I don’t know what it is, maybe I’m tired of all the time I spent defending TFA, but I honestly don’t even think I can bother with trying to respond to a lot of these negative reviews. Maybe it’s the volume, maybe I’m just shocked that there’s even such an outcry to begin with. Our takes on the film are just so different that I honestly don’t know how to bridge that gap, besides just hoping these people see the movie again and get out of it what I, and many others, did. It’s really something.
I really liked TFA, and it’s partly for this reason, that I’m not reaaly happy with RJ rebooting much of JJ’s setups. All the mystery surrounding Rey and Snoke has turned to dust. There’s a lot of twists and turns, and some shocks thrown in the mix, but ultimately I feel both Rey and Kylo are still in the same place they were at the end of TFA. Rey’s still the perfect hero, and Kylo’s still a big evil child.
See this is exactly the kind of take that I just can’t reconcile with my own.
First of all, I thought it was a perfect follow up to TFA in those regards. Snoke was only a big mystery because fans proposed endless theories - there’s nothing in the film itself that invites such rampant speculation. Rey’s parents reveal is honestly the only thing that made sense, and is a conclusion I landed on after a few viewings of TFA (not just that, thematically it’s so much better than any alternative).
As for Rey and Kylo, I don’t know what to say. I don’t think Rey’s a “perfect hero” in TFA and I think she’s even less that in TLJ. Kylo’s status as a “big evil child” is part of what makes him so compelling as a villain. And I just don’t really get the idea that they’re still in the same place.
That’s it, honestly. I just truly don’t get a lot of the criticisms I’ve seen. I wonder if it’s a matter of expectations. I went in with a completely open mind to whatever story Rian wanted to tell. It’s understandable to me why someone/anyone with specific expectations for how this story should go would be disappointed.
As for IX, I’m incredibly excited. With TLJ they were sort of boxed in to a certain extent, but with IX, beyond obviously finding satisfying conclusions for the characters, the story can pretty much go anywhere. I love that.
Neither should reasonably have mastered the Force, as Kylo has been given no further training, and Rey’s been given three lessons. Yet, they now are the sole live representatives of the light and dark side of the Force. Yoda told Luke to pass on what he had learned, but he has done no such thing, but we somehow still have to believe Rey’s going to be the first in a new line of Jedi. I know some will argue, Luke could come back to train Rey as a Force ghost, but then why didn’t Obi-Wan and Yoda do the same? Why did Luke have to pass on anything, if Obi-Wan and Yoda can train students from the grave. It just makes very little sense, and dilutes the mythology, in my opinion of course.
I think the first thing you have to realize is that the rules around the Force are constantly evolving (and always have) and that how much training one needs before they’re a “Jedi” is really anyone’s guess.
But, beyond that, I don’t think I’d say at all that either has mastered the Force. And I think we put too much stock into the idea that you need a teacher to be trained, and I think that’s the point here. A teacher is helpful, up to a certain point. Rey doesn’t need Luke (or his bloodline). Kylo doesn’t need Snoke (or his backstory). They can forge their own paths. This is their story and their future.