STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS - To Boldly Go To A Galaxy Far Far Away…

NOTE: May the spoilers be with you. Also, fair warning, this is more of an in-depth review so hang in there.

“Some things never change.”
- Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Star Wars: The Force Awakens

All his life, J.J. Abrams wanted to be a storyteller. Inspired by the films of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, he became a screenwriter. In college, he wrote the film Regarding Henry. During the making of the film, Abrams got to meet its star, Harrison Ford – who had years earlier played two of his film heroes, Han Solo and Indiana Jones.

Nearly 20 years later, Abrams transitioned into directing. He was offered Mission: Impossible III by Spielberg and Tom Cruise, which led to the reinvention of the franchise. Paramount would often ask Abrams to help revive a franchise with 2009’s Star Trek. The film was a massive success and led to Abrams’ first original directorial project, Super 8, about a group of kids shooting a zombie movie in a small town when an alien monster attacks. He was able to share a set with Spielberg, the film’s producer. It was also a major success.

Then, Abrams hit a major speed-bump in the form of 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness. While the film was a financial success, the critical and fan reaction was dismal; the leading argument being that the film was nothing more than a rip-off of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Speaking of Khan, the decision in the film marketing to hide the true identity of Benedict Cumberbatch’s character was loudly decried. Eventually, things got so hostile that the film’s co-writer Roberto Orci launched into an all-out rage against the fans on Twitter and declared he knew “what was best for Star Trek” more than they did. After the outburst, Orci left Twitter and has not resurfaced other than his television projects (“Limitless” and “Minority Report”) with his partner, Alex Kurtzman. Abrams has since taken the blame for most of the decisions made on the film. Little did he know that he was about to jump from one galaxy to another and become a part of something he once knew as a younger man.

Late October 2012. The world is stunned when George Lucas and Bob Iger jointly announce that Lucasfilm has been sold to the Walt Disney Company. They also announced that – for the first time – Star Wars Episode VII was officially in the works; the movie George Lucas said for DECADES would never happen. Almost immediately, the brains of fans everywhere were working overtime to think of who could possibly direct this new installment. Lucasfilm’s press release specifically stated that “Star Wars will be handed over to the new generation of filmmakers”. 

One by one, every fan’s choice turned down the film: Steven Spielberg (“It’s George’s world, not mine”), Jon Favreau (“I’m not sure what I want to do next” – it eventually became Disney's The Jungle Book), Guillermo del Toro (“I’d have better luck dating a supermodel”), Quentin Tarantino (“Disney Star Wars movies? No way, José” - Tarantino would eventually despise Disney for taking away screens reserved for The Hateful Eight and instead show Star Wars), Brad Bird (“I’m busy with Tomorrowland”) and Colin Trevorrow (“I’m reopening the park with Jurassic World”). Naturally, Abrams was asked by Empire Magazine in November if he had been contacted by Lucasfilm. This was Abrams’ response:

“There were very early conversations and I quickly said that because of my loyalty to Star Trek, and also just being a fan, I wouldn’t even want to be involved in the next version of those things. I declined any involvement very early on. I’d rather be in the audience not knowing what was coming, rather than being involved in the minutiae of making them.”

Fast forward to late January 2013. With fans chomping at the bit for Lucasfilm to announce who will be behind the first Star Wars movie in a decade, it is finally revealed that the director of Episode VII will be… J.J. Abrams. Jaws everywhere fell to the floor. Even worse, this was not immediately confirmed by Lucasfilm until a day later. Abrams then said in an official press release titled, “Star Wars Is Being Kick-Started With Dynamite”:

“To be a part of the next chapter of the Star Wars saga, to collaborate with Kathy Kennedy and this remarkable group of people, is an absolute honor. I may be even more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid.”

While fans might be angry for Abrams’ outright lie (or at least poor attention of misdirection), The Hollywood Reporter reports that:

“Abrams said in November that he wasn’t interested in taking over the venerable franchise from creator George Lucas. But sources tell THR that Kennedy contacted Abrams in early January and went to visit the filmmaker at the Santa Monica offices of his Bad Robot production company. Kennedy is said to have won over the filmmaker with her pitch [“Please do Star Wars”].”

And so, with the financial backing of Disney, the encouragement of powerhouse producer Kathleen Kennedy and the universe that was the brainchild of George Lucas, Abrams embarked on unarguably the biggest movie of his career.

