I think one of the problems is that the conventions of the series have become ossified, to the point that anything very different comes across as off-brand. Compare with Marvel, which is relatively genre-fluid. On the other hand, several of the SW cartoon series were well received, so I guess it is possible to overcome these limitations.
Like Star Trek, Star Wars appeals mainly on the basis of nostalgia for the old series / films. Even the character development and relationships seem derivative. In Force Awakens we get a new R2D2, a new Yoda, a new Death Star, a new Empire and Rebellion, and a new, female lead on a quest to find her secret relatives. If A New Hope was the heroās journey, what was The Force Awakens about? I suspect that it wasnāt really about anything, other than recapitulating images and themes from the earlier movies (and, of course, making a pile of money). It was all Rey and co. chasing the MacGuffin .
I hated both of those characters, theyāre just so incompetently drawn.
Luke had to train for years with Obi-Wan and Yoda to become a Jedi. Long and hard his training was. Rey, now, sheās just got this innate connection with the Force that allows her to face up to the biggest baddest baddies in the universe with (apparently) no effort whatsoever. Yawn. Heroes who get to be heroes without even trying are just uninteresting.
Incidentally, I thought it was made fairly clear that she is a Skywalker, but no doubt that will be discarded somewhere along the line as an āinterestingā plot twist.
Finn is just an idiot, or at least he is as first presented, and how the fuck does an idiot get to be an Imperial Stormtrooper, trusted enough to be under the direct command of Kylo Ren? The only possible implication is that the First Order are a bunch of incompetent numpties whoāll recruit just about anybody and donāt bother with training. Your villain must be almost invincible, otherwise, whereās your story? Your renegade soldier must be hard as nails and a committed professional, otherwise he has no honour in the first place to be insulted by his commanderās poltroonery.
And while weāre on the subject, Kylo Ren is a limp-wristed bag of neuroses. Nobody like that would rise to such a position. And why does he have that dumbass mask? Why does anybody have dumbass masks? Darth Vaderās at least had some sort of function. Everyone here seems to be wearing them because it looks kewl.
Come to think of it, I think I hated the whole damn movie because everyone was so wet and touchy-feely. Itās supposed to be a War going on, not a Group Hug.
You know, I recently read an article complaining about The Matrix and bemoaning its male power fantasy - i.e. a mediocre white guy who becomes the chosen one and can all of a sudden beat up the bad guys with very little training. I wonder what MaRey Sue is.
I think that particular criticism misses the point. Firstly Neo is only all-powerful while he is in The Matrix - simply because heās figured out how it works. No skill development is required because the whole thing is a simulation. Rig the simulation and youāre sorted - at least, thatās the storyline justification. Disconnected, heās just an ordinary human being. Secondly, as it later transpires, heās being strung along by The Architect; so presumably his Matrix persona at least has had some sort of behind-the-scenes advantage.
Not saying the plot doesnāt have some holes in it; merely that The Matrix manages to cover them over well enough to keep the story rolling.
Rey is NOT a Mary Sue character AT ALL.
In the beginning of ep7 she is collecting metal scraps. This obviously explains why she can fly spaceships sheās never even seen before. Sheās well trained for it.
When she rescues BB8 from the guy who wants to recycle it, she is carrying a stick. This is a great way to setup the fact that later on sheāll be perfectly able to wield a lightsaber and defeat a Sith lord/trainee.
In ep8 she spent some time with Luke doing something, and while some far right people may suggest that her training wasnāt completed, this is going to explain her ability to go full Super Saiyan in ep9.
Ps: JJ is a competent director, but heās an awful writer. After seeing that theyāre probably going to somehow recycle Palpatine, I have little hope in the quality of ep9.
āHA, you thought the idiot guy who got slashed in half was the real villain? CHECKM8, it was good olā Palpatine all along! You didnāt see it coming, did you???ā.
Just die, Star Wars.
To the extent that there is any overarching plot, it seems to be the relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren. I like Adam Driver as an actor, and feel that both him and Daisy Ridley have elevated the material they were given, but what kind of relationship is this? Brother and sister? Lovers? (Realizing that these two categories have been known to overlap in Star Wars!) In other words, what is the point of their connection? Something about how bad people can reform (maybe) and turn good?
I feel that Jedi powers have been overdone. In A New Hope, Darth Vader can choke people, is kind of psychic, and is very good at fencing, but thatās about it. (Kenobiās power levels are similar, they seem evenly matched.) Over the next two movies, we start to see Vader and Luke levitating / flying around like kung fu people, and their telekenesis becomes more impressive (they can hurl big boxes). In the prequel trilogy the Jedi were more like superheroes. Now Luke has the power of bilocation / astral projection, and God knows what else. All this tends to marginalize the roles of ordinary people.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot all the negative reviews episode 8 got was from Russian bots and those right wing assholes on 4chan.
I remember the trailer for 8 seemed to imply Rey might turn to the dark side and join Kylo. If theyād gone with that it mightāve actually been interesting
