If you like Return Of The Jedi but hate the Ewoks, you understand feminist criticism
Return Of The Jedi is great, but the Ewoks are so annoying.” That’s a pretty common refrain from Star Wars fans. In fact there are whole fan edits dedicated to removing the little fuzzy bears from the film’s climax; I can only assume they’re made by the most hardcore of Star Wars lovers. The idea that a movie can be good despite its weaker elements is one of the most basic tenets of film criticism. Yet when it comes to dissecting films from a feminist viewpoint, we seem to have trouble keeping that in mind.
When I tweeted about my frustration with the female characters in Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (one human, one primate, both of whom contribute very little to the plot), a friend replied, “Sorry to hear it’s a bad movie.” But it isn’t a bad movie. In fact, it was one of my favorite action blockbusters of last summer. Yet my specific feminist frustrations were extrapolated into a larger condemnation of the film. No one assumes that critiquing the Ewoks means you dislike Star Wars. So why did my complaints imply I hated Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes?
We’ve fallen into an all-or-nothing rut with feminist criticism lately. Battle lines are immediately drawn between movies that are “feminist” (i.e. “good”) and “sexist” (i.e. “bad”). And that simplistic breakdown is hurting our ability to actually talk about this stuff.
The best films generally feature complex, fully developed characters with diverse perspectives. So when female characters are one-dimensional tropes, the film suffers for it—in much the same way a film suffers when any of its main characters are one-dimensional tropes (and/or tiny, fuzzy bears). And when a character who’s supposed to be smart makes dumb choices—like running away from dinosaurs in high heels—it hurts the realism of the film (just like when tiny bears are able to take down Stormtroopers by throwing rocks at them).
But since Ewoks are fictional creatures, the way they’re presented has no impact outside of how well it serves the plot of Star Wars. Women, of course, are not fictional creatures, and study after study has shown that onscreen representation impacts both the self-confidence of those seeing themselves represented and the empathy of those exposed to new perspectives. In other words, the way female characters are presented has a concrete impact on millions of lives. That adds a level of urgency to feminist criticism, which, in turn, can make many people defensive about the movies they love.
That’s particularly clear in the conversations surrounding Mad Max: Fury Road and Avengers: Age Of Ultron, which came to represent the “feminist” and “sexist” sides of this summer’s blockbusters.
But for all the awesome feminist themes in Mad Max (let’s plaster “We Are Not Things” everywhere, please!), there’s still plenty worth critiquing. The idea that the downfall of society immediately brings about the subjugation of women is the least innovative thing about an otherwise unique film. And while it’s awesome that Imperator Furiosa frees the model-esque wives from Immortan Joe’s tyrannical clutches, it’s perhaps not quite as awesome that the movie can’t muster the same empathy toward the less-conventionally-attractive women being used as milk bags who remain locked up. Nor is it great that the wives (who go on to be complex characters) are introduced hosing each other down like they’re auditioning for a Carl’s Jr. commercial. And as Anita Sarkeesian explained on Twitter, the film’s feminist message relies on defeating the type of cartoonish bad guys who seldom exist when dismantling real-life patriarchy.