When I was in middle school I remember a social studies class lesson that dealt with oral traditions. Part of the lesson was how do we get history from long ago to now. The oral tradition of storytelling and relaying events over time was a means of providing information, and of course there is writing down information. This combination is not fail proof as we are sure to have experienced at one point, sometimes your memory fails you and sometimes you write in error. The class tried to do a simple telephone game to prove this by trying to relay a sentence from one end of the room to the other. Of course, the starting sentence was nowhere near close to what the final product revealed. The same can be seen in our traditions and mythologies. Throughout history we have mythologies and traditions that have passed from the oral, to written and then even to recorded, both audio and visual. Now we can even consider the myths and traditions to have passed on to digital with new forms on the horizon. With each passing we would like to think that we have come to a more solid transference of information, one where errors are limited and sources are plentiful. We can reserve somewhere in our minds that what we know is true and trust the traditions that have been passed on to us. Unfortunately that seems to be in antithetical to what mythology and traditions are.
Star Wars Episode 8: The Last Jedi (Dir. Rian Johnson, 2017) continues the mythology of the Star Wars universe. One where fans of the films have experienced the rise and fall of many characters and worlds and hopefully have experienced some sort of entertainment by films end. The film returns the main characters of the previous film The Force Awakens (Dir. Abrams, 2015) as well as introducing some new characters. There is Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran), Vice Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern) DJ (Benicio Del Toro) and in more physical form this time around, Snoke (Andy Serkis). We also get some new creatures that are sure to sell in all manners of plush to collectors. The small puffin like bird Porgs blow Ewoks away on the cute scale. We come to expect new characters, creatures and places when we watch a new Star Wars film, it's part of the tradition, adds richness to the mythology. What is not expected are when the core tenants to the mythology are changed.
At the time of writing this The Last Jedi is still new to the world. The criticism to the film is mixed, how can it not be? The franchise is so large and far reaching, that it extends beyond the movie screen to multiple media levels. Even if one is solely watching the films and nothing else Star Wars, there are certain traditions that have been ingrained within the viewers understanding of the Star Wars universe that any attempt at subverting those traditions risks a complete destruction of the space time continuum. Okay, not that serious, but people will be upset. This is where The Last Jedi leads us. The film tells us that everything we know, or think we know, is not absolutely true. For example, in a scene where Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) asks Rey (Daisy Ridley) what she thinks the force is, her answer is simple; It's a power that Jedi have that lets them control people and...make things float. Sounds about right, right? Luke says she's everything she says is wrong. In turn, he's telling us that everything we know is wrong.
The Last Jedi seems to put us in some unknown territory of the Star Wars mythology. The George Lucas mythological construction of the first six films, and continued somewhat by J.J. Abrams in The Force Awakens, seems to be twisted into an uncomfortable form in The Last Jedi. Much of The Last Jedi shows a Rebel Alliance that is in complete disarray and failure, the Force as almost like a side note in a conflict of ambiguous wills, a conflict that is exploited by war profiteers, and heroes that seem to have taken a few steps back in their heroism. The Force Awakens teased us with Luke Skywalker but in The Last Jedi we get to spend some time with him. We find an older, bitter and still naive Jedi that seems to have thrown away his past successes because of one moment of perceived failure. We do get a glimpse into what happened to Luke, post Return of the Jedi (Dir. Marquand, 1983), but only that which serves The Last Jedi and its plot. That brief glimpse isn't much to dwell on. We don't get the Luke Skywalker that has turned into all powerful comic book hero.
I can only wonder why this challenge to the mythological structure of Star Wars with The Last Jedi? Was this the plan all along? Did a producer ruin things? Did the director fail the film? That insider information isn't available...yet. What could be a plausible thought is that maybe The Last Jedi is the normal shift that happens to traditions and myths as time progresses. The Star Wars universe is over 40 years old. Times have changed. The political realities have shifted, technology has allowed for different aspects of the story to be explored, our cultural outlooks have changed. When looking at mythology there doesn't seem to be too many absolutes. There are no set rules or meanings, but rather interpretations to understanding a myth. Take cats for example in Japanese mythology. Some see the cat as ominous but cats were often brought on ships as a measure of protection against sea creatures. There's context and then there is who is telling, or writing, the myth. In the end we compile what information we have and try to draw a conclusion, even if the conclusion creates some dissonance.
The Last Jedi may not fall on the favorites part of the spectrum of Star Wars films in the long run. There will be another Star Wars film and maybe the next one will give a boost of credit to The Last Jedi. Where the mythology goes next is not certain, and that, at least to me, is a good thing. These times are uncertain and so why shouldn't The Last Jedi, or any other future Star War film reflect that uncertainty. Take comfort in knowing that this myth is not going to go the way you think.
No comments:
Post a Comment