It's no secret that The Last Jedi, aka ''TLJ'', was a total hit. It grossed over 3.1 billion dollars worldwide and acquired praise from critics, yet the movie received mixed reviews from fans. The current score for TLJ on Rotten Tomatoes from critics is 91%, while the audience score is a devastating 47%.
So, why is there such a dramatic difference between the two scores? What did TLJ do to gain all of this backlash from the fans?
Here are some reasons why I believe The Last Jedi caused so much controversy:
1. Snoke
In The Force Awakens, Snoke was illustrated as the galaxy's next ''big bad'', but how much did really know about the character? That's right - very little. Because we knew so little about him in TFA, we were expecting to learn more about who Snoke is and his backstory in TLJ; sadly, director Rian Johnson made the decision to kill off Snoke in TLJ before we could learn anything about him. Snoke's death was quite jarring to the majority of the audience.
2. Phasma
Phasma was another villain in TFA that fans hoped to see more of in TLJ. Unfortunately, like Snoke, Phasma was given an underwhelming death and barely any screen time at all. With Phasma being a relatively popular character in TFA, it makes sense why fans would be upset.
3. The Force's Strange New Powers
Apparently, you can float through space like Mary Poppins with the Force. Especially if you're Leia Organa.
4. Rey is a Jedi Master with NO Training
How can Rey wield the Force and handle a lightsaber so amazingly without any real Jedi training? Before TLJ was released, some may have speculated that it had to do with her family tree, which leads me to my next reason...
5. Rey's Parents
For years, fans theorized over who Rey's parents were. Perhaps she was from Skywalker lineage, or maybe the offspring of Han and Leia, making Rey a sister to Kylo Ren. However, according to Kylo Ren, Rey's parents were nobodies. They were desert junkies who sold off Rey for drinking money when she was a child. But, since Kylo Ren was the one to deliver the ''big reveal'', he could be lying.
6. Canto Bight
The whole casino subplot with Finn and Rose is a waste of time. The reason the two go to Canto Bight in the first place is to meet the Codebreaker, who ends up betraying them, but somehow not needing him in the end.
7. Rose Tico
I may be exaggerating a bit here, but I'm going to speak what's on my mind nonetheless: I DESPISE Rose Tico. Her character is just... ANNOYING. Of course, she's no Jar-Jar Binks, but the forced chemistry between her and Finn made me want to puke, and I'm sure a large number of Star Wars fans can agree with me.
8. Luke's Character
TFA ended with Rey and Luke on the island where Luke went into hiding for so many years, with Rey holding Luke's lightsaber, ushering him to take it from her. In TLJ, that specific scene picks up with Luke grabbing the lightsaber and chucking it over his shoulder. While this did get a few laughs from the audience in the theater I was in, I sat there dumbfounded.
TLJ turned Luke Skywalker from a brave, courageous man into a grouchy, old chicken. Fans did not take this particular character ''development'' lightly. At least we get to see Luke drink milk from an alien beast... right? Yeah, that part was pretty disgusting.
9. That One Purple Haired Lady
If there's any character in TLJ I hated the most next to Rose Tico, it would be that one purple haired lady. I don't even want to bother looking up her name because I disliked her so much. She was poorly written, and as a result of that, her character is extremely obnoxious.
10. It Was Boring
I found myself a bit bored at times during TLJ while watching it in the theater. The entire plot was based on the Resistance getting away from the First Order, by just BARELY staying out of target for the majority of the film. Canto Bight was lame, Luke and Rey's ''training'' was lame, etc.
11. Dumb Jokes
The comedy in the movie didn't feel like true Star Wars comedy to most fans. The jokes were rather flat.
12. Reylo
Kylo seems to have feelings for Rey. He communicates with her by using the Force and asks her to join his side in ruling the galaxy. Obviously, Rey denies his offer, but that doesn't stop people from shipping the two. Personally, I don't have a problem with Kylo and Rey being a ''thing'', and I think it would make for an interesting story, but some fans' opinions on the matter are different than mine, so I decided to put this reason up here anyway.
Now that you know why fans aren't too happy with TLJ, let's look at some reasons why some fans (and many critics) enjoyed TLJ:
1. Diversity
Yes, critics love a diverse cast. In fact - and I've heard this from somewhere else, so it may or may not be entirely true - Rotten Tomatoes awards points to movies with a variety of actors with different races.
2. Kylo Ren
My favorite character in TFA and TLJ is without a doubt Kylo Ren, except for that one scene with his high-waisted pants (which actually turned out to be a large bandage) and wide, shirtless body. I enjoyed his character development in TLJ a lot. Adam Driver did well.
3. Visuals
There's no denying that the visuals in TLJ were absolutely breathtaking. The film was certainly a sweet treat to the eye.
4. Score
JJ Abrams did a fantastic job on the soundtrack for TLJ. The score is truly remarkable.
So there you have it. In a nutshell, Star Wars fans dislike TLJ because it left them feeling underwhelmed, disappointed, and upset. I'm not the biggest Star Wars fan out there - heck, I wouldn't really call myself a true fan - but I walked out of the theater feeling the emotions that real Star Wars fans felt after watching TLJ.
