I know in (my still unfinished) The Last Jedi review I've been critically harsh of the movie, pointing out the movie's abundance of plot holes and usage of comedic relief to destroy potentially serious and gritty scenes. The abhorrent screenwriting and lack of motivation with the characters or depth.
But, that's all just a movie. Despite how angry or passionate I may seem, it's still a Star Wars movie. Fictional fun for all ages. I'm just a fan of Star Wars that gets rather irritated when I see my favourite franchise's source material turned into a kids movie. Now, some people may argue Star Wars was always for children, but that's an argument I'll delve into at a later time.
There's been many news articles lately blaming the entire Star Wars fandom for the actions of several disgusting individuals that have harassed the actor of TLJ's arguably worst character, Rose. The actor, Kelly Marie Tran, has received consistent racist messages and possibly death threats from enraged fans that view the lackluster character as entirely the actor's fault, though it was completely out of her hands how Rose was handled storytelling wise.
Faceless internet mobs have been a major problem since the early 2000s, and now have grown into a sadly relevant viral sensation. But this mob in particular caught the attention of dozens of major news outlets, that have unfairly painted the entire Star Wars fanbase as responsible and accountable for the actions of extremists. Many of my friends are SW fans themselves and would never even dream of condoning this barbaric and senseless behaviour. But society's going down the drain it seems, and with it, people grow entitled and grow dark-hearted.
The actor was never at fault for the mistakes of the movie. The writers and director should be held responsible for this mess, and even in that situation, why harass them ceaselessly? They made a mistake. Granted, it was a pretty gargantuan mistake, one that I've bothered making two posts about, but still, humans are prone to mistakes. Humans learn from mistakes. And while at this point in the Sequel trilogy it seems like a miracle is required to redeem TLJ, I know I would not want to be hounded for the rest of my life for making such a mistake.
In fact, the actor didn't even do anything wrong! Aside from portraying a character whose lines were rubbish, she still acted them out with emotion. Realism, or at least the degree of realism that could be achieved in that situation. What I'm trying to say here is that this harassment of Marie Tran is unjustified in every conceivable way.
Though if there's one positive aspect I've gained from this experience, it's that Star Wars, while gritty and dark at times, is still marketed to a certain audience of children. Kids and young adults and teens need to be appealed too. So with that in mind, look forward to a redo of my Solo review. I believe I was too harsh on that movie originally, and it deserves some credit.
That's all, folks! Don't be assholes, even on the internet, please.