Why Star Wars: The Last Jedi is so polarizing among fans

The Last Jedi is perhaps the most divisive Star Wars film among fans.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is now in theaters and critics love it. The same can’t be said about fans, though. Indeed, The Last Jedi might be the most divisive Star Wars film in the franchise. Many fans are calling the film the best in the saga, while others are calling it the worst. Now, the film itself is not bad; it’s beautifully-crafted and full of wonderful moments that’ll sure make you spill your popcorn. The current debate stems from the film’s narrative. There are story decisions in The Last Jedi that are leaving fans appalled, while leaving others content. Some say these story moments are counter-intuitive to Star Wars in general, while others are calling them fresh and innovating. Today we’ll explore why some of these moments have some Star Wars fans in pandemonium and, of course, heavy spoilers follow.

Perhaps one of the biggest reasons why some fans dislike The Last Jedi is because it doesn’t meet their expectations. After The Force Awakens, many fans started to form theories. Some of the most prominent ones included the identity of Supreme Leader Snoke and who Rey’s parents are. Not only does the film abandon those queries, but it disregards them, making them seem unimportant. For some fans, this was a win for Star Wars. Many considered Snoke’s identity and Rey’s background a rehash of past Star Wars tropes, opting then for new story beats. For fans expecting answers to such questions, The Last Jedi completely ignored them. As Screen Junkies critic Dan Murrell said in his review of the film:

"The reason that fans are speculating on this [on Snoke and Rey] is that the last Star Wars movie [The Force Awakens] told them these were important questions to ask."

Essentially, many fans felt betrayed, as if what was established in The Force Awakens was rendered insignificant in The Last Jedi. Instead of giving details of Snoke’s identity, the film kills him, omitting some form of backstory. Instead of revealing who Rey’s parents are, the film insists that her parentage is irrelevant. This is why some fans seemingly dislike The Last Jedi. But other reasons stem from how certain Star Wars lore was used in the film. Particularly, the Force.

Leia’s space scene and Kylo Ren and Rey’s “Force Skype” were among the primary complaints of some fans. Many cited that such use of the Force felt silly and preposterous as these tweets convey:

The Last Jedi definitely expanded on the Force’s mythos. Clearly, Lucasfilm allowed director Rian Johnson to add his own spin to the franchise. But apparently, though, one side of the Star Wars fandom didn’t abide by Johnson’s approach, as seen above.

Another scene in The Last Jedi that left some fans disappointed was Luke’s “fake” battle against Kylo Ren. By the end of the film, when the First Order has the Resistance trapped on the planet Crait, Luke appears in the form of a Force mirage. He then engages in a fight with Kylo Ren, allowing for the Resistance to escape. Some fans weren’t very fond of this:

Of course, there are many fans that loved Luke’s scene with Kylo Ren, as well as the other aforementioned scenes. Nonetheless, as seen above, the opposite sentiment is also prevalent.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is arguably the most polarizing movie in the Star Wars franchise. Due to subverted expectations and a number of scenes that didn’t quite resonate with some fans, The Last Jedi is a film that will be debated for a long, long time.

Next: Star Wars: The Last Jedi review

Did you enjoy The Last Jedi?