Luke is out of character in TLJ.
I liked his character but this is the most understandable complaint I have heard of against the Last Jedi. I completely see where people are coming from cause it was a bold and risky decision.
Just to be clear, I make a distinction between thinking he’s out of character, and not agreeing with the direction his character was taken. I agree that it was really bold to do what they did, and I understand that some people just wanted to see something different. I very much disagree with the notion that he is “out of character,” though.
Well, I don’t dislike the direction Luke’s character was taken, but I do think it was out of character, because in my view Luke’s motivations for contemplating to kill his best friend’s and sister’s son were not properly developed. Seeing darkness just doesn’t cut it in the context of the rest of the saga, and doing it while the boy is sleeping doesn’t seem that Jedi like either. Then there’s the idea that Luke just abandons everyone, and leaves the galaxy to Snoke and Kylo. This just doesn’t make sense, because even if Luke wants the Jedi to end, his first priority should be to stop “dark Jedi”. I mean, what’s the point of ending the Jedi, if two other force users are wreaking havoc on the galaxy? So, yeah Luke’s character arc in TLJ is good, but the backstory and motivation are very poorly developed IMO. So, Luke’s change from hero to hermit seems like a plot device. Luke becomes a hermit, because RJ wanted him to be, not because it flows naturally from previous installments in the saga.