How I'd Fix Star Wars: The Last Jedi:
Hello everyone. Normally I'd post something Harry Potter related but I wanted to do something a little different this time.
A few weeks ago I saw Star Wars: The Last Jedi in theaters and I was super amazingly pumped before watching. Afterwards however, I felt like I was missing something. As soon as the film ended, a ton of people in the audience applauded and cheered while I just kind of sat there and was dumbfounded by some of the choices that was made.
I want to make it very clear about a few things before I post my opinions, because Star Wars can be a sensitive topic to talk about with some people, I feel I should explain myself:
1. I love Star Wars. I really do. I don't try to overly hate any of these movies though because I generally do feel childlike wonder and a sense of excitement whenever I watch these movies. Can't say the same about Attack of the Clones, but that's my opinion.
2. I'm not trying to say The Last Jedi is bad by any means. Not at all. If you love this movie, please continue to do so. I just can't ignore the stuff that bothers me and I want to discuss it.
3. This list of issues I have with the film is 100% my opinion and is not anyone else's but my own. If you feel that this does not reflect your own options, then good! Feel free to disagree and let me know why you have to.
4. I want to try and not cover topics that most people on the web are doing because it's already been done to death. However, I will mention a few gripes that I simply have to talk about.
5. It's just a list of opinions so there's no need to get upset about it. As I said earlier, it's my own opinion. Not yours.
6. I don't read the lore or get more involved with Star Wars besides the movies or video games. If something is not mentioned to me in the films, then I'm not going to look it up and find out why it happened the way it did. So for example if I said I hated how they didn't explain something, but it's brought up later in the novelization of the film, it doesn't count for me.
7. There's gonna be spoilers here. Obviously. I really feel like I shouldn't have to say it, but watch the film first and then come back and read this if you must.
Now that that's out of the way I will list all of my issues with the film, in no particular order, and how I would have changed them to make the movie better.
ISSUE #1: Admiral Ackbar
For me there are two problems with the scene involving the ship Leia is on being blown up: The floating scene and how everyone glosses over Ackbar's death so quickly. My main question for both is "WHY?"
First off, I don't understand how people in the movie find it okay that Admiral Ackbar's death was blown over like it's nothing. The guy is one of the best memes out there and has one of the best memorable lines in the movies for god's sake! The character, for me, was weird yet cool and I wished they could have given his death a proper sendoff.
HOW I WOULD HAVE FIXED IT:
When the rebels had time, in that span where they were waiting on Rose and Finn to get back from Canto Bight, they could have held a vigil or some kind of moment of silence for those who had died. I'm not asking for much here, ok? Just something, anything, would have been better than "oh ... yeah ... Ackbar is dead. That sucks ... oh well!"
ISSUE #2: Floating Leia
Now we come to Leia. Oh boy I don't even know what to think of this one. For me personally, I wanted to laugh as soon as I saw this. Really. How is that scene acceptable? Why does Leia get to float in space, wake up, not die because of the intense cold from space and lack of oxygen, and then fly back to the ship like it's nothing?
As far as I know, since I don't read the comics, novels, or what have you, Leia can't use the force like Luke can. Is she force sensitive? Yes. Has she had any kind of training whatsoever? The films haven't mentioned it so I'm going to say no. So explain to me how someone who is not trained in the force, can float back to her ship that's miles away, and get to safety? I'll tell you how: fan service.
The power of fan service is the only thing that allowed Leia Organa to survive the attack from Kylo Ren on her ship. Not the force.
Seeing Carrie Fisher die in space, for me, was how I was expecting her to go out based on what we saw in the trailers. Considering she most likely won't be back for Episode 9 (unless they digitally add in the actor), it makes you wonder why Leia wasn't given a death scene in space?
HOW I WOULD HAVE FIXED IT:
Cut the float scene and replace it with one of the three scenarios:
If Leia had to not die from space, make it so she was saved from one of the other rebel ships and that the force kept her in stasis until she was picked up.
Also if Leia had to not die from space, Luke could have sensed her distress and used the force to put her into a nearby ship. The man is a Jedi Master. He can do anything!
If Leia dies in this scene, make it really heart wrenching for us in the audience and also Kylo Ren. He was trying really hard not to push the button to torpedo her, so why not see his mother's death actually come true? That way Kylo could be even more unbalanced in the force and continue to judge his place on the dark side.
ISSUE #3: Luke Finds Out About Han's Death / Chewy's Reunion
I was more surprised by Han's death being glossed over by Luke than Ackbar getting recognition.
