https://youtu.be/miVRaoR_8xQ?t=5227
One of his criticisms of the film, is literally called THE DIVERSITY AWAKENS. He devoted an entire section of his review to it. So the biggest question I have, is.. why? Why even MENTION this? He says in the video I linked above that it's "a fine thing", and to have a diverse cast and that he think's "it's great" that a variety of people are represented, just like "in real life". Then prefaces his complaints with criticizing the MRA's bullshit.. but then.. goes on to say that there's a "girl, a black guy" and points out a lot of other minorities who acted in TFA.. to recognize said diversity, but then says we're "overthinking" (the inclusion of) diversity. What..? Then he even goes on to say that kids "don't give a shit" about diversity.
.. so what the fuck is your point? What's your reasoning for dedicating an entire section of your review to diversity if there's no problem with it?
It raises my eyebrow for damn sure, especially when there's no point being made.. all he really says is that it's "annoyingly diverse". What does that even mean?
So, in short, he says he's OK with diversity, and that its inclusion is great.. but then complains about it simultaneously and says it's too diverse? That makes it seem like there's a problem that the film doesn't have more white people. Which is a fucking alarming criticism, considering there's literally no reason for there the film to be LESS diverse other than "that's what I'm used to, and I'm not OK with it changing".
He concludes his "point" with "they wasted their time" by making the film more diverse because "no one really cares about it".. what? If no one cares, why did you devote 20 minutes to it in your review suggesting that it shouldn't have happened?
The projection is strong with this one.
So.. the alternative is that we make a film full of white people and a token minority, and everything is fine? Is that the argument being made?
What's better.. we try to include a much wider variety of people so that there are more individuals and communities that can connect with Star Wars (a universe built on a type of diversity in the first place, in its scope and wide range of alien inhabitants) on various levels, or we keep things the same with no potential benefit? Would the latter be better so that a small percentage of people feel more satisfied with their viewing experience?
The only reason he mentioned it as a complaint in the first place is because he's uncomfortable with Star Wars being increasingly diversified, for no reason other than "I don't like it much".
https://youtu.be/miVRaoR_8xQ?t=5911
There's a pretty thick undertone of sexism sprinkled throughout the video. In the one above, he's literally encouraging Kylo to "put some moves" on Rey while she's tied down, captive. You could pass this off as "but it's just a joke", but the point here is that these jokes are reoccurring and representative of what this guy expects from his adventure movies (man being sexually involved with the woman).
He also complains from like 15-20 minutes before that instance about how there's no sex in TFA and that its characters feel like robots because of it. He flashes to a few scenes where Leia is, of course, in her slave outfit, and the scene where she's lying down on a table in ANH dressed in her white dress. Yeah, he says there should be "romance" and "love", but there are questionable undertones here because.. you know, of course, Finn and Rey should have had a romance or fallen in love or been sexually involved in some capacity in TFA (by the way, this is a three film triology and Han/Leia weren't even happening until ESB).. naturally, it should have happened because of there being a man/woman in lead roles. Hell, you could argue that there's more of a sexual current running between Finn and Poe.. and while he jokes about it, he never actually expects them to be together as he does Finn/Rey. Hmm
That's why I've gotta sideeye the shit out of his love/sexuality comments. Simply including those things for the sake of doing so makes no sense. If they choose to eventually push a romance, they will have done it because it makes sense for their narrative and for the story.. not because they feel like they NEED to. TFA suffered in no way because there wasn't more romance or sexuality.
The expectation alone that it should automatically just be IN the film makes me feel like there's an alternate reason that undermines what's actually being presented.. one that's not being outright stated, just like the complaints about diversity.
