Seven years ago today, The Last Jedi shook up the Star Wars universe by deconstructing the founding myths of the saga and daring to redefine the destiny of its emblematic heroes.
Tl;dr
- Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi has divided fans of the franchise.
- The film was criticized for its casting choices and for disappointing some fan theories.
- From The Last Jedithe franchise seems hesitant to move forward in the story.
An episode that divided fans
December 15, 2017 marked the release of the eighth part of the intergalactic epic Star Warstitled The Last Jedi. Since then, the franchise's path has been strewn with controversy. This film, which sparked mixed reactions upon its release, continues to be the subject of criticism, despite even greater hostility towards other episodes in the saga.
A promising sequel
It is common today to hear that the entire sequel trilogy is bad, obscuring the fact that the previous episode, The Force Awakenswas widely appreciated by critics and the public. The latter was hailed for having brought the franchise back to life and for looking to the future, unlike what many prequels had done. However, looking back, fans blame The Force Awakens its too close resemblance to A new hope. In 2017, The Last Jedi therefore had a heavy task to accomplish.
An original story that disconcerted
Unlike its predecessor, The Last Jedi did not borrow much from The Empire Strikes Backseeking to tell its own story. The film largely takes place in a fleet of Resistance ships, where General Leia's organization is fleeing the First Order. At the same time, Rey goes in search of Luke Skywalker to better understand the Force, while Finn, Rose and BB-8 try in vain to sabotage the First Order.
Polarized reactions
Films are often called “controversial” when they provoke varied responses, but rarely has the range of reactions been as wide as for The Last Jedi. Some fans of Star Wars hate this movie with a burning passion, while many others love it just as much.
Accusations of sexism and racism
It is undeniable that sexism, racism and xenophobia have played a major role in the negativity around The Last Jedi. Some fans were already unhappy that the trilogy's protagonists were a woman and a black man, and this film introduced Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) as another main protagonist.
The impact of fan theories
Another reason often given for the rejection of this film is the prevalence of fan theories. After The Force Awakensmany fans had come up with very detailed theories about what would happen next and had become attached to these stories, expecting to see them come true.
A return to the prequels?
In hindsight, the most surprising development of Star Wars over the past seven years is a return to prequels and “interquels,” with a refusal to look toward the future. So that the series regains the energy and fervor it had between The Force Awakens et The Last Jediit will have to promise something new and exciting once again. To do this, she must be bold enough to risk criticism and stay the course even when things get complicated.
