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Happy Holidays! I hope you all had a merry Christmas and will have a happy New Year’s Eve/Day later this week! This past week was very busy between shopping, visiting relatives, a LOT of driving, and more food than any doctor would ever condone.
I love the time with family and time spent eating yummy foods, but I’m not a terribly big fan of the gift-giving time. I know; I’m horrible. The kids love it, though, so it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Now that Christmas is over it’s time to take those slightly odd or uninformed gifts (to the person who gave me underwear two sizes too large, I’m looking at you.) and take them back to wherever and get them exchanged for something more usable.
Working on the comic has been difficult with all that’s going on; especially with movies like Star Wars VII coming out. I love Star Wars! I remember watching the original Return of the Jedi in the theater when I was a kid. The sequels, while cool, sadly didn’t have the magnetism that the originals did, and I must admit I was worried that a Disney-produced Star Wars sequel would also be less than preferred, but I have to say, they did a wonderful job of putting out something new and yet with the feel of the originals.
I won’t give any spoilers, but needless to say the movie was a veritable rollercoaster of emotions: nostalgia, excitement, grief and wonder. The movie left on a note of promise as well which really left you ready for whatever is around the bend for the characters involved.
Now, I’ve heard a few naysayers. Some of them are saying the movie is just a rehash of the originals, it offers nothing new, and that it should be better at standing on it’s own as a film. I would offer a few thoughts on this.
- There are some similarities/parallels in the plot, but the story is not remotely the SAME story. The conflict between the characters is going to look similar because the Sith/Empire/New Order are all organized on similar ideals, and are often started by survivors/adherents of the previous system. The Jedi, meanwhile, still haven’t recovered from being nearly wiped out. This, of course, will look very similar to the situation set up in the originals because the galactic situation hasn’t really had time/opportunity to change. The protagonists, however, are nothing like those of the previous movies and the difference in their perspectives and choices make for a very interesting plot.
- Saying the film has nothing new is a bit of a stretch, but this in some respects, this is true. However, in light of the fact that your seven films into a plotline stretching over multiple decades and generations, changing the formula too much at this point would be problematic. Many (including me) would say the prequels largely failed because they tried to change the formula too much.
- As far as standing on it’s own is concerned, I’d say that this expectation is a bit ridiculous. This isn’t a reboot, nor is it a parallel plot like the new Star Trek movies. As I’ve said earlier, expecting a movie not to need a bit of background for the viewer on the 7th installation in a series is quite literally ludicrous. That said, The friends I have that saw this Star Wars first without the other movies as a precursor have still been very impressed and are now interested in seeing the other movies. As far as I’m concerned that is the sign of a winner.
Okay, I’m off the soapbox, now. 🙂 Do you have a favorite Star Wars movie? Do you prefer Star Trek? Let me know in the comments. See you all next Monday!