For the people using Mark Hamill's opinion as a end off of how Luke's character should be I saw that's a misguided thing to do.
The fact is during the shooting of A New Hope Hamill and Ford would goof around and laugh about what a joke the film was except when Alec Guinness was around. Hamill wasn't always with what George Lucas' vision of the story should be. Or maybe he was a punk who just wanted to be a movie star and was doing Star Wars for some cash. I don't know I haven't looked that deep into it.
But my point is Mark Hamill's opinion is just one guy's opinion at the end of the day. I understand his opinion is really interesting because he's the man who played Luke Skywalkwer but like I said he hasn't always been 100% with what Star Wars was supposed to be.
People change and things change.
I feel like we got enough information in The Last Jedi to see why Luke changed. He becomes pessimistic because of his screw up.
He sees that the Jedi idea of being without emotion is really hard and impossible as a human. So I don't see why people think it's so hard to believe he'd become the way he is after his new Jedi Order falls apart.
Take any movie/TV show, people like to have fun. Not everything has to be so serious. Case in point:
It would be misguided to believe Alec Guinness was anymore dedicated about his role than Harrison Ford/Mark Hamill just because he was serious on set.
There's a famous story involving Alan Rickman working with Tim Allen on the set of "Galaxy Quest" where Rickman didn't like Tim Allen for a time - he thought Allen was unprofessional because he would be goofing off with the crew up until they yelled, "Action!" However, then he saw that Tim was just as serious about the work once the cameras rolled...that's all that matters for actors.
In terms of George Lucas' vision with Luke and Hamill's involvement, Lucas has talked at length about what he needed for the role. He said he needed someone who was "Hopeful, naive but could also play a more seasoned, mature individual later." George Lucas' vision changed a lot (most writers' work does) between the first draft of "
Luke Starkiller, as taken from the Journal of the Whills, Saga I: The Star Wars" and when the movie finally released in cinemas in May 1977 as "
Star Wars". For instance, Han Solo was originally envisioned as a reptilian-like creature.
It doesn't mean that Mark's comments/opinion/viewpoint shouldn't have been taken seriously on these movies. If anything, Johnson should have held Hamill's comments to a higher esteem than his own. Mark Hamill has had a direct connection with the fans and character for 40 years. He knows what they want. He knows what his character is and what he stands for. What we got in Episode 8 was in direct contradiction of the prior movies.
Mark's comment wasn't, "Just some guy's opinion." The fact you said that is telling to why you defend Episode 8...and no, we didn't get enough information. I'm going to cut and paste from one of my other postings examples of how Rian Johnson failed as a writer with the movie:
- Luke claims to want the Jedi to end but he's found at the end of Episode 7 wearing white Jedi robes...
30 years later.
- Luke leaves a map in Episode 7 for people to find his location, yet he then says he doesn't want anything to do with anyone. Then WHY did he leave it in the first place? That map got a lot of people killed at the start of Episode 7 (including a whole village of people), endangered the lives' of Leia/the Droids/Chewbacca, weakened The Resistance's cause, and got Han Solo killed. If he felt so responsible for everything going so wrong, it was idiotic to put
more people up for the slaughter.
- Luke says he wants the Jedi to end and he's gone to the island to die. Then why actively hide from Snoke/Kylo Ren who are the only 2 people actively wanting him dead? Luke should just go to Snoke. Snoke would have made sure the Jedi and Luke ended in one swift moment. No need to sulk alone on an island. No Rey bothering him. Done.
- Luke loses all hope that his apprentice is going to turn to the Dark Side (despite the fact that Luke fought off Vader/The Emperor double teaming him in Episode 6) that he tries to kill the boy as he sleeps. Luke does this even though wasn't even willing to strike down one of the most evil Sith Lords of all time, Darth Vader, as he lay defenseless at his feet in Episode 6...
- Luke would rather be electrocuted repeatedly by The Emperor than give up on the Jedi in Episode 6. He would rather face Vader on Cloud City to rescue his friends/family from mortal danger. He would risk his life and go into the
Death Star to help someone he had never even met before. In Episode 8 though, he wants the Jedi to end (WTF?) and has given up on everyone including his own twin sister.
- Luke, when he shows even a shred of concern for where Han is, shows no concern for Leia until R2 guilts him into helping her. Luke Skywalker wouldn't need anyone to convince him to help his sister. Even before he knew who she was to him, he wanted to help her when he watched her hologram message for the first time. Leia was always Luke's soft spot. Vader knew this, which is why he uses it to his advantage to lure Luke out of the shadows in Episode 6.
- Even if Luke wanted the Jedi to end, he wouldn't throw his father's lightsaber away. He wouldn't throw
his first lightsaber away. That's the Skywalker's legacy lightsaber! I knew there was something wrong with the movie during the opening stupid humor scene involving Poe/Hux, but
this scene was the one that let me know something was terribly wrong with the movie...I actually leaned forward in my seat out of shock at how out of place it was.
Episode 8 is a superficial movie. There's no depth to it at all. Johnson going with, "Well, he's upset he failed!" is a poor excuse for everything that transpired with the character. Luke didn't give up when his uncle and aunt were killed. Luke didn't give up when he lost Obi-Wan. Luke failed to protect his friends on Cloud City in Episode 5, lost the duel to Vader, lost his hand, and lost his cool when Vader told him who he truly was. He didn't give up. He didn't give up when Yoda died. He didn't give up when the Emperor told him about the trap prepared on Endor for his friends. He never gave up - that is who Luke is. He fights until the end.
Finally, Luke Skywalker
did know it was possible to control his feelings. Even before he had completed his training to become a Jedi, Darth Vader acknowledges this. Luke uses his feelings to his advantage in Episode 6 to beat Vader down to the floor. George Lucas also said that Luke is, "The first Jedi to successfully embrace both sides of the Force in terms of his emotions." Controlling his emotions was never a question/issue with Luke beyond Episode 4 (when Han is yelling at the kid to get on the Falcon after Obi-Wan dies).
