Thirty years after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, the galaxy
faces a new threat from the evil Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and the First
Order. When a defector named Finn crash-lands on a desert planet, he
meets Rey (Daisy Ridley), a tough scavenger whose droid contains a
top-secret map. Together, the young duo joins forces
with Han Solo (Harrison Ford) to make sure the Resistance receives the
intelligence concerning the whereabouts of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill),
the last of the Jedi Knights.
On May 25, 1977, George Lucas unveiled to the world a ground-breaking movie that would span generations and revolutionize movie-making. That movie, of course, was Star Wars: A New Hope (Episode IV). He had to create new special effects to even come close to the amazing things that were happening in his mind. For the first time ever, a film had a musical score accompanying the entire movie. While no one was quite sure what to expect when they lined up to see the movie, or even what they just saw when the final credits rolled, most were confident they just witnessed history in the making. Star Wars went on to win 7 of its 10 Oscar nominations and quickly passed Jaws as the highest grossing film of all-time. The success of Star Wars continued with The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 and Return of the Jedi in 1983.
It would be 16 years before Episode I would be released, the first of a trilogy of movies that were set just years before A New Hope. I remember waiting in line anxiously with other Star Wars fans opening night for Episode I: The Phantom Menace; I remember the cheers from the audience as the familiar drum roll and opening score echoed in the theatre before the iconic yellow lettering against the black space backdrop scrolled up the screen; and I also remember how the excitement turned to disappointment less than half an hour into the movie. While computer animation and technology had advanced light years since the original trilogy, it still wasn't perfect for what Lucas envisioned. Lucas seemed to think it was good enough and went overboard with his use of computer graphics, something fans were given a clue might happen with his questionable edits of Episodes IV - VI. Scenes including Greedo shooting at Han first in the Cantina at Mos Eisley, Han stepping on Jabba the Hutt's tail, and an extended musical performance at Jabba's Palace are just a few of the additions that left fans wondering what Lucas was thinking.
One of fans' biggest complaints was a Gungan named Jar Jar Binks introduced in Episode I. He was designed to be a clumsy entertaining character, but he was annoying and disruptive. What bothered me the most was that he was a computer animation. And as good of an animation he was, he was still clearly an animation and it took you out of the story and reminded you that it was all fake. There were scenes of Jar Jar flipping through the air into the water, Qui Gon catching his tongue, his tongue getting stuck in a podracer; scenes that only served the purpose of showing off how far computer animation has come, but they were more of a reminder that the technology wasn't so good that it could be undetectable. At the end of Episode I, the Gungans have an epic battle with an army of battle droids, not unlike the Ewok battle against the Storm Troopers on Endor in Return of the Jedi. When an Ewok died, you felt bad. When a Trooper died, you cheered. However, in the battle between the Gungans and Droids ensued, I found myself not caring either way because they were all clearly computer animations. As annoying as Jar Jar was, I would have found him exponentially more tolerable if it was a man in a costume.
Lucas continued to disappoint his fans with Episode II: Attack of the Clones. The message seemed to hit home with Lucas and many felt he made a significant effort to right many of the wrongs with his final installment of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith; however, the debate among Star Wars fans as to which trilogy was the better was overwhelmingly one-sided, unlike those who debate who made the better Batman: Michael Keaton or Christian Bale. While arguments can be made for both Dark Knights, there is no question for any Star Wars fan which trilogy is clearly superior in every way.
And that's why fans are so excited, myself included, for the release of Episode VII: The Force Awakens. If you've never seen any of the previous six movies and heard nothing about them, watching the trailer for Ep VII would probably make no sense at all. There is no plot, there is no context. There are soldiers in white and black suits of plastic armor. There are people fighting with glowing swords. And there are futuristic looking ships flying through the sky. That's really it. But for Star Wars fans, the previews say it all: Star Wars is back after ten years, and it looks awesome.
The Walt Disney Company bought the rights to make the movies and hired JJ Abrams to direct them. Abrams is an accomplished director but fans are most excited because of the work he has done with the recent Star Trek films. No, I'm not comparing Star Wars to Star Trek. Everyone knows that's a cardinal sin to confuse or equate the two. But seeing what Abrams has done with the latest Treks, gives an insight as to where he would be going with Star Wars. You can tell already from the brief previews that Abrams shows the restraint in using computer animation that Lucas completely lost his grip on in the Prequels. You also see familiar faces like the Wookie Chewbacca and the soundrel Han Solo.
I've never given a 5.0 star prediction before, but I'm going all out and anticipating that this will live up to all the hype that Episode I was supposed to deliver while reminding fans of the joy and wonder they felt when they first watched the Original Trilogy. I believe Episode VII: The Force Awakens will be the film that has audiences cheering from the moment the lights in the theatre dim to the final notes of the closing credits. Will this live up to the hype and my anticipation? Or will it be just a great sequel? Or worse, will it be a disappointment? We shall see.
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