Rian Johnson Doesn't Care About Star Wars Fans.

I knew it. I knew as soon as the blue credits started rolling. As enthusiastic as the midnight premiere crowd was, I could hear the overwhelming praise underpinned with rumblings of discontent. There was an unease that I could sense more than I could actively discern. I felt it within myself, too. I decided to withhold my own judgement because I had had such a change of heart after my first viewing of The Force Awakens. After the first time I saw TFA, I was heartbroken. I had watched all the trailers and was up to date on all the fan theories, and I felt that the movie was nothing more than a rehash of the old Star Wars. A shell of recycled beats and themes. But after a few more viewings I came to like it more and more. I fell in love with the characters. I proceeded through a grieving process and finally accepted that despite some recycled themes, the movie had accomplished its goal. It rebooted the franchise without ruining it.

This time around, I reserved my judgement for The Last Jedi. I tuned out the rabid fan-base and wild speculation. I didn't watch the trailers or TV spots. The only thing I carried into The Last Jedi was faith in Rian Johnson and Disney. Now after seeing it for the second time, I'm ready to share my thoughts.

Rian Johnson doesn't care about Star Wars fans. In fact, I'm pretty sure that at some point he saw this T-shirt and thought, "You know what? Let's go with that."

And actually, when I googled this image, one of the first images that came up was this:

So I'm actually fairly positive that I'm right. What I mean by saying that Rian Johnson doesn't care about Star Wars fans is that he cares about the story. Not your feelings. Or theories. Or preconceived notions about what Star Wars is or isn't. His script seems to thumb its nose at everything that the fans expected. It subverts everyone's expectations. But that subversion is performed such passion and fiery dedication that it has injected the franchise with new possibility and life. Johnson didn't give us the Star Wars movie we wanted. He gave us the Star Wars movie we needed.

That said, here is a list of ways (good and bad) in which the movie subverted my (and many others') expectations. I believe this is the cause of the divisive feedback the fans have given the movie. Feel free to message me or comment about ways (good and bad) in which the movie didn't go where you expected.

*SPOILERS TO FOLLOW. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED*

1. Rey: Just Rey. No last name. Her parents are no one. In fact, she's not a Kenobi or a Skywalker, her parents are actually scum. I LOVE this. I would have HATED it if she had turned out to be related to someone important. We already have Skywalkers in the story and the story simply can't go on only being about them. It's unsustainable. It would start to get stale. Plus, it is even  more poetic that someone who is "unimportant" can make such a difference. That is what Star Wars is to me. It's not about midichlorians and bloodlines and chosen ones. It's about "nobodys" who grow up to be "somebodys." Also, another way in which Johnson subverts your expectations: Rey is untrained and yet she is strong in the force. Get over it. Luke spent a week with Yoda before he rushed off to face Vader in ESB. Training doesn't equal strength. It never has. Johnson has set up a world in which force wielders don't have to be tamed. They can be wild and instinctual. I find this exciting.

2. Luke: Luke's character is not what many wanted, including Mark Hamill himself. In TLJ, Luke is world-weary and discouraged. He is actively pessimistic about himself and especially about the Jedi. Finally we have an acknowledgement from someone that the Jedi Order are not perfect. They are not saviors of the universe. They are another piece of the puzzle. A balancing force on one end of the seesaw. What both Snoke and Luke know is that light and dark always rise to meet one another in equal measure. And what Luke learns is that this is inevitable. There's no sitting this one out. Also, Johnson subverts your expectations by giving Luke a power no one has ever seen before. Force projection is amazing. It is truly a powerful pacifistic weapon. It is the perfect weapon of a Master Jedi. It fits with what Luke has turned into as a character and allows him to become one with the force. He did plenty of "laser sword waving." Now it's time for another approach to solving problems.

3. Leia: She can use the force. Something we've always kind of known but haven't been sure about until now. I like the idea, but hated Johnson's execution of it. It pulls me out of the movie because it just looks so utterly ridiculous. But oh well. Too late to change now.

4. Finn/Rose: This is the first time we've ever seen a "desperate rebel sneak attack" fail. People universally seem to dislike the whole Canto Bight story line. And I don't like it either, but it does serve the story. It solidifies Finn's resolve to fight for the rebellion and not just Rey. Which brings me to my next point.

5. Holdo/Rebellion: Admiral Holdo and the rebels can make mistakes. Johnson has finally shown us that the rebels can be disorganized, uncommunicative, and prideful. What makes them the good guys is that they still come together to fight for what is morally correct and teach each other. Even if it means demoting and slapping and arguing and scolding. Holdo doesn't need to fill Poe in on the plan. If Poe is going to be a leader in the rebellion going forward, he needs to calm down and make hard decisions. Holdo is able to teach him this in her poignant, brief tenure in the story.

6. Snoke: He isn't a typical "sith." He just wields the dark side and wants to rule. He doesn't need to be some character from previous films. I wish we had a little more information about where he came from, but again, Johnson did what was right for the story. After TFA, the story was headed in a predictable direction. We had an ultimate bad guy with an unsteady apprentice who could have been redeemed. Now we don't. Snoke is dead and the story has room to breathe.

7. Kylo: No one saw this coming. Ben Solo is truly gone. Kylo ain't coming back to the light. This isn't Vader all over again. Kylo is far more chaotic and dangerous than a typical sith. There is no cold calculation in him. He is an angsty, rage-filled sociopath. He scares me much more than he did before. I get the feeling that he will literally go to any length to get what he wants, and that is a bad guy we can love to hate going forward. We didn't like Snoke because we weren't supposed to, but we never really knew his true motivation. We know Kylo. We know how he thinks, and we can understand his motivations. That is a great bad guy.

8. Hux/First Order: Another way in which Johnson has undercut our expectations is by making Hux angry and impetuous. This psychopath now has more power? Snoke always seemed to keep this "cur" in check. But now he's off the leash and doesn't respect Kylo as much as he did Snoke. Again, going forward, this makes the First Order seem that much more menacing and chaotic. This is not the cold, calculating, bureaucratic Empire. This is an organization with an arsenal and an army and there's no telling what devastation they are about to unleash on the galaxy.
  
Each time that I've seen the movie now, I kept thinking, "I didn't even know I wanted this until I saw it." There are some truly breathtaking moments. I've not been to a movie in a long time where everyone around me audibly gasps at what happens. When Holdo rams the cruiser at light speed, everyone's jaw drops. The throne-room scene might just be the best lightsaber battle of the entire franchise. The bombing run at the beginning has given me chills both times. Luke becoming one with the force has made me get a little misty-eyed both times. Even though Leia floats like a witch, and even though Finn and Rose ride beasts that crash through a city, and even though DelToro overacted his character (to be expected), I still really appreciate that Rian Johnson made a Star Wars movie, and not a fan film.

After The Force Awakens I was prepared for more of the same. Now, for the first time in a long time, I am excited about the future of Star Wars. 

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