I first came to the Star Wars universe in reverse order. When the original film was released in 1977, for some reason I don't remember, my curiosity was not piqued enough to go see it. I liked science fiction, and still do, so that was not the reason. Even with all of the hype and hub-bub that surrounded it, and just how popular it was becoming, I do not recall why I wasn't moved (by the Force?) to see it.
Fast forward to 1980 and the release of The Empire Strikes Back, and my then-girlfriend at the time, who was a huge fan, asked me to go see it with her. My first thought was that, since I had not seen the original, I might be a little lost; I went, anyway. I liked it, but was not overwhelmed by it ... along the lines of not spectacular, not terrible. It was the darkest of the original trilogy.
When the original Star Wars was re-released in theaters in 1981, now named Episode IV: A New Hope, I went to see it with her. I loved it! I was hooked. After standing in l-o-n-g lines with hundreds of other fans, I saw the final installment of the original trilogy, Return of the Jedi, in 1983 -- anyone remember the original title was supposed to be Revenge of the Jedi? -- my journey in the world of Star Wars was complete.
Or so I thought.
It was revealed back during the original trilogy's release -- I forget during which film specifically -- that George Lucas had originally written a saga with nine episodes in it. A tri-trilogy, if you will. In the years following Jedi, Lucas said that he wished he could have done more in terms of visual effects than he did with the original trilogy. Near the end of the twentieth century, that technology was available, and Lucas used it, including filming digitally, for the next trilogy.
The Phantom Menace opened in 1999 to much fanfare and a fandom eager for more. Sadly, it would be the beginning of a downward spiral for the franchise, not to mention "special edition" releases of the original trilogy that included visual improvements that weren't really improvements. Menace, along with its two follow-ups, Attack of the Clones in 2002 and Revenge of the Sith in 2005, were, on many levels, disappointments.
First and foremost was Lucas' heavy-handed attention to show off how much visual effects had improved in the sixteen years since Return of the Jedi. Many scenes were visually stunning, but their being given front-and-center status muddled the world of Star Wars fans had come to know and love. To that extent, and leading into the trilogy's second fault, casting, was the inclusion of Jar Jar Binks, a Gungan from the planet of Naboo. The character was all CGI (computer-generated imagery) and was nothing short of annoying. Lucas supposedly based the Jar Jar on the Disney character Goofy -- foreshadowing, perhaps? -- and it was apparent that the character was to be the hook for a new generation of children, much like the Ewoks in Jedi were previously. Although the Ewoks had a far more integral role in the saga than Jar Jar did. In response to the backlash, the character was reduced to a much more secondary role in Attack of the Clones, eventually having just one line of dialogue in Revenge of the Sith.
Bye bye, Jar Jar!
The issue of casting was a huge problem with the second trilogy. Some people had a problem with Samuel L. Jackson being cast as Mace Windu, a Jedi Master and member of the Republic's High Council. Likely, in part, due to his playing such tough (and sometimes foul-mouthed) characters. (He had, after all, done Pulp Fiction five years earlier.) Some had a problem with his having a purple-colored lightsaber, which Jackson had asked for. Whatever. My problem was with the two lead characters Anakin Skywalker and Princess Amidala, played by Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman, respectively.
Natalie Portman was only sixteen at the time of filming of The Phantom Menace, so her flatness in the role of Amidala could be chalked up to inexperience. Her performances in The Professional when she was thirteen and in Beautiful Girls when she was around fifteen dispel that argument. Even at those young ages, she could play characters with depth. Many have argued that George Lucas' direction was responsible for her performance. If so, maybe, only maybe, that same argument could be made about Hayden Christensen's performance, but I doubt it. In my opinion, he was simply just not good at all. Their "romance", which was a key role in the formation of Anakin becoming Darth Vader, was non-existent, and there was zero on-screen chemistry between Portman and Christensen.
By the time the final installment of the trilogy, Revenge of the Sith, which was my favorite of the second three, had arrived in 2005, the franchise had increased from three films to six films, but it left fans with a sour taste in their mouth. Many who knew Lucas had written three trilogies wondered, perhaps half-heartedly at the time, if that final trilogy would get made ... or, after the Menace/Clones/Sith trilogy, if they really wanted it to get made.
Disney bought Lucasfilm, Ltd., for more than four billion dollars in the Fall of 2012. Talk almost immediately began about bringing the final trilogy to the big screen. Filming began in mid-2014, and just this past weekend, The Force Awakens, the saga's seventh installment was released to a fandom that was excited, but cautious. Would director J.J. Abrams [(television): Felicity, Alias, Lost, Fringe; (films): Mission: Impossible films, Cloverfield, Star Trek reboot, Super 8) fall into the Lucas technological trap? Would the film be "Disneyfied"? Would it remain true to the world of Star Wars?
Having seen it, here are my answers: No, technology, while important to the film does not overshadow it. No, it was not Disneyfied. Okay, maybe the BB-8 droid could be evidence that it was, but the same could have been said about R2-D2, which originally had no Disney involvement; my answer remains no. Yes, it most certainly did remain true to the world of Star Wars!
Some have argued The Force Awakens is simply a rehashing of the original 1977 Star Wars film. J.J. Abrams is known to be a huge fan of the Star Wars films and Lawrence Kasdan, who co-wrote The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, also co-wrote Awakens. So, it is possible it could be seen as simply a rehashing. My views is that it's part homage to the original trilogy, yes, but also a well-executed moving forward of the saga with characters from the past (i.e. Han, Leia, Luke, R2-D2, C-3PO) being simply part of the telling of the story, not inserted cameos for mere effect.
I think the Disneyfying effect is in that, in addition to Episodes VIII and IX, there will be two Star Wars spin-off films. Rogue One, set to be released next year, and a Han Solo-centric film. Will they do well? That remains to be seen. Will it be oversaturation? Possibly. Time will tell. (Disney will likely continue past Episode IX to make more spin-offs.)
I did not flat-out hate the second the second trilogy -- Revenge of the Sith was a vast improvement -- as much as I was really disappointed. The awe and wonder that the original trilogy invoked in me was simply not there with the second trilogy. I love special effects, but not that much. The enjoyment of watching characters I truly cared about was absent in the second go-round. I was cautiously optimistic about a new trilogy.
I was not disappointed! I really enjoyed this latest installment! The writing was spot on! The acting was spot on! I really cared about the characters, both old and new! The visual effects were stunning, but not overbearing! John Williams' score was, as always, wonderful! (It looks as though he'll be scoring all nine Star Wars films!) Most importantly, it gave me the feeling I felt watching the original trilogy. Director and producer J.J. Abrams and producers Kathleen Kennedy and Bryan Burk have done a wonderful job bringing back the world of Star Wars in such an amazing way! Well done! (Yes, I used a lot of exclamation points because I am thrilled.)
The Force has, indeed, awakened!
Terry
1 comment:
Well done... Without spoilers too!
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