Jan 2015.. Star Wars - the force awakens
After a long long time, a return to the blog world. Missed writing in here. Of all the things I could have done in the last three years, this would have probably been the easiest.
So we restart this old book with a review which I felt compelled to write. When it comes to Star Wars a lot of us, particularly those in my age group, hold them close to our hearts. So when they announced that the next three episodes are being made, I was pretty excited. Of course there is also the knowledge that they cannot screw it up any more than what they did to the last three.
The first of the lot released on Christmas of 2015 and well.. It did not disappoint many people. The screenplay was swift. The movie gave due respect to its characters and less importance on large scale animation. However, (yes there is a however) the story was a let down. When I heard that George Lucas had things to say about the lack of originality, I assumed that he was probably feeling the pinch having let go of his franchise. He may have been right. The story was good and was well complimented by the screenplay and the acting... All I am saying is.. If I was given a pen and asked to continue a grand old story so rich and diverse in characters as the Star Wars series, I would have definitely come up with something better. So let's start dissecting (spoilers ahead):
1. The desert planet Jakku: hmm.. Remember Luke's planet. Then Anakin on tatooin. The Jedi to-be is always awaiting a pickup from a junkyard desert planet.
2. Kyle ren: good boy turn bad and kill all new Jedi created by the master before becoming a guy with a black mask and a husky voice. I am not talking about Anakin. Wait there is more. He is also torn between good and evil but chooses evil.. Why? At least Anakin had to save his wife. Why did this good kid turn bad. We may see his story in the episodes 10 - 12.
3. The weapon: a Death Star blown up to 20 times.. God, even the resistance realised that the sith or its clones have no imagination. Oh.. And they don't learn.. Destroyed by fighter planes and a couple of bombs.. Ok maybe a little more than that.. But seriously did we need such a monstrosity?
4. The resistance: they had thirty bloody years of freedom without the empire of first order breathing down their necks.. Whose base looked like a bunch of boyscouts? What were they doing all that time..
5. The republic: the empire collapsed with the fall of the emperor. The republic collapsed when the emperor had taken over. So when did the republic come back.. And the only place it is shown here is when a couple of planets get blown out of the sky by the death ray.
6. War machines: the same x wings.. Same tie fighter.. Ok. I know it's nostalgic.. But couldn't they have added newer technology?
7. Supreme leader: another disfigured face leading an army of clones from behind the scenes with a puppet general dressed in black.
The only original thing was the character of Finn.. A clone with a moral sense. That was new.
To sum it up.. I was sitting with a guy who had just seen all the previous movies once in his life.. At the end, he exclaimed.. "This is just like Part IV". What more need one say.
After a long long time, a return to the blog world. Missed writing in here. Of all the things I could have done in the last three years, this would have probably been the easiest.
So we restart this old book with a review which I felt compelled to write. When it comes to Star Wars a lot of us, particularly those in my age group, hold them close to our hearts. So when they announced that the next three episodes are being made, I was pretty excited. Of course there is also the knowledge that they cannot screw it up any more than what they did to the last three.
The first of the lot released on Christmas of 2015 and well.. It did not disappoint many people. The screenplay was swift. The movie gave due respect to its characters and less importance on large scale animation. However, (yes there is a however) the story was a let down. When I heard that George Lucas had things to say about the lack of originality, I assumed that he was probably feeling the pinch having let go of his franchise. He may have been right. The story was good and was well complimented by the screenplay and the acting... All I am saying is.. If I was given a pen and asked to continue a grand old story so rich and diverse in characters as the Star Wars series, I would have definitely come up with something better. So let's start dissecting (spoilers ahead):
1. The desert planet Jakku: hmm.. Remember Luke's planet. Then Anakin on tatooin. The Jedi to-be is always awaiting a pickup from a junkyard desert planet.
2. Kyle ren: good boy turn bad and kill all new Jedi created by the master before becoming a guy with a black mask and a husky voice. I am not talking about Anakin. Wait there is more. He is also torn between good and evil but chooses evil.. Why? At least Anakin had to save his wife. Why did this good kid turn bad. We may see his story in the episodes 10 - 12.
3. The weapon: a Death Star blown up to 20 times.. God, even the resistance realised that the sith or its clones have no imagination. Oh.. And they don't learn.. Destroyed by fighter planes and a couple of bombs.. Ok maybe a little more than that.. But seriously did we need such a monstrosity?
4. The resistance: they had thirty bloody years of freedom without the empire of first order breathing down their necks.. Whose base looked like a bunch of boyscouts? What were they doing all that time..
5. The republic: the empire collapsed with the fall of the emperor. The republic collapsed when the emperor had taken over. So when did the republic come back.. And the only place it is shown here is when a couple of planets get blown out of the sky by the death ray.
6. War machines: the same x wings.. Same tie fighter.. Ok. I know it's nostalgic.. But couldn't they have added newer technology?
7. Supreme leader: another disfigured face leading an army of clones from behind the scenes with a puppet general dressed in black.
The only original thing was the character of Finn.. A clone with a moral sense. That was new.
To sum it up.. I was sitting with a guy who had just seen all the previous movies once in his life.. At the end, he exclaimed.. "This is just like Part IV". What more need one say.
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