Posted in: Movies | Tagged: entertainment, film, logan, rogue one, star wars, The Last Jedi

Why I'm Not Motivated to See 'Star Wars: the Last Jedi'

Published Mon, 18 Dec 2017 19:24:41 -0600

(Mild spoilers below)… and this is absolutely an opinion piece. Flee now while you can.

I grew up loving Star Wars and comic books. I saw the first Star Wars film in 1977 and was awed. I bought Chewbacca and Darth Vader at the K-Mart the next day and that's where my money went for the next half dozen years… Star Wars toys, comic books and Big Gulps. I saw Empire Strikes Back with my brother and my mom got me out of school early to go see Return of the Jedi. I mailed away to Kenner to get my Boba Fett figure and watched the Christmas Special when it aired. I went and saw the special editions when they were released and saw the Prequels when they came out. And when The Force Awakens debuted, I saw it opening weekend.

And that's when the spark left me. My excitement for Rogue One was moderate at best. And where I liked it as a fan, I saw so many problems with it as a movie. And now, The Last Jedi is in theaters and I just can't find any motivation to go see it. I will, eventually. But I've been looking forward to Murder on the Orient Express, The Greatest Showman, Justice League and Thor: Ragnarok more than the latest Star Wars film.

And before you think I'm suddenly a Star Wars hater… I just realized tonight that it's not the only franchise that I've lost my excitement for. I think Hugh Jackman has been an amazing Wolverine. And while I know there has been a ton of praise given to Logan… I haven't seen it. I couldn't motivate myself to go to the theater, but I bought it on blu ray. It has been sitting on my desk for months and months. So, why won't I watch it? I realized the answer is very simple. I have no desire to see how their stories end.

A classic fairy tale ends with them living happily ever after. Modern day films aren't trying to be fairy tales, they want to be realistic and dramatic. Death of a character can make for a compelling story point. But is that what people want right now? As we get older, there is so much loss to deal with. Not only the people we love, but those we idolize. People were devastated by the loss of Robin Williams, David Bowie, and Prince. Now we have to see the end of the adventure for our heroes?

I'm not saying that the studios shouldn't make these kinds of decisions any more than comic book companies shouldn't kill their characters. They can do what they think is best. But some people want their heroes to get the happy ending. And when they sit in a theater, and see the adventure for their idol end… they might just lash out. Call for it to be undone. Denounce the film. They're not bad fan boys or anything else. They just don't want to lose another friend.

I had a rough year last year, and this one hasn't been a lot better. With that in mind, I should've realized why I wasn't motivated to see certain films. It has nothing to do with them being bad or me not loving the franchise anymore… it has to do with the fact as long as I don't go sit in that theater or put in that disc, then my hero can still get their happy ending. Or at least until I'm ready to say goodbye.

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