I gave up on debating some pages back. There's so much to try and keep up on, and it's really only worthwhile if one's audience hasn't already made up its mind and dug in its heels. Haters seem determined to hate and "not get it". Defenders seem to attack haters in a way that makes all parties dig in harder. Not gonna be part of that cycle. Dark rises and the Light rises to meet it and all that.
Having seen it a few times now, I stand by my first impression -- it should have been two films. I am annoyed that Lucasfilm is so slavishly locked into the trilogy model, and it results in compressing too much content into a single film, such that things get missed or feel too rushed. I blame George for that -- first for his decision during pre-production on "Star Wars 2" that the Obi-Wan-centric chunk of his notes only had enough for three films, rather than the six he'd originally figured, then,
after finishing the film now designated Episode V, deciding he wasn't going to do the last four Luke films and just wrapping everything up in one so he could walk away from Star Wars.
I like most of the beats -- just question the placement. Several emotion-charged moments with Luke then cut to light action elsewhere, and I found some of those transitions jarring.
Luke was there not to do anything Jedi-like -- he was standing guard over the repository of original Jedi texts to make sure no one else found and used them. As he said, he wanted the Jedi to end.
As for wearing Jedi robes... *sigh* That's just something I've long since resigned myself to, ever since Episode I borked things permanently. The Jedi originally had
quasi-uniforms, just like our real-world monastic and knightly orders. Another good analogue is WWII German uniforms. There were requirements, but the degree to which they were met depended largely on the individual. Enlisted personnel made do with the off-the-rack stuff, while Generals often had custom-tailored uniforms made out of much finer materials, often with individual embellishments. The higher the rank, the higher the liklihood no two would be exactly alike. When we met Obi-Wan in ANH he had "once" been a Jedi Knight (i.e., no longer considered himself one), and I was too young at the time to think about it. But by the time RotJ came out, we saw what a lot of art-of books and interviews and BTS films referred to as his new "more Jedi-like" attire. That was actually what drove Iain McCaig's initial art of an Obi-Wan-only Phantom Menace -- black shirt and pants, dark gray sleeveless tunic. I'm irked they shortened Luke's in RotJ for ease of stuntwork. Even if he had gotten it torn off once the fighting started, I would have rather that been a full length sleeveless kimono he had. That ensemble, plus the hooded brown cloak (with no sleeves or armholes, BTW) is my take on a period-authentic Jedi uniform. Everything since has, IMO, "gotten it wrong". It's not Tatooine farmer garb, it's not Aayla's exotic-dancer-Jedi getup, it's not Anakin's bondage-Jedi leather outfit, etc. So what Luke's wearing when in TLJ is only superficially of any relevance to me.
Biggest objection is the stable boy at the end. Anakin was
exceptionally strong in the Force, and knew about Jedi, but all he could do was pilot podracers better than any other human. In all of his time as a slave with Gardulla the Hutt or Watto, he had never fallen and instinctively caught himself with the Force, called a tool to his hand, drew on the Force to run from bullies faster or punch smart-mouthed Rodians harder, etc. So I'm not buying the stable boy just casually calling that broom to his hand. Inherent strength in the Force isn't enough. It took years of deliberate, conscious training for Luke to be able to call his lightsaber hilt to his hand. That last scene in general made no sense to me. Who got word out about Luke's showdown with the First Order? How did the stable hands see it? On a casino planet in the Corporate Sector, how have they even heard about the Jedi or Luke in the first place? They were born decades after the order had been wiped out and the Empire had been suppressing mentions.
--Jonah