Having grown up on Star Wars, I can sympathize with some of the people who reacted strongly, and mostly negatively, to the way that Luke Skywalker was portrayed in the last movie. I can sympathize, although it seemed that many people went just way too far in their hatred of that, and of the film altogether. I believe that something was published here once about an online petition to remove 'The Last Jedi' from official Stars Wars canon, which seems to me to be taking it entirely too seriously.
Before I go on too far, let me be clear that the following will have spoilers regarding both of the last two franchise movies in the Star Wars series, so be warned. If you have not yet seen them, and intend to, then maybe you want to stop here.
Now, of all the members of the Star Wars cast, we kind of got the sense that Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker, also felt the most emotionally invested in the Star Wars franchise, and he was caught on camera reminiscing, and seemingly quite emotional, leaving the set of the Millenium Falcon for the most recent film, as he knew this was going to be the last time that he will be on it.
Indeed, many of us, if not perhaps most of us, can sympathize. The heroes from the original trilogy are almost all gone. Harrison Ford's Han Solo character died in the first one, and Hamill's Luke Skywalker died in the last movie (although we would probably expect him to return as a Force spirit, like Obi Wan and Yoda did, as well as Luke's father, Anakin). There are some characters remaining (for now), such as Leia, although the real life death of Carrie Fisher will obviously change that. Then, there is Chewbacca, C-3P0, and R2-D2, although they are steadily being relegated to lesser roles themselves. And, to some degree, the Millenium Falcon, which itself sometimes felt like a character, and in many ways nonetheless felt like a character in it's own way.
Eventually, presumably, we will have to expect Star Wars movies without any of them in it, on any level, and probably fairly soon.
That in and of itself is not such a bad thing, as it means a continuation of the great saga, just in another format.
However, it feels sad on some level also, because the pure fun of Star Wars seems to be either gone, or severely threatened these days. There are all of these whiners on all sides, either criticizing the new movie, and taking it too far, or those who complain against those folks, and sometimes seem to disregard the old traditions and magic that made Star Wars big in the first place. Having grown up on Star Wars, I loved the original movies, yet some people seem to now feel that doing so is an act of virtual racism. There was another blog entry that I published some time ago where the author likened the original Star Wars to Nazism, even though he himself later admitted that this was an intentional exaggeration. Part of the problem is that like with everything else, the Star Wars universe is being sucked into the black hole that is politics. The first trilogy remained free of politics by and large, although the second trilogy focused far more on the politics (in the Star Wars universe) and, also, seemed to take some shots at the absolutism of many Americans leading up to the Iraq war (particularly Anakin's "You're either with me, or you're my enemy" statement which echoed the words of former President George W. Bush).
But now, it is not just small pot shots or statements hidden within the movie or saga itself, but outright political interpretations are starting to seem to weigh on Star Wars and how the viewer is supposed to take this, or accept it.
Once again, it feels like a certain innocence has been lost. The original movies had mythological roots, and there was an acceptance that the overall message was basically positive. That lasted, and was largely unchallenged, for years, even decades.
Now, suddenly, all of that is being challenged, being questioned. And once again, a great movie series, one that I feel both took us away from our everyday and transcended it, especially politics, is now being dragged through the mud a bit. Suddenly, something that aspired to our imaginations and our wildest longings for space exploration, for technological advances mixed with a sense of spiritual awareness and meaning, and yet for clear cut ethics reminiscent of seemingly simpler, more innocent times. That is a difficult combination to achieve, yet Star Wars did it.
Perhaps it should come as no surprise that it feels like it is being taken away, bit by bit. I am not sure who the culprit is, but indeed, I can sympathize with Hamill in feeling reminiscent about something that, not all that long ago, took us beyond this limited world and showed us new possibilities, instead of being tangled up in the web of our own making.
It feels increasingly like Star Wars has been caught up in that web of modern life and politics, and frankly, it is a shame.
Now, suddenly, all of that is being challenged, being questioned. And once again, a great movie series, one that I feel both took us away from our everyday and transcended it, especially politics, is now being dragged through the mud a bit. Suddenly, something that aspired to our imaginations and our wildest longings for space exploration, for technological advances mixed with a sense of spiritual awareness and meaning, and yet for clear cut ethics reminiscent of seemingly simpler, more innocent times. That is a difficult combination to achieve, yet Star Wars did it.
Perhaps it should come as no surprise that it feels like it is being taken away, bit by bit. I am not sure who the culprit is, but indeed, I can sympathize with Hamill in feeling reminiscent about something that, not all that long ago, took us beyond this limited world and showed us new possibilities, instead of being tangled up in the web of our own making.
It feels increasingly like Star Wars has been caught up in that web of modern life and politics, and frankly, it is a shame.
Watch as Mark Hamill Says Goodbye to the Millennium Falcon RYAN SCOTT03.20.2018
No comments:
Post a Comment