The latest Star Wars film, The Last Jedi, was released last weekend, and since Star Wars was a major part of my childhood and a huge influence on my creativity, I naturally saw it. (3 times, actually, but that’s irrelevant.)
Major spoilers ahead for The Last Jedi, by the way.
If you saw the film, or have any kind of passing interest in Star Wars, then you probably know that The Last Jedi left fans and audiences drastically split in their opinion of the film. Like any major fan, I took to the web afterward to get other takes on the movie. And as I read reviews, Reddit threads, tweets, and a variety of comments on the film, it quickly became apparent that many folks had a visceral, negative reaction to it. Saying that many hardcore Star Wars fans of a certain age ( ::cough:: Gen-Xers who saw the original film as children ::cough:: ) literally hated it is not an understatement.
In fact, some of those fans are actually petitioning Disney to remove The Last Jedi from the Star Wars canon. Seriously.
So what gives?
When it comes to judging a work of art or any creative endeavor, I’m a proponent of collecting multiple feedback and looking for patterns as an indicator of what may need to be addressed. In other words, if 6 out of 8 people have a problem with or want to edit a section of dialogue, then it’s safe to bet that section of dialogue needs work. You may come up with our own solution or revision based on the various feedback, but patterns don’t lie.
Over the course of reading about the movie afterward, I quickly saw a pattern in all the negative feedback and comments across multiple sites, chatrooms, and social media platforms.
The debate around the movie got me thinking about why we react to things the way we do, which led me to a theory;
Your reaction to The Last Jedi says a lot about how you approach your career.
“This is not going to go the way you think,”
– Luke Skywalker
Personally, I loved the movie, for many of the same reasons Jacob Hall outlines in this excellent piece for SlashFilm. Most importantly, The Last Jedi represents a changing of the guard in the Star Wars universe. Luke Skywalker dies, the Jedi as a religion are pretty much phased out (and by Yoda, the wisest of them, no less), and Leia clearly prepares to hand over leadership of the Resistance to Poe Dameron.
The movie is also subversive. From a female lead searching for family, only to be disappointed in learning that she doesn’t have one, to having a major villain die unceremoniously, to learning that the major heroes of the original Star Wars films are no longer larger-than-life, but actual flawed humans with regrets, mistakes, and hubris.
It’s a lot to take in when you’re just hoping to see Mark Hamill swing around a CGI sword and chop down some bad guys.
“Let the past die. Even if you have to kill it.”
– Kylo Ren
The theme of change runs throughout The Last Jedi and is arguably a bit heavy-handed at times. Yet there’s no denying it’s there as if to say, “Okay, people. You had your childhood. Now we need to evolve so these kids can have theirs.” It’s absolutely understandable that Disney would take the franchise in this direction, and a smart move, in my opinion.
As I mentioned, I loved it. The energy, the humor, the discovery that my favorite characters had baggage. That they weren’t perfect, they were flawed.
As a child, the heroes of Star Wars inspired me, motivated me to do what’s right, not be scared of adversity, and to have faith. As an adult, the heroes of Star Wars reminded me that no one’s perfect. That we’ve all made mistakes, that we’re human. I’ve grown over the past 40 years since Star Wars was first released, and things are no longer so black and white.
You could argue that the characters of Star Wars have changed and grown, too, and I find that comforting.
So if you’re a Star Wars fan, let me ask you; did you enjoy The Last Jedi, or hate it? What themes in the movie resonated with you? What about it didn’t you like?
Now think about your career. How do you react to changes in the workplace? Do you embrace opportunities to grow and learn, or do you prefer the comfort of clear expectations and a well-defined job?
See any similarities between the two? I’m willing to bet so.
Personally, I embrace change. It motivates me, makes life interesting. Challenges and new experiences make work interesting for me. Maybe that’s why I love it when my expectations are thrown for a loop when it comes to entertainment.
As with most things in life, how we react to the world around us often says more about us as a person than what we’re actually reacting to. To me, The Last Jedi seems to be a perfect example of that, specifically with an eye to careers and personal growth.