Plain Runner

Wanted to revisit this specific point with regards to the character change (not growth) we see pressed upon Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi. The most charitable reading I can give to Rian Johnson's rendering is that he was going for something like the movie, "Heidi." Luke is now the hardened old man in his dark little cabin, cut off by a self imposed exile, and Rey is the light that awakens him. A perfectly fine story to tell, but it's not Luke Skywalker's. It never could be. He is not that man, and whatever circumstances you pile upon him, he will not become that man. If he had to go into exile, it would be in waiting. It would be to protect. It would be to preserve. It would not be to abandon and turn inward. When you watch "It's A Wonderful Life," you know the kind of stuff George Bailey is made of when the bridge crisis comes. The temptation is real, but only insomuch as he believes that by dying here, he can at least save the people who've trusted him. It's that character quality Clarence uses to rescue him. "I knew you'd jump in to save me, and that's how I saved you." None of this is what we're given in TLJ's redefining of Luke. He is instead fashioned around a core of guilt rather than hope.

if you complain about an iconic character actually growing and changing and reflecting instead of just blindly adhering to frictionless dogma then idk what to tell you, anti-Last Jedi people are some of the dumbest 'fans' out there

Luke Skywalker’s stand on Crait in The Last Jedi (2017) had the whole theater locked.

Wanted to revisit this specific point with regards to the character change (not growth) we see pressed upon Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi. The most charitable reading I can give to Rian Johnson's rendering is that he was going for something like the movie, "Heidi." Luke is now the hardened old man in his dark little cabin, cut off by a self imposed exile, and Rey is the light that awakens him. A perfectly fine story to tell, but it's not Luke Skywalker's. It never could be. He is not that man, and whatever circumstances you pile upon him, he will not become that man. If he had to go into exile, it would be in waiting. It would be to protect. It would be to preserve. It would not be to abandon and turn inward. When you watch "It's A Wonderful Life," you know the kind of stuff George Bailey is made of when the bridge crisis comes. The temptation is real, but only insomuch as he believes that by dying here, he can at least save the people who've trusted him. It's that character quality Clarence uses to rescue him. "I knew you'd jump in to save me, and that's how I saved you." None of this is what we're given in TLJ's redefining of Luke. He is instead fashioned around a core of guilt rather than hope.

Favorite type of Western?

Luke Skywalker becoming a fearful, forgetful, resentful man was not character growth. It was imposed change. A sophomoric stumble of artistic arrogance if ever there was one. Yes, the challenges of mid to later life are different from those of youth, but the qualities that reveal themselves as heroic at one stage will persevere to the other stages, even amidst pain or loss or uncertainty. Luke crossed the threshold. The growth comes from where he goes in that larger world. While this can include a type of deconstruction or reevaluation of youthful ideals, for the hero, this process is always to strengthen the foundation and advance in a wiser, more committed direction of service. The hero may retire as strength wanes and other heroes take up his mantle, captured by his vision, led by his example. He does not give up. He does not wallow. He does not feel sorry for himself. Those are the traits of a coward. Those are the traits of the selfish, the bitter, the shamed. That was never Luke Skywalker.

Luke Skywalker becoming a fearful, forgetful, resentful man was not character growth. It was imposed change. A sophomoric stumble of artistic arrogance if ever there was one. Yes, the challenges of mid to later life are different from those of youth, but the qualities that reveal themselves as heroic at one stage will persevere to the other stages, even amidst pain or loss or uncertainty. Luke crossed the threshold. The growth comes from where he goes in that larger world. While this can include a type of deconstruction or reevaluation of youthful ideals, for the hero, this process is always to strengthen the foundation and advance in a wiser, more committed direction of service. The hero may retire as strength wanes and other heroes take up his mantle, captured by his vision, led by his example. He does not give up. He does not wallow. He does not feel sorry for himself. Those are the traits of a coward. Those are the traits of the selfish, the bitter, the shamed. That was never Luke Skywalker.

I'm not so sure... Luke had faced the loss of loved ones and mentors. He had faced the overturning of all he believed possible when finding out Vader was his father. He had faced the temptation of evil to do good. Every trial is that which is common to man and Luke chose, however difficult or costly, to do that which was right. He cuts through the confusion and lies and grief by focusing on what he can do. These same challenges might resurface in different ways throughout his life, but there would be no reason - no inherent character flaw - that would drive him to respond in the opposite manner. This doesn't mean he would never know anger or frustration, but it does mean he would push through it. Perseverance is the mark of a hero, and it is built over time. Ironically, that solidity amidst the storm is what keeps him from being static, for there is always change he can affect in the world around him. Much harder to write, which is why they chose easy mode in the sequels.