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The Force Awakens: The New Hope
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is now in theaters!
It all started back in 1977 with Star Wars IV: A New Hope. As we all know, it was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
Good vs. Evil. Droids and Lightsabers. Storm Troopers and Jedi’s. Han Solo and Princess Leia. The Death Star and the Millennium Falcon.
The spoiler-free reviews and reactions from the privileged few who have already seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens have been stellar. And why shouldn’t they be? Embracing the out-of-this-world expectations, director and sci-fi aficionado J.J. Abrams seems to have delivered on the fresh reboot of the beloved franchise. The trailers look fantastic, the cast incredible (Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac), the story appears to have an intriguing premise and feel and, most importantly, the sets are rooted in practical effects.
The latter is paramount because green-screens can ruin even the most popular series (cough cough Star Wars prequels). Yes, there are digital effects in The Force Awakens. However, practical sets seems to have trumped digital wherever possible. This extra effort and attention to detail is a great tribute to the original 1977 and 1980s episodes IV-VI, which were driven by the story and its iconic characters.
Speaking of iconic characters, perhaps the best way to prepare for Episode VII is to watch the most famously pivotal scene from the Star Wars saga.
Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader.
After the disastrous prequels, The Force Awakens seems to be offering Star Wars fans optimism not only for this movie, but for the next two chapters episodes in this epic space saga.
J.J. Abrams + Company (Bad Robot and Lucasfilm) seems to have found the force within themselves and it has led them to their cinematic destiny:
The right side of the Star Wars universe.
The Force is Strong in J.J.
3? 5? 10? More than 10?
How many times have you watched the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer since it debuted just yesterday afternoon? While there are still many questions and surprises that remain for Episode VII, a few things are clear:
- This movie will be rooted like the first three Star Wars movies that premiered in theaters between 1977-1983 to surreal fanfare, which were centered in realism without heavy interference from distractingly obvious special effects
- There are at least 3 new lead characters that will open the story up into new, exciting directions
Harrison FordHan Solo and Chewbacca look fantastic and Luke Skywalker’s narration was a fantastic homage to the character and a past film, as well as being a very intriguing plot teaser…- Christopher Nolan’s cinematic treasure, The Dark Knight trilogy, has inspired yet another movie franchise. This time, it’s the ambiguously broken/battered villain mask of Darth Vader that is reminiscent of the image of Batman’s mask in The Dark Knight Rises
- So far, J.J. Abrams is proving that he was definitely the right choice for this Star Wars resurgence
Go ahead, watch it again:
Only 8 more months to go!
Jimmy's Daily Planet 