30 years after the destruction of the Death Star II, the heroes of the Rebellion have disappeared into legend. In the case of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), he and the Jedi have fallen into myth after Luke vanished after one of his Jedi students turned to the dark side. With Luke’s disappearance, the galaxy has fallen into chaos with a new evil rising, the First Order. One of its darker disciples, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) is obsessed with Skywalker’s father Darth Vader and continuing where he left off – destroying all that is good in the galaxy; apparently not realizing Vader had a change of heart before he died. He captures X-Wing pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), from a secret mission for General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), and threatens to destroy him if he does not reveal the information he seeks. On the distant planet Jakku, a desert scavenger Rey (newcomer Daisy Ridley) is dreaming of a life of adventure rather than being stuck in the middle of nowhere. She gets her wish granted in the form of a rogue stormtrooper nicknamed Finn (John Boyega), who crash-lands his TIE Fighter while escaping from the fanatical First Order. Reluctantly teaming up, they come across the paths of old veterans Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Meyhew), who knew Luke Skywalker firsthand.

J.J. Abrams has pulled off a moviegoing miracle. After the disastrous fan reactions to the Prequel Trilogy (I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at the Prequels without scoffing intensely now; welcome back, character dialogue that sounds like what people actually talk like), The Force Awakens is a callback to the good old Original Trilogy while establishing itself as an entirely new entity. I quite enjoyed the bromance between Poe and Finn, it was quite funny and awesome. Finn and Rey are the main focus of the film however, and they both play off each other well; I was particularly appreciative that they were not given a typical romance attached to them just because they are opposite genders. Daisy Ridley is a vision, perfectly smart, beautiful and talented. John Boyega has this natural charisma and charm that works well; all the controversial brouhaha over him being a Stormtrooper was absolutely worthless. Oscar Isaac is someone I had seen in movies before, but here he shines as someone personifying cool and confidence. But, to me, the shining light of the film is Harrison Ford as Han Solo. We are given a genuinely fun performance from a guy who otherwise looks so miserable he would not even go to his own funeral.

Speaking of funerals... Harrison Ford has finally delivered on his threats to kill off Han Solo. It is the scene everyone and their mother is talking about: Han Solo confronts the monstrous Kylo Ren and reveals to the audience that he knows Ren as Ben, his son. After he tries to convince his son to abandon the Dark Side of the Force, Ren kills his father with his lightsaber. As he falls, Han lovingly bids farewell to his son. It is a scene I knew was coming, but even as it was happening, my heart was pounding as I wished it was not true. However, if it had to happen, this was the best possible scenario: something noble, appropriate and well-made. Ford looks truly heartbroken, but I am sure he had to fight the urge to jump with joy.

I will make this analogy (if it makes any sense): George Lucas builds a shiny automobile. He lavishes over it and everybody loves to see it. Then, he starts adding all sorts of annoying gadgets and gizmos to the car, too proud to let anyone else handle it. Eventually, the car falls into disrepair and, having fallen out of love with it, Lucas decides to bequeath it to a friend, Kathleen Kennedy. Kennedy knows that this car used to be really something and just needs a little tender love and care. She immediately takes the car to a mechanic, J.J. Abrams, known for fixing up old hot rods. Abrams gives the car a once-over and brings in a specialist, Lawrence Kasdan, to help him match together parts. For this operation, Abrams uses top-of-the-line technology while also tracking down old parts from its distributor. The result is a purring sports car with a brand-new engine, leather seats, full tires and a new paint job.

All in all, Disney and Lucasfilm have given the world a wonderful gift: new Star Wars movies with endless possibilities. Unlike the prequels which had to go in a very specific direction and “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” which is set in a contained period of time, The Force Awakens and subsequent films can go anywhere. Anybody in Hollywood who consider themselves true blue fans of Star Wars can eventually take their shot with their favorite space saga. Abrams was the first because he has the ability to revitalize a brand. His films are action-packed thrill rides with depth-filled characters and appropriate levels of levity. Force Awakens is no different, a thrill ride with enough laughs, cheers and tears to keep audiences coming back for more of that galaxy far, far away…

STARWOIDS: Come On and Line Up

RETRO REVIEW

"Well, we basically lived out... the history of mankind within this line. We got together. We formed a government. We formed a hierarchy. We had our revolution. It all finally worked out and we're gonna see Star Wars. It's just a great time."