So, why is there such a dramatic difference between the two scores? What did TLJ do to gain all of this backlash from the fans?
Here are some reasons why I believe The Last Jedi caused so much controversy:
1. Snoke
In The Force Awakens, Snoke was illustrated as the galaxy's next ''big bad'', but how much did really know about the character? That's right - very little. Because we knew so little about him in TFA, we were expecting to learn more about who Snoke is and his backstory in TLJ; sadly, director Rian Johnson made the decision to kill off Snoke in TLJ before we could learn anything about him. Snoke's death was quite jarring to the majority of the audience.
2. Phasma
Phasma was another villain in TFA that fans hoped to see more of in TLJ. Unfortunately, like Snoke, Phasma was given an underwhelming death and barely any screen time at all. With Phasma being a relatively popular character in TFA, it makes sense why fans would be upset.
3. The Force's Strange New Powers
Apparently, you can float through space like Mary Poppins with the Force. Especially if you're Leia Organa.
4. Rey is a Jedi Master with NO Training
How can Rey wield the Force and handle a lightsaber so amazingly without any real Jedi training? Before TLJ was released, some may have speculated that it had to do with her family tree, which leads me to my next reason...
5. Rey's Parents
For years, fans theorized over who Rey's parents were. Perhaps she was from Skywalker lineage, or maybe the offspring of Han and Leia, making Rey a sister to Kylo Ren. However, according to Kylo Ren, Rey's parents were nobodies. They were desert junkies who sold off Rey for drinking money when she was a child. But, since Kylo Ren was the one to deliver the ''big reveal'', he could be lying.
6. Canto Bight
The whole casino subplot with Finn and Rose is a waste of time. The reason the two go to Canto Bight in the first place is to meet the Codebreaker, who ends up betraying them, but somehow not needing him in the end.
7. Rose Tico
I may be exaggerating a bit here, but I'm going to speak what's on my mind nonetheless: I DESPISE Rose Tico. Her character is just... ANNOYING. Of course, she's no Jar-Jar Binks, but the forced chemistry between her and Finn made me want to puke, and I'm sure a large number of Star Wars fans can agree with me.
8. Luke's Character
TFA ended with Rey and Luke on the island where Luke went into hiding for so many years, with Rey holding Luke's lightsaber, ushering him to take it from her. In TLJ, that specific scene picks up with Luke grabbing the lightsaber and chucking it over his shoulder. While this did get a few laughs from the audience in the theater I was in, I sat there dumbfounded.
TLJ turned Luke Skywalker from a brave, courageous man into a grouchy, old chicken. Fans did not take this particular character ''development'' lightly. At least we get to see Luke drink milk from an alien beast... right? Yeah, that part was pretty disgusting.
9. That One Purple Haired Lady
If there's any character in TLJ I hated the most next to Rose Tico, it would be that one purple haired lady. I don't even want to bother looking up her name because I disliked her so much. She was poorly written, and as a result of that, her character is extremely obnoxious.
10. It Was Boring
I found myself a bit bored at times during TLJ while watching it in the theater. The entire plot was based on the Resistance getting away from the First Order, by just BARELY staying out of target for the majority of the film. Canto Bight was lame, Luke and Rey's ''training'' was lame, etc.
11. Dumb Jokes
The comedy in the movie didn't feel like true Star Wars comedy to most fans. The jokes were rather flat.
12. Reylo
Kylo seems to have feelings for Rey. He communicates with her by using the Force and asks her to join his side in ruling the galaxy. Obviously, Rey denies his offer, but that doesn't stop people from shipping the two. Personally, I don't have a problem with Kylo and Rey being a ''thing'', and I think it would make for an interesting story, but some fans' opinions on the matter are different than mine, so I decided to put this reason up here anyway.
Now that you know why fans aren't too happy with TLJ, let's look at some reasons why some fans (and many critics) enjoyed TLJ:
1. Diversity
Yes, critics love a diverse cast. In fact - and I've heard this from somewhere else, so it may or may not be entirely true - Rotten Tomatoes awards points to movies with a variety of actors with different races.
2. Kylo Ren
My favorite character in TFA and TLJ is without a doubt Kylo Ren, except for that one scene with his high-waisted pants (which actually turned out to be a large bandage) and wide, shirtless body. I enjoyed his character development in TLJ a lot. Adam Driver did well.
3. Visuals
There's no denying that the visuals in TLJ were absolutely breathtaking. The film was certainly a sweet treat to the eye.
4. Score
JJ Abrams did a fantastic job on the soundtrack for TLJ. The score is truly remarkable.
So there you have it. In a nutshell, Star Wars fans dislike TLJ because it left them feeling underwhelmed, disappointed, and upset. I'm not the biggest Star Wars fan out there - heck, I wouldn't really call myself a true fan - but I walked out of the theater feeling the emotions that real Star Wars fans felt after watching TLJ.
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