[TheBlueMarvel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordbest

I absolutely agree fans romanticize Han Solo, and they project a lot of the usual traits the archetype has (like being a womanizer) onto him that are actually absent. That's exactly my problem with characters like Quill, Quill is EXACTLY the type of character male fans think Han Solo is, when he isn't.

I'm actually much more of a Luke fan, but my opinion towards Solo softened a lot after reading some excellent analysis of how the character subverts much of the archetype it represents (and how a lot of fans completely miss that).

I'm not a Han fan (obviously)...Not to side track the thread anymore than we already have (I'm sure it will revert back to a wish-list/shopping guide in no time flat I kid..I kid)...but I think much of the recent Han analysis is little more than 'intellectualizing.' In my eyes, Han's portrayal as 'grumpy' wasn't so much nuance to offset his character, as it was a quality indicative of the era. The curmudgeonly aspects of Solo's personality were consistent with the 'everyman' of the early 80's. A prevailing hip/dickish attitude that was present almost everywhere in entertainment. Comedians like Bill Murray, Andrew Dice Clay and Sam Kinison (the latter two being more extreme), just to name a few, were beloved for their irreverent 'edginess'...even Michael J. Fox became a star playing an insensitive jerk/smart-ass on Family Ties. It was an era in which Garfield was a wildly popular kids comic-strip, replete with loads of anti-social themes and values. I've this opinion of the period because I grew up during the time and it's where I cut my teeth as it regards 'snark.' That's not to say that the Han analysis is totally without merit, I just don't believe the character to be that complex...I'm neither a Han nor Luke guy.

...I'm a Vader dude, who has never wanted anything other than 2&1/2 hrs of Vader slaughtering Jedi!