Chewbacca and Luke obviously haven't seen one another for some time, so Luke's initial reaction should have been some excitement to see his Wookiee friend return, but he wasn't happy at all. Okay. Moving on..
Next, Luke finds out about Han dying and then the scene just ends. No emotion. No time to handle his death. Nothing. What the hell happened here?
How is this acceptable? Better yet, how was nothing hinted at later? Luke could have easily gone to talk to Chewbacca on the Flacon about Han Solo, but again nothing happened.
I don't understand how this small moment was ignored.
HOW I WOULD HAVE FIXED IT:
Add something dammit! Ok fine. Make it more tragic when Luke finds out. Or, just make it so Luke is already aware of the fact, and is angered because of what Kylo Ren did. Hell even Rey could have said something in that scene but she didn't either!
ISSUE #4: Rey's Parents
I'm going to keep this plot point complaint short. It's real simple: if the whole purpose was to just gut our expectations, then bravo because y'all succeeded.
Why was this plot point even mentioned in The Force Awakens, if all it did instead was hugely disappoint us? Shame on you!
Also what was the point of the vision wall in that scene? I really just don't understand why it's there or what purpose it serves.
HOW I WOULD HAVE FIXED IT:
Go back in time and not even bring up Rey's parents at all in The Force Awakens. Better yet, go back in time, convince J. J. Abrams to do The Last Jedi, and then we will get a better answer other than "they're nobody."
ISSUE #5: Supreme Leader Snoke
Ever since I saw Snoke in The Force Awakens, I kept wondering:
"Who is this guy?"
"Is he the new Emperor?"
"Is this Darth Sidious' Master by any chance?"
"What's up with his face?"
"How did he find Ben Solo and turn him into Kylo Ren?"
I expected to get some kind of clarity on any of these questions, but I didn't. It's really a shame considering that he's now dead, and his entire plot line in both movies thus far has been a complete waste of time.
You can't just introduce the new lord of the Sith and then just kill him off just as fast. The Emperor at the time was only in 2 out of the 3 original Star Wars movies, and we know a lot more information than we ever did with Snoke.
Before you point this out, yes I am aware we will get some backstory on Snoke in Episode 9, but that's in 2 years! You couldn't just give me something? Anything? No? Well jeez thanks for misleading me again.
HOW I WOULD HAVE FIXED IT:
It's pretty simple really: just add more information about the guy and don't kill him off.
Okay fine. Let's say we couldn't escape his death and it was 100% necessary. From there I would include flashbacks from within the mind of Kylo Ren about the training he received from Snoke, or being turned to the dark side by Snoke. This, to me, is way more important than anything that happened on that casino planet.
If Snoke was alive at the end of the film, I would expect Kylo to try and attempt a mutiny but failing and now him and Rey are on the run from the Sith Lord. From there, Snoke would spend time hunting down the pair and also Luke Skywalker.
ISSUE #6: The Knights of Ren
Where oh where did these characters go? Why were they not mentioned in The Last Jedi, but were mentioned previously in The Force Awakens? This makes no sense to me. I wanted to get some kind of mention of these characters, since it was heavily foreshadowed in Episode 7, but alas it never came.
I am grateful that we did get some more backstory on the first confrontation between Ben Solo and Luke Skywalker, before he turned over to the dark side. But that's not enough for me. Yeah we got to see Ben turn into Kylo, but what about the other Knights? Why leave this detail hanging in the wind?
HOW I WOULD HAVE FIXED IT:
It's pretty simple really: just either provide more backstory on the Knights of Ren, or show them in a few scenes in this movie
Ok that is all I have to say in terms of issues with The Last Jedi, besides the ones that haven't been done to death. In case you were wondering, here's the issues I was referring to:
Canto Bight Scenes - All of it needs to go.
Captain Phasma - So she shows up for 5 min, we get no explanation as to how she survived, and then a 1 min fight happens? Come on.
Leia Didn't Die - It would have been a great way to make sure she couldn't come back in Episode 9, but it didn't happen
BB8 Rides an AT-ST - I thought this was really dumb and didn't make any sense
Finn and Rose Kiss - It was really unexpected and completely out of place
Rose Saves Finn From Dying - What was the point of that? It would have been a dramatic turn for Finn's character, but it was ruined!
Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo - Her character was not needed because all she did was stall the amazing idea she had to just wait for something to happen
Thanks for reading and look forward to more content soon.