Will The Force Be With The New Star Wars Movies?

BY JEREMY HAAS

A long time ago in a galaxy not so far away, a “space opera” trilogy, the likes of which nobody had seen before, was released.  The year was 1977 when the first, original Star Wars movie came out, Episode IV: A New Hope. This was the iconic film that started it all, the one where we first met with lovable, classic character archetypes, in a new, futuristic outer space setting.  George Lucas directed the initial masterpiece, and two more movies were put out in a six-year time span.  These three movies set a new bar for sci-fi and from that point on, everyone held Star Wars in legendary regard.

The late 90’s came, bringing promise of a Star Wars prequel trilogy. So “Episodes I-III” were released, which is where the Star Wars franchise really threw its fans off.  Considering the amount of hype built up over the sixteen years between the release of the Original trilogy (Episodes IV-VI) and the prequels (Episodes I-III), 1999 presented millions of fans with a train wreck of a comeback.   This new film was given the oh-so-generous title of Episode I: The Phantom Menace, rather than the far more fitting “Episode I: The Huge Disappointment.”  In this disaster, most everything that made the original trilogy so spectacular was thrown to the side, forgotten, only to make room for a bunch of terribly unnecessary additions to the Star Wars universe.  In Episode I alone, we were given pointless new characters, such as the B-rate Jedi warrior, Qui-Gon Jinn, the extremely monotone Queen Amidala, and the infamously dumb, and arguably most hated character in the Star Wars universe, Jar Jar Binks.  Two more movies, Episodes II and III were made to conclude the prequel story, and as much as I hate to say it, Episode II: Attack of the Clones was an even bigger catastrophe than The Phantom Menace. At least The Phantom Menace had the iconic light saber expert Darth Maul, and Anakin Skywalker was still too young to be the whiny, weak-willed excuse for a Jedi he was portrayed as in Attack of the Clones.  Now Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith, on the other hand, wasn’t half bad, but even then, it certainly shouldn’t have taken George Lucas three tries to create another decent Star Wars movie.

Now that Disney owns Lucasfilm, new Star Wars plans are being made, and Episode VII is set for release in 2015, taking place after Episode V: Return of the Jedi. This new addition looks impressive as far as movies go, with JJ Abrams directing, and Michael Arndt writing, not to mention Harrison Ford’s rumored reprise of the Han Solo role. Episode VII almost seems too good be true.  Now that Lucasfilms is under new ownership, it’s possible that these upcoming films will be completely money driven.  Shallow attempts to reprise a classic series for monetary value; one final stretch to milk the franchise for all it’s worth, before angry Star Wars fans storm Disney’s headquarters for vengeance, draped in Jedi robes and armed with model light sabers.

Tacky as it may have been, the heavy use of little people in costumes in Return of the Jedi gave it character.  I think the Ewoks’ cuteness was engaging, and not over the top.  Also the Chuck-E-Cheese-like animatronics of Jabba the Hutt’s big scene were rightfully corny.  The prequel trilogy overworked the whole CGI thing though, like George Lucas was thinking “well, we have the technology, so might as well milk it for all we can.”  This overabundance of special effects, however, made the prequels cheesier than anyone thought possible, certainly cheesier than the endearingly fake looking creatures in Jabba’s lair.  If you watch the prequels intently, you’ll notice the annoying use of cross fades and computer generated imagery to be completely over-the-top.  Now I’m not saying they should use the same technology in the new films as they did back in the 70’s, but I just think everything should be used in moderation.  After watching The Phantom Menace I can safely say that seeing puppets in the original series currently serves as a breath of fresh air.  Episode VII should be enhanced by special effects rather than reliant upon them; I for one want to go back to the days when Yoda couldn’t do a back flip.

Don’t get me wrong, this new chapter in the Star Wars Universe has every opportunity to be remarkable, but my skepticism speaks for itself. Some of the rumors going around already make episode VII out to be a total masterpiece, complete with the return of Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher as Luke and Leia Skywalker.    Many have predicted that the new trilogy will follow the children of Han Solo and Princess Leia, making the actors’ age gap with their original characters play out perfectly.  This also gives rise to new character opportunities, and I would love nothing more than to see what Han Solo’s half-Jedi kid would be like.  I don’t know why I’ve never seen some feminist blog comment on how there’s never been a female Jedi warrior in either of the movie trilogies, but I think it might be time to introduce one.  Han and Leia could have a daughter, a spunky, strong willed teenage girl, possibly Ellen Page.  Her role in Super as an A.D.D. ridden, super hero sidekick gives her a gallant yet clumsy vibe that would work beautifully in the form of a Jedi knight.  A lot of what bugged me about the prequel trilogy was just how polished the Jedi knights were, making them out to be extremely cheesy aristocrats.  That’s not the way I like my Jedi warriors, they need to be human-like, with mastery of the force, setting them apart while still keeping them relatable as protagonists.

Another promising rumor for movies in the works are of spin-off films featuring some of the most beloved characters in the Star Wars world.  I am especially stoked to see Han Solo get his own movie, because, whether or not it’s a popular opinion, he is, hands down, the coolest character in the Star Wars series.  For the role of youngster Han, I expect an actor with wit and finesse, and there are a few worthy nominations. Joseph Gordon-Levitt would be first choice, he’s got a certain cool, manly aura to him, but we’ve also seen him play fairly comedic roles.  His acting abilities span far and wide, but basically, he’s got everything a young Han Solo should, good looks, confidence, and just enough masculinity to convince us he could one day grow up to be Harrison Ford.  Andrew Garfield is another that could potentially fit these iconic shoes.  His role in The Amazing Spiderman is really what sold him as a teenage heartthrob and his snarky remarks in the film are quite Han Solo reminiscent.   As for the Boba Fett spin off, well, I couldn’t care less about it.  Boba Fett may radiate certain sense of darkness and mystery, but let’s be real here, we’ve never even seen what the guy looks like.  There may be opportunity to give him a rich back-story, but chances are, this whole new movie revolving around some bounty hunter who never even had lines in the first place, well it just seems like a novelty.  Plus his style of fighting is lame, and to be honest, Boba Fett himself has become somewhat of a novelty.

So the future of Star Wars looks rich with opportunity.   Let’s just hope that JJ Abrams, Michael Arndt, George Lucas, and all the nice folks over at Disney know what they’re doing, This is a going to be a very delicate operation, but I know that making a new, respectable Star Wars trilogy is possible.