SPOILERS for The Last Jedi ahead.
Rian Johnson's Star Wars, or what the director is actually trying to do.
Much like the Jedi, who seek balance, the same can be said for any film. The best comedies have dark, wrenching moments at their core, while the most tempestuous dramas aren't afraid to laugh at just the right moments. Even viewers of the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which followed the slaughter of four young naifs, caught welcome relief when the family patriarch, or "Old Man," berates Leatherface to his other son, The Hitchhiker, saying: Look what your brother did to the door! Ain't he got no pride in his home?
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Star Wars is no different, at least when it comes to humor. Its most well-loved entries, such as The Empire Strikes Back lace droll moments between painful events. To give The Last Jedi a poor grade for being too humorous (which it wasn't), fails to consider the sweeping thematic and dramatic storytelling within it. Not only are peace and freedom at risk in the galaxy, but the very nature of the Force is in flux. Plus, the legacy of the Skywalker family is on the line.
Rather than detracting from the Star Wars saga, these moments complement George Lucas' hallowed original trilogy, as well as follow-ups like the prequels and J.J. Abrams' The Force Awakens.
Star Wars Was Always Funny (This Page)
Star Wars Was Always Funny
One of the hallmarks of the original trilogy, which endeared it to millions, was its tonal blend. In particular, Empire Strikes Back stood out due to its ability to skip from a tense battle scene to a tender moment to a witticism and back again. The film served up a hearty dose of emotional satisfaction and also kept audiences off-balance: would Han, that scruffy-looking nerf herder, and her royal worshipfulness, Leia, bicker endlessly or just get it over with and kiss? Was Yoda pulling Luke's leg or the greatest Jedi mentor in the cosmos? Most of all, do Tauntauns really smell worse on the inside than out?
Some of the original trilogy's best moments involve levity under duress. Leia and Han's infamous I love you - I know exchange is both heartbreaking and amusingly in-character. Amusing exchanges between protagonists, such as Threepio railing against Artoo's astromech philosophy in A New Hope, defined the middle three episodes. Lucas and crew weren't shy about including gags in key moments either, such as R2-D2 plugging his interface into a power outlet by mistake or the Sarlacc belching after gulping down Boba Fett.
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A blend of high and low comedy is a hallmark of the saga, one the prequels failed to capture as adroitly but still maintained. Not all of it worked perfectly, either, even in the OG trilogy, but there's no avoiding it.
Taking inspiration from the source, Rian Johnson stoked The Last Jedi with many of the same rapid transitions from humor to pathos. His love for the original stories and even the prequels pushed him to emulate their crackling banter and, for the most part, his efforts succeed. At the same time, Johnson didn't make his entry in 1980 but 2016. As a result, he was given the unenviable task of bringing Star Wars' laugh track into the modern era and paying homage to its humorous history.
Updating and Subverting Star Wars Humor
The trick with humor is that it changes over time. Even though the Three Stooges, Lewis and Martin, Richard Pryor, and other classic comedians remain somewhat timeless, our tastes evolve and change as informed by our culture. Humor also goes through its own nostalgic cycles, especially as generations age, grow, and overlap. The Last Jedi certainly doesn't shy from the franchise's penchant for back-and-forths or slapstick, but it's also loaded with meta-moments carried over from The Force Awakens and other films and series modern audiences are familiar with. Even that's fair in the franchise; as an homage to Buck Rogers and numerous fantasy/sci-fi and adventure films before it, A New Hope itself tips its hat to its predecessors.
Perhaps the self-deprecating nods are more appropriate in a Marvel movie or on an episode of Robot Chicken. But to a generation weaned on Cabin in the Woods and The Office, one who pushed anti-heroic wall-breakers like Deadpool to the top of the box office, referential humor isn't out of the ordinary and actually feels refreshing in-universe. Part of the reason Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford's performances in the original trilogy were so engaging is because they didn't take the material too seriously. When Johnson plays with the franchise's history and humor, lovingly poking fun at it, he prods the saga into its own future.
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Audiences might note that Snoke berates his young apprentice by, in essence, calling him a whiny, Darth Vader cosplayer, which is an indirect nod to (and jab at) fan criticism of the complex villain. Johnson's film also spins the saga's running gags on their head. As in previous entries, Threepio continues his trend of quoting the odds at undesirable times, and as Leia and Han before him, Poe shuts him up. This time, though, the shiny golden droid actually gets the last word, muttering to one under his mechanical breath. Even Artoo gets into the action, replaying the iconic Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi hologram to Luke, who replies that was a cheap move a ribbing at Lucasfilm's general over-reliance on callbacks (one that works here because it serves a plot purpose).
Once again, though, Johnson's subversion comes not from hate but from love and a genuine desire to watch Star Wars evolve.
Shaping Humor in the Galaxy Far, Far Away
Overall, fans should appreciate Johnson's deeper understanding of the overarching saga. After all, to subvert something one must know it inside and out. During one of the film's earliest gags, Poe Dameron puts General Hux on hold. The stalling tactic ends with Poe taunting First Order firebrand about his mother... which sounds like a cheap shot at first. But deep readers know that Hux is a bastard child, who grew up without a mother. Johnson also builds on previous insinuations that Artoo has a potty mouth, with Luke snapping Hey, sacred planet. Watch the language! Like every other chapter, TLJ even drops the iconic (and arguably played out) line, I've got a bad feeling about this, but disguises it beneath BB-8's electric tongue.
Most of all, The Last Jedi gives its returning and new actors free reign to explore their characters and their sense of humor. The presence of an older, time-wearied Luke not only reflects his disillusionment with the state of things but also allows Hamill's own sardonic sense of humor to reshape the character he defined. Similarly, Carrie Fisher's Leia has room to move in her scenes. Her dry sense of humor makes her an excellent foil for the enthusiastic Poe, building deeper layers to their relationship. And her repartee with C-3PO hearkens back to their classic trilogy chatter.
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Sure, not every joke lands perfectly, but many really hit home. It's also easy to forget the seamless jokes in lieu of a handful that don't strike the right chord or feel ham-fisted (also a Star Wars hallmark, for better or worse). Most of all, Johnson appreciates the delicate balance between light and dark in both his fan service and digs at the franchise which may rankle those without a well-rounded sense of humor about Star Wars. His film also paves the way for future installments, including his own standalone trilogy, to continue the saga's rich history of tonal blending: combining powerful moments with tender ones, and not being afraid to wedge a good-natured gag between them, is part of the long-running saga's magic.