- Jason from the Mann's Chinese Theater line

A global social experiment is about to be set upon the world once again: can Star Wars, a worldwide phenomenon that has legions upon legions of fans, be resuscitated for a new generation after a lengthy absence? Certainly, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has a lot more going for it than The Phantom Menace, but let us take a journey back through time to just before May 1999. A time where when a new Star Wars movie was coming out, anything was possible. The creator himself, George Lucas, was back in the director's chair for the first time in over 20 years and had all of Industrial Light and Magic at his command. As the timely phrase goes, "What could possibly go wrong?" I was 8 years old at the time and was crazy into Disney's The Love Bug, so Star Wars had yet to take its hold on me. However, there is a great documentary produced at the time that chronicles the crazy phenomenon of waiting in line for weeks. 

Dennis Przywara's Starwoids is a time capsule of this scarcely remembered period where feelings regarding Episode I: The Phantom Menace was positively at an all-time high. The film opens with a Kevin Smith narration defining what a "Starwoid" is: anyone who takes their fandom of Star Wars to the next level; whether it be cosplaying as a X-Wing pilot, creating Star Wars-themed music or collecting action figures. This is where Daniel Alter enters the story. Alter, who later in life went on to produce the Hitman films, is a young man in high school who decides to bring a chair out to his favorite theater and wait there until opening night for The Phantom Menace. Soon, more people follow suit and a camp is set up outside. 

On the other side of town, in front of another theater, members from the now-defunct movie website CountingDown.com are constructing another compound of their own. They have their own TVs, Internet access and even a phone booth set to receive calls from international fans watching on a webcam. This is a more professional setup than Daniel's line. Despite that they are also raising money for charity, many in the group begin to decry the CountingDown line as nothing but a commercial gimmick to promote their website; less about Star Wars and more about cramming TV cameras everywhere.

While the battle of the lines is the center of the film, it also focuses on the general fandom phenomenon of Star Wars. One of which follows Guy Klender, avid collector, as he goes to various toy stores in search of all-new The Phantom Menace action figures. Another centers around the high school production of "Star Wars: The Musical" which takes popular songs from other musicals and gives them a twist from a Galaxy Far, Far Away. It also shows their failed attempt at infiltrating Skywalker Ranch; one ponders if this was where Fanboys was born. One of the more surprising elements is the inclusion of Phil Brown, Uncle Owen from A New Hope. Audiences learn quite a lot of interesting points including he directed a film on The Harlem Globetrotters and was a part of the Hollywood Blacklist (a topical point today because of the new film Trumbo).

The time finally comes to both lines when they can finally see The Phantom Menace. Whereas the official Episode I documentary "The Beginning" shows a few fans gleefully kiss the ground of the theater and run inside like crazed maniacs (a popular clip used in a negative fashion by Harry Plinkett of Red Letter Media), Starwoids shows that proper planning and level heads are not out of the question. Certainly excitement is in the air, but not sheer out-and-out nerdy madness. As they exit the movie after viewing it, everyone is praising it; quite long before popular opinion/sheer utter hatred envelops the planet. Daniel proclaims, "It's my favorite film!" The film then picks up a year later with Daniel looking quite different than he has at the beginning, having undergone a strict dietary regimen. He says that he was glad for the experience and that he may go again for Episode II.

Starwoids is a great look back to a simpler time and place; before the dark times, before the Prequels. Personally, I find things to like about the Prequels, but they are clearly inferior to the Originals. It would be easy to turn these people into stereotypes to laugh at, but the documentary wisely refrains from this; preferring the "laugh with us" approach. Both lines have their dramas, trials and tribulations, but nothing deadly serious (the most serious threats to the lines come from the police and apparently a group of interns from "The Man Show" who had terrorized some line people for laughs). George Lucas may never understand why people do not like the Prequels, but hopefully he takes some comfort in that Star Wars brings people together for positive reasons. We believe in these films and we all hope that Star Wars: The Force Awakens may bring back that effortless sense of wonder we have all been missing.

Starwoids is available on Amazon.com.

Starwoids

CREED: Up for the Count

NOTE: Spoilers.

