1/ So the aftermath of The Last Jedi has me thinking a lot about how people commonly criticise movies these days, particularly on the internet. Recently while browsing a forum, I saw the following comment:
2/ "I have fundamental problems with the empire/first order/whatever; they are so theatrically evil that they are their own undoing - if they blatted the solitary approaching x-wing at the start then it would be all over. They have lost loads of massive ships, stations and an...
3/ ...entire planet, has there been no thinking that how about build loads of normal star destroyers for the equivalent costs and materials and control more territory and be more strategically and tactically agile?”
4/ Now there are lots of problems with this, and one’s first instinct is to start nitpicking the nitpicking, to point out why those criticisms aren’t valid in-universe. But that only serves to encourage this kind of discussion, which I really, REALLY do not want to do.
5/ The problem with this comment, and with a lot of comments about TLJ, is that it utterly, point-blank refuses to engage with the film on any kind of storytelling level. It questions “inaccuracies” and “mistakes”, which are nothing of the sort. One of the most infuriating...
6/ ...sentences of the above is “they are so theatrically evil that they are their own undoing”.
7/ Now, if we engage with the narrative rather than nitpick the tactics of a fictional political faction, one might be able to ascertain that this is THE ENTIRE POINT. Correct, The First Order DO waste resources, they DO engage in pointless displays of power, they DO...
8/ ...prioritise image over common sense. This is all important, because they AREN'T REAL. They are a representation of real-life fascism, and an incredibly unsubtle one at that. The idea that anyone can perceive these things as mistakes, rather than as part of an overarching...
9/ ...narrative point, genuinely upsets me to my fucking core. Why didn’t the First Order “blat” the solitary X-wing out the sky? Because they’re arrogant, because they’re conceited, because they think they’re better than everyone.
10/ This is all spelled out VERY clearly in the text of the film.
11/ Now I’ve done my share of nitpicking, and it makes you feel clever. You feel like you’re better than the movie, than the filmmakers. But you’re not. You’re just being obtuse. You’re pointedly refusing to engage with a piece of art on the level it was intended.
12/ You don't have to like TLJ, but you're not going to prove that the film with space-ships carrying space-wizards with laser swords is bad because it's "inaccurate", so just...just stop.
I feel like this is the kind of thing you guys frequently rail against, particularly Shaun.
