That’s a cop out.
Why post two paragraphs in his article and then say you weren’t responding to the article?
Again there is a disconnect. Over time, there have been many strong women characters in movies. The issue we have here with the "new" generation is that they can't conceive that a woman can be strong without knocking down their male counterpart (s) to make them look incompetent and inferior. This is the "new" Hollywood mindset.
While there are examples of this in popular entertainment, it is not the new Hollywood. This is fear of losing power
And that is exactly how Rian Johnson developed The Last Jedi. Hux was a clown,
Hux was rendered a useful tool from his introduction. He was no different than any other General in any other Star Wars film. Generals are expendable to the Empire/First Order.
Kylo Ren became sensitive,
Kylo Ren became complex. Johnson introduced the ideas of self-doubt to the character, not being burdened by the past and what he should do, but instead forging his own path, even if it challenges his instincts.
Became sensitive just reads like you don’t like how a man was challenged.
What’s the issue? Abrams established him as guns-a-blazin’ in TFA, not a tactical strategist. When placed in a leadership role in TLJ, it’s natural that his attack mindset would largely conflict with the Resistance’s long-term goals.
The biggest missed opportunity in the series. Other than being a black, former Stormtrooper, he wasn’t given any meaningful character traits. The series could have dove much deeper into the First Order’s recruiting methods, and let Finn be at the center of their injustices, but nope.
and Luke became a coward and a recluse.
Which is perfectly in character with what was established in TFA. He was Kylo Ren’s master, and due to his own mistakes and miscalculations, inadvertently created the most dangerous person in the galaxy. Him hiding in fear to causing more damage was a logical story beat. He doubted himself, his abilities, and his judgements. His arc over the course of the film, having to learn from his failures, sets up the climax nicely.
It‘s clear you just wanted Last Action Hero Luke. That’s boring.
The only strong male character left was Snoke - and they killed him.
This is incredibly telling about where your head is. We know nothing about Snoke - whether he’s a puppet, a true master, or just an obstacle. We doesn’t have many, if any, true character traits. You only identify him as a strong male character because he has the perception of power.
Wow.
All this was done so Johnson could elevate Rey, Holdo, and Rose Tico to the role of "We're better than them".
Those characters were used to give additional characters meaningful arcs, not to tear them down. Male characters who face no adversity, any character in fact, are boring. Holdo ensures that Poe didn’t stay as just a charismatic ace, but actually had to evolve. Rose caught Finn in his second attempt to deflect from his party, and was used to further the notion of loyalty and family, even if surrogate, when times are both good and bad.
So tell me what were Holdo's faults? Rose Tico's? How about Rey?
Holdo was more a plot device than a character. She wasn’t given a meaningful character arc herself, and not all characters need one.
Rose is too idealistic in her virtues and sees things in black and white; valuable for when Finn needs to learn about his virtues, but naive when judging society in general (learning how merchants sold to both the FO and the Resistance).
Rey‘s biggest fear is her place in the galaxy. Was she meant to follow in the steps of Luke Skywalker? Darth Vader? Nobody in particular? Is there a path for her? Believe it nor not, faults can be found, not just in actions, but in character motivations and their mentality about who they are and what they should do.
Palpatine makes it just seem like Disney's Descendants. The children of people we like. JJ created an unneeded "mystery box" with Rey's past and Johnson played against it to help move the main character somewhere different. She was clearly hoping, like the fans, that she was someone tied into this lineage. When Kylo told her otherwise, it caused a crisis of faith for her, as that means she really was nothing and abandoned. She could join Kylo and become someone or she could follow the teachings and ways of the Jedi, even though its star player no longer believed in it. That is a great crossroads to set up. Jump on a dying ship that even the captain doesn't believe will or should float again or join the opposition and find your place.
