If you're going to do a film blog you need to talk about Star Wars!
In the fall of 2012 it was announced that Disney had bought Lucasfilm from mastermind George Lucas and, in effect, were to create a new Star Wars trilogy. At first fans weren't too happy about the news. Mainly because the last Star Wars trilogy didn't live up to the standards of the original and also the films would be produced by Disney, a company well known for happy, cheery and very family-friendly fairytale adaptations (Similar reactions to how Marvel fans reacted when Disney bought the rights to Marvel Studios). But now it seems everyone's had a change of heart. Everyone is waiting eagerly for this next chapter in the saga to be released, analysts are expecting it to be the biggest releases of 2015, and this is the year which saw Jurassic World top The Avengers to be the third highest grossing film of all time. So what's exactly got the fans to do a complete 180 and get on board with the new trilogy? Well I'm gonna try and sum it up as best I can.
1) J.J Abrams.
I think it's safe to say that fans felt a bit of relief when J.J Abrams was hired to direct Episode VII in January 2013. The man is a well-seasoned Sci-Fi director who directed 2009's Star Trek reboot which was heavily praised by fans and critics primarily for respecting the source material whilst breathing new life into it so that a new generation of Trekkies could be born. These credentials alone were enough to make Abrams the suitable candidate for the film and, from what we've seen so far, it's paid off! He's gone back to basics by using mainly practical effects to give the film a more organic feel to it and has modernised the franchise with a fresh and diverse whilst also bringing back old faces for the nostalgia.
2) Old Faces
Following on from that last point, Episode VII also sees the return of the original trio, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher. Whilst I mentioned that there's nostalgia behind casting these three in their respected roles there's also the sense of bringing in that down-to-earth feeling. One of The main problem with the prequels were that everyone all talked and acted in similar ways. There was hardly any individuality which made the films seem a bit cold and artificial. This was very different from the original trilogy where the main 3 characters all had very clear personalities and were able to bounce off one another very well. So the decision to bring them back into the story was a good move as it brings back that more down-to-earth feeling which the prequels were clearly lacking.
3) New faces
This is the most diversity in a Star Wars film. It's great to see that the franchise is being more representative of gender and race as Hollywood blockbuster are mainly dominated by white male characters. The first character we actually see in the first trailer is Finn, played by John Boyega, a black British actor. It's great to see a black actor get a big role in a blockbuster like this. Even the Chrome Trooper we see in the second trailer, who looks tough as nails, is played by Gwendoline Christie, progressing in terms of gender equality by giving a bad-ass role to a female actress. So this film is going to appeal to many different groups.
4) Kylo-Ren
Sadly little is known about the plot of the film as the trailers don't give much away. But from what's been released there's a layer of mystery behind the antagonist, Kylo Ren. Played by Adam Driver. From the first trailer when audiences could only see his slightly impractical lightsabre there was a layer of mystery behind his character. Lately Abrams has revealed that Kylo Ren is in fact NOT a Sith lord but a member of the Knights Of Ren, an order of the dark side which has never been referenced before. Already this would gets fans intrigued into who these people are and what their intentions are. Could Kylo Ren be the next Darth Vader? That's what fans want to know as he sports a similar get-up to the Sith Lord. Safe to say this character has got fans intrigued.
5) Costumes
This is my final point and it's one of the most essential. The costumes that have been revealed so far in the trailers, Comic-Con, the D23 Expo and so on have looked pretty awesome from Daisy Ridley's desert outfit to Domhnall Gleeson's Imperial suit everything looks just like a modernised version of the original trilogy. Even Kylo Ren's all black costume looks great! And I've already mentioned how badass the Chrometrooper looks. Yes the costumes in this film really make it feel like a Star Wars film. And a vast improvement from the prequels which had costumes which looked uncomfortable as Hell.
Basically this film looks fantastic. We may not know much about the story or most of the characters but the tone and design looks spectacular, the cast is amazing and the project is in the hands of a well-respected creative team. December 18th is gonna blow you away!
Comments
Post a Comment