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).
Well I disagree. Rey was able to do things in TFA that previously required a lot of training, a trend that continues in this film. That in my view requires some sort of explanation, and just being the child of some nobody’s doesn’t cut it for me.
I don’t even know how to engage with this. “Some nobody,” the force is for everybody, that’s the whole point.
They’ve also completely rebooted the Empire vs rebels scenario, with the Resistance now even being called rebels. Snoke was the only character with some history beyond the FO, and might have provided motivations that separates the FO from the Empire, but that’s all gone by the wayside. There are now only new faces part of an organisation without much of a history or an identity. It’s this sense of history and hidden layers that made Star Wars appealing to me, but now all the history and layers have been peeled away.
Thing is, it’s not Snoke’s First Order anymore, it’s Kylo’s. And yeah, the history’s been stripped away, but, again, that’s the point. It’s not about Vader or the Empire anymore. This is his and I’m excited to see where else he takes it.
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.
Why do I have to realize? All the films leading up to TFA shows Force users need a significant amount of training to master the Force. Even in TFA Snoke suggests Kylo needs more training. I think future directors should respect the in-universe rules, and when they don’t, provide explanations. I’m not fond of a universe rife with inconsistencies.
Eh, not quite. Luke can do a decent bit before he gets to Dagobah. He’s there for what, a week? Then returns a year later only to be told his training’s all done. It’s only the prequels that imply that being a Jedi is something that takes a lifetime to learn.