Ugh. (Off-Topic)

by Kermit , Raleigh, NC, Friday, December 29, 2017, 14:48 (2522 days ago) @ SonofMacPhisto

I have no interest in think pieces about current politics and how this movie fits into all that.

Too bad. TLJ is great because it sits firmly in today's culture. Even manages to raise some pretty interesting questions about it, too.

Are you sure you’re not talking about the best movie of the year—GET OUT? I know the current fad is to explicate everything’s political subtext and how it reflects trendy cultural issues, but that’s a negative trend for the creation of art, all of which needn’t carry those particular weights (there are other important weights to carry). If I didn’t make clear, I reject the baby boomer thesis in that article you posted specifically because Star Wars’ popularity and uniqueness sprung from its universality and its mining of archetypes not bound by one culture or one time—that these stories take place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away is essential not just to their appeal but to their identity. My quick take is that TLJ is not a great movie, but if it is judged to be one 40 years from now I bet it’ll be despite whatever questions it may raise about our moment. To the extent that it does sit firmly in today’s culture it will be considered more of an artifact than art.

I’m not even sure these reviewers are necessarily correct in their “deep” analysis—many are predisposed or have be trained to view everything through a certain lens—my problems with the film have more to do with basic failures of narrative and consistency. There’s no problem with subverting some of the expectations of Star Wars fans, but Johnson makes a fetish out of subversion—practically subverting the whole enterprise out of existence, which begs the question—what’s the point of Star Wars movie? I think either he didn’t understand the point, or he wasn’t up to the task of riding that particular beast.

BTW, I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday. <3