicts/institutions of the past are relevant, but ultimately shackles on progress. Fire cleanses and rejuvenates.
It doesn't end the story. The story never ends, but it must evolve.
3.7 out of 5 -There are some pretty glaring story issues for my money, but none of that matters when talking about our shared cultural tradition.
Oh and I didn't really like Rose Tico. -However, I would encourage use of her character in subsequent movies.
No comments:
Post a Comment