This post is going to be spoiler-free, but if you haven’t already seen it and you don’t want it spoiled, you had better go on an internet blackout and get thee to a cinema because there is a lot that can be spoiled!
First impressions: I liked it! I really liked it! It felt very true to the originals, much more so than any of the prequels. It had all the same beats and sci-fi elements, the same focus on the characters (as opposed to spectacle), and a lot of the same magic.
At the same time, it wasn’t just a nostalgic rehashing of episodes IV, V, and VI. There was a lot of new stuff mixed in with the old. I know a lot of the true fans are ticked off that Disney nixed the expanded universe, but the new stuff feels like it fits. The new characters have some very big shoes to fill, and it will take more than one movie for them to grow into those shoes, but in this one at least they did pretty well.
Does it fully live up to the originals? I think that’s the wrong question to ask. For those of us who grew up with the original Star Wars, nothing will live up to that experience. The golden age of science fiction is between ages 7 to 14, and in some ways it just isn’t possible to recapture that magic. But for those of us old-timers, I think this new one pays homage to the originals in a way that the prequels never did.
Was it campy? Yep. Was it rife with scientific inaccuracies? Oh heck, yes! Were parts of it over the top? Yeah, probably. But these were all true of the original Star Wars, too. The stuff that really mattered was all there: good writing, solid plot, believable characters, awesome music, and that grand sense of wonder that drew us all into Science Fiction in the first place.
So yeah, I’m satisfied with this new Star Wars movie. And while I’m sure I’ll be spending the next several months nitpicking it to death with other like-minded fans, my first impressions are very positive. I will definitely watch this movie again, and again.
Glad you liked it! I will probably wait until I can watch it at home, which could be awhile. Sadly, PTSD and crowded theaters don’t mix well…. but I still might try. What did you mean when you said Disney nixed the expanded universe? That part confused me!
When Disney bought Star Wars, they declared that everything in the Star Wars expanded universe—basically, all the books, the video games, and a bunch of other stuff that’s been steadily accumulating for decades—is no longer considered canon. They plan to put out a bunch of new books, but don’t want to deal with continuity issues, since Lucas’s management of the expanded universe was so loose. Basically, this frees up a blank slate for the writers of the new Star Wars movies, and allows Disney to start over with their own books and games which they can more effectively control.
I can definitely see how PTSD would make it difficult to watch a movie like Star Wars in a crowded theater. Hope you get a chance to enjoy it soon!
Thanks, that makes more sense. I wonder what other fans thought of that change? You said “true fans” were upset, but what defines a true fan? I tend to be a fandom of me, and not get caught up in the public insanity that ensues things like that. I also like what I like, regardless of doctrine and dogma…. guess I’m just a rebel? I never know what to make of those who believes everything has a “true fandom” or the “one true way” to do things. I was always to libertarian to get that deep in the weeds.
PS: I always liked the Storm Troopers more than the Rebels! 😛
Yeah, I guess it’s better to say “hard-core fans” or “true believers.” I’m also a fan of Star Wars, but the decision to toss out the expanded universe didn’t bother me too much. Honestly, they kind of had to in order to make a good movie.
Ah, that makes more sense when worded that way! It always amazes me how much semantics matter, how much language and words make a difference. It defines us as a people in so many ways, locally and abroad. That is why writing can be so much fun, though fraught with pitfalls from the perpetually offended crowds.
Joe, it wont let me post the link but there is an interesting article out there where George Lucas is interviewed and dislikes the new movie. Check it out and post your thoughts! 🙂
Got a link? I’ve changed the filters so I think you can post it now.
It’s from Yahoo News, but that sort of fits since its not hard news but more of a media current events story. The comments were pretty interesting too. Love to see what you think! 🙂
http://news.yahoo.com/george-lucas-explains-why-didn-t-star-wars-153745258.html?nf=1
I think he’s right about the new Star Wars being retro, but wrong about it being “safe.”
Minor spoiler: the decision to have the Luke Skywalker character be a girl was pretty ballsy, not because it’s never been done before, or because women are an oppressed class or whatever, but because the conventional wisdom in the entertainment industry is that boys don’t like to read/watch/play stories where the main character is a girl. I think the new Star Wars is going to blow that myth out of the water.
Thing is, in order to pull it off, they needed to play everything else safe and repeat all the tropes of A New Hope without doing anything else too extreme. And that’s kind of what they did.
I think George Lucas is absolutely wrong about audiences wanting “new things.” The prequels were full of new and different things, so much so that they lost sight of what made Star Wars so great in the process. The copycat stuff in the 80s didn’t fail because they repeated all the tropes of Star Wars, they failed because (as with all copycat stuff) they lacked soul. The new Star Wars recaptures the soul of the originals, and brings back all of the stuff that made audiences fall in love with the originals in the first place. If anything, the retro aspect of the new Star Wars is what makes it great, not what brings it down.
Well said Joe, I didn’t comment about the copy cats that failed because I wasn’t sure what copy cat stuff there was. When I was old enough to watch Star Wards they were already old, or I’d have an opinion on that. But as for the concept of repeating stories in general, ALL stories are essentially repetitions of ongoing ideas or themes. There aren’t any truly new stories out there, they’ve all been told a million times, there’s just new ways of telling the old truths.
Apparently George Lucas implied Disney were white slavers as well… Yikes!!
http://news.yahoo.com/george-lucas-apologizes-calling-disney-204204695.html?nf=1
Yeah, that’s the point at which I just ignore him.
Most sane people would agree with that…. It sounds like he’s screaming out, railing against the fates that others are carrying on where he could not or did not.