Can you explain your reasoning for this bold statement.
Which is the bold part? Not liking Star Wars or liking Last Jedi?
I’ve always gravitated toward morally “ambiguous” stories, even as a kid. I would really only be satisfied with a story if I felt the “villain” was gray. They needed an understandable purpose to being bad, to an extent where, to them, they were the good guy.
Star Wars never bothered with subtlety or nuance. The bad guys literally called themselves the “Dark Side” and pick the scariest names imaginable for each other. In the original trilogy, the Empire is ridiculously inept while blowing up planets to prove a point. The only conflict for Vader is in the last 20 minutes of the trilogy when he decides to not kill his son. And the thing is, as has been memed to death, it’s an Empire. It’s a governmental body. Killing the Emporer doesn’t stop anything.
Which the Rebels keep forgetting. Nevermind, these are the most well-funded rebels in the history of ever. But there’s no purpose to the Rebellion aside from stopping the Empire. They’re anarchist. They’re the good guys only because the Empire are the bad guys. It’s superficial storytelling, and I saw it as such even when I was eight years old. And the problem has been every film up to now has never really tried to color with more than two crayons.
Spoilers follow:
In THIS though, the New EmpOrder is smart. They’re patient. And the Rebelsistence is actually clinging to life. The stakes FINALLY feel real between the two sides. Meanwhile, Kylo has an actual, understandable conflict going on (guilt and fear and power). Luke is flawed and culpable for everything. Rey isn’t some chosen one; she just happens to be the right one. Finn and Rose FAIL in their mission, right to the end. Haldo is ambiguous to the point Poe HATES her. And we have a whole WORLD of neutral profiteers who don’t care who wins as long as they pay, including a scumbag who is nothing more than a scumbag.
The Last Jedi expanded the SW universe with more subtlety and interesting conflict than 8 others films combined. The whole point of this film was pounding home that you shouldn’t worship your heroes and you shouldn’t hate your villains. The character quirks that exemplify our “heroes” are downright wrong, and that is FAR more interesting.