The Last Jedi Review

Some thoughts on the movie, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. There will be spoilers, so if you're a pussy about those, leave now.  And don't ever come back. 

Spoiler free review, borrowed from this review (yes, I know that review is of Rogue One, but it also suffices for Last Jedi):
The film grammar, the pacing, the tone are all straight out of Chinese film epics. It is a long damn movie, one with an oppressive sense of fate and tragedy through out.  You know these characters aren't getting out of this alive because you never see or hear of them in the first trilogy.  They start off as goners.

The People of the Han eat that shit right up.

First - it is important to understand why I see movies: to be entertained.  Typically, I want to see something that I just don't see every day.  Last Jedi certainly entertained.  Perhaps some of the fight scenes were rehashed. Perhaps the writing was horrendous. Perhaps it was geared toward a new segment of six-year-old children. But in the end, I saw things I don't see every day. 

And yes, it is an almost complete echo of The Empire Strikes Back, with the story line lifted directly from Battlestar Gallactica.

So these are the points of the movie I have issue with,  and about which, I had a conversation with my children -

I think Star Wars (Disney specifically) is trying to make straight white men the enemy.  Kylo Ren. They must kill off the strong white male leaders ("Patriarchy") such as Han and Luke. The others must be reduced - Poe Dameron getting demoted. 

They tried to disguise this as "out with the old and in with the new," but it's a tired game and easy to see through. 

Females and minorities were not be portrayed in a negative light.  The sole exception - Captain Phasma - wears a helmet and armor so she more resembles a robot than a woman.  Plus, she's following the orders of white male General Hux - who is the Star Wars equivalent of Hitler.  The underlying message here is that women who "follow the lead of white men on the Right" (liberal concept) are nothing more than robots who deserve to be destroyed. 

Also shunned is the gaining of skill via training.  Some are "just born" at a high level. 

Not surprisingly, there were stiff jabs at wealth. It's as if the wealthy must have done something bad to become wealthy and therefore they are all bad people.

"I fundamentally disagree with virtually everything you've decided about my character (Luke Skywalker)." 
- Mark Hamill
Yes, Luke Skywalker was not in this film. Oh, there was someone with that name, played by actor Mark Hamill, but it was not Luke.

I saw one person's opinion online that Vice Admiral Holdo was a "bad ass." In fact, she was a total blunder.  Her only saving grace was that she self-sacrificed (see note above about selling this in the Chinese market) after making error after error in leadership - which was portrayed as making the only caring choice after the only caring choice.  But, she and Leia were supposed to be the elder statesmen of "Strong, Independent Women."

There's even a part that bashes the eating of meat: Chewbacca was going to eat a porg, and was guilted by other porgs.

Yes, the film had plenty to bash.  Yes, Disney's Star Wars ought to be renamed SJW Wars. No, I'm not immediately boycotting these movies. Why?

Because of my children.  They know it's all make-believe.  All of it.  From lightsabers to blasters to hyperspace travel to the different species... right down to the demagoguery of the white male.  And SJW Wars offers me a unique chance to lump SJWism in with all of those other imaginary ideas. 

One may ignore reality. But one may not ignore the consequences of ignoring reality. 
Ayn Rand

So, a few questions came to mind:
Why make Epidode 7 all about finding the "great" Luke Skywalker, the legendary Jedi master fans waited 34 years to see again, only to treat him like a pathetic, disposable after-thought?
Why introduce Snoke, a powerful and mysterious figure cloaked in the force, only to have him so easily dispersed?
Why did Luke's lightsaber once call to Rey, only to suddenly be ignored/dismissed as mere coincidence?

So much wasted potential and conflict because of lazy writing, horrible character development, and awkward comedy.