"You see this guy here? That's the toughest opponent you're ever going to have to face. I believe that's true in the ring, and I think that's true in life. Now show me something."

- Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), Creed

Whether it was planned or not, there has certainly been an increase in bringing back characters in pop culture from the past to now – particularly this year. Not in remakes, but in what is being called “legacyquels”: from television’s “Ash vs. Evil Dead” (Bruce Campbell making a return to the title role he left behind twenty years ago) to, obviously, Star Wars: The Force Awakens (everybody making a return to the roles they left behind thirty years ago). But, certainly one character who has without a doubt gone the distance (pun intended) is Rocky Balboa, played by the often imitated but never duplicated Sylvester Stallone.

Almost forty years ago, Stallone had to fight to get Rocky on the screen and in doing so left a lasting impact on pop culture. Soon sequels followed, some better received than others; but all notable in their own ways. Stallone had intended 2006’s Rocky Balboa to be the swan song for the character going out on a personal triumph. And this is still true. Rocky will never get back in the ring as a fighter again. Enter Ryan Coogler, hot off the critically acclaimed Fruitvale Station. Coogler had been a huge fan of the Rocky films growing up and pitched Stallone on a new story set in that same timeline of films, but centered on a new character: the son of Apollo Creed, Rocky’s former rival turned friend. Stallone was originally skeptical on a further installment (especially since this would be the first film featuring the Rocky character not scripted by Stallone) but was swayed by Coogler’s admiration and commitment to having Stallone as a viable part of the film.

All his life, Adonis “Donny” Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) has been chased by a shadow: the truth of the identity of his father, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers – who, despite being alive in real life, appears in archive footage). Determined to make a name for himself, he heads from Los Angeles, California to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to the restaurant owned by the aging Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone). The ring is the last place Rocky wants to be, but eventually and reluctantly, he agrees to help Adonis train. Over in England, there is a massively-built boxer, “Pretty” Ricky Conlan (Tony Bellew), who is out for one last good bloody fight before he goes to prison. In order to defeat this challenging opponent, Adonis will have to embrace his legacy, follow Rocky’s guide and face his destiny.

The Rocky series has often been lampooned as a series that should have known when to stop. Still, Stallone has never wavered in his devotion into Rocky being a symbol of endearing dedication to following one’s dreams and believing in one’s self. Creed follows in this tradition, paying great homage to what has come before, while opening up the world to a new fighter. I haven’t seen much of Michael B. Jordan, but he has a great likability and charm that quickly wins you over. Stallone undergoes a massive transformation as Rocky, and not just from a fighter to a trainer. It is such a dramatic change that many are predicting Stallone may be the first actor to get two separate Oscar nominations for portraying the same character. In the course of the story, it is revealed that Rocky has developed lymphoma and must undergo chemotherapy. Rather than keep it as a point to deal with later, the movie goes headlong into that and shows us an extremely vulnerable and health-deteriorated Rocky. It does not shy away from his appearance, but it also does not linger. It is Adonis’ story and Rocky is in his corner.

The score by the Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson pays tribute to Bill Conti’s original Rocky score (naturally you can’t have a Rocky movie without some form of “Gonna Fly Now”) while also establishing itself in the modern age. The best fight in the film is actually the one in the middle with Leo “The Lion” Sporino (Gabe Rosado). Coogler does something I have never seen before in a boxing film: shoot the whole fight as one shot. Now, there could be some hidden cuts that I am not seeing but that is massively impressive. It is over and under the fighters, crisscrossing and moving; the fight keeps going. The movie also works as an interesting mirror of the very first Rocky. It follows a lot of the same beats as the original: courting a girl, trying to get a trainer, dealing with self-doubt and eventually losing to the champ.

Not every movie beats a Pixar movie in critical acclaim, but Creed took down a Dinosaur. If this is the beginning of another six movies with Jordan as Adonis Creed, I think it is a good start. He is an immensely watchable talent, someone who you can invest in. Stallone has good-naturedly taken a backseat for the purposes of the story, but continues to show he is not just an action hero but a well-rounded and woefully underestimated dramatic talent. Director Ryan Coogler takes up the mantle and charges up the metaphorical stairs triumphantly. While I think I prefer Rocky Balboa to Creed, it is still a viable film for the franchise and shows that there is no sign of stopping.