Now that we’ve all kind of got our heads around the fact that, yes, they’re making Star Wars: Episode VII, and yes, J.J. Abrams is directing it, the focus has shifted from that of wild speculation to that of the new trilogy’s story factors. What, exactly, is this episode going to be about? Who will take the lead? Will Disney breathe new life into a once great franchise? Will these movies emerge even worse than the dreaded prequels? Is J.J Abrams up to the challenge?
Wherever your alliance happens to fall with regards to a new Star Wars film, most people will admit that the prospect is an intriguing one – especially since Return of the Jedi gave the impression of such completion, what with that Ewok party and the fireworks, and the death of the franchise’s most important character in Anakin Skywalker.
With its release date tentatively set at 2015, Star Wars: Episode VII is still a long way off, of course, but it’s now that many of the most important production aspects are getting worked out under a cloak of secrecy at Disney HQ. And though the wait for the release of any official plot information is sure to be a lengthy and arduous one, we’ve put together a list of 10 defining factors that we feel would help to make Star Wars: Episode VII great.
Want to write about the stuff you're passionate about and have your work read by an audience of over 10 million a month? Click here to become a contributor.
7 Comments
Great article. I’m definitely a huge proponent of The Hero’s Journey argument. Evidently Michael Arndt taught classes about Star Wars, so I’m sure he understands how important that is to the myth. I also agree with the idea of using real sets. If George Lucas was uncomfortable with how dated everything looked in the original trilogy 20 years after the fact, he’s really going to be upset when he sees how fake the prequel trilogy will look in the future. Good stuff sir.
I agree with you that the first 3 films were the best but you write like the other 3 films were flops and they weren’t. The least successful of all six movies at the box office is Empire strikes Back, which is your favorite.
To be honest I actually thought Revenge of the Sith was on par with Return of the Jedi.
Phantom Menace was awful but that was because of the kid, Jar Jar and a way to childish feel of the movie. Not because of the politics IMHO.
The whole story is about an Empire and freedom fighters. Some of the first scenes in the first Star Wars movie were conversation about the emperor dismantling the Senate because he could now use fear of the Death Star to scare of worlds… Politics…
My point is, they do not have to reinvent the franchise. They only have to not screw it up by introducing another Jar Jar Binks character.
A commercial success does not a good movie make. Pointing out time and again that the prequels made a lot of money does not make them better movies in hindsight.
Saying that Sith was on par with Jedi also isn’t the compliment you might have intended it to be.
“Some of the first scenes in the first Star Wars movie were conversation about the emperor dismantling the Senate because he could now use fear of the Death Star to scare of worlds… Politics…”
Except those were small bits of dialogue as exposition, they weren’t the focus of the whole movie. We didn’t SEE the emperor convene the senate to dissolve it. In the prequels, Lucas might actually have made a scene of it and that’s exactly the point.
In the originals, the politics were the background story, in the prequels, they’re the main point. We are forced to watch all these goings on and it’s essentially pointless because who needs trade routes in space? It’s SPACE.
Great article T.J. Although I agreed with most of your list, a few of your choices gave me pause. 10 – It’s safe to say at this point in the star wars universe, the need for a hero’s journey is… well… not needed. Especially if rumors are true that they will be continuing the Skywalker story. That said – I understand your point completely, but throwing in a Hero’s journey for the sake of a hero’s journey makes your #10 guilty of what you accused your #4 of. 8 – I don’t mind technical jargon as long as it fits in with the story. I personally don’t have that much of a problem with the prequels (except Jar Jar and anakin’s constant whining). By the very nature of the story the prequels were attempting to tell, you knew (or should have known) going in that they were going to be heavy on the political side of things. And I was ok with that (It was one of the things I liked about the prequels). 07 – As a film student @ the Art Institute of Phoenix I can tell you that in this day and age, using green screen is practical. It’s just more cost effective. At the end of the day, Disney/Lucasfilm wants this thing to make money. Those “practical sets” as you put them in a sci-fi/fantasy film isn’t very…. practical. 05 – yeah John Williams is the best. There is no other like him. Although I would counter with they shouldn’t be trying to outdo or replicate what came before. That’s an easy way to epic fail (Superman Returns anyone). Steve Jablonsky, Howard Shore, Hans Zimmer, Clint Mansell, Tyler Bates, or any of the guys over at Two Steps From Hell would do an equally awesome job on the score IMHO. I pretty much agreed with everything else. That your number one was my number one is pretty special.
Cant agree more with the CGI, if it can be made, let it be. No Mace Windu, if youve got to have a cameo have Boba Fett. Im sure more people would want to see Boba over Mace. No ghosts of Hayden thingyson as Anakin. No Luke as the lead
Not sure if this was mentioned above in the comments, but everyone realizes that the Star Wars movies were originally books (9 in total; 6 made so far into movies). While a new lead character would be nice, if they want to stay true to all nine books, which make up the original Star Wars saga, then they will have to continue Luke’s fall to the dark side, and Leia saving him from it (oops… Spoiler).
The number one way they could screw up is by not having John Williams do the score.