Star Wars Episode 7: 10 Things To Avoid

4. Awkward Tonal Shifts

This is a problem for a lot of screenwriters, but for George Lucas, it has been a real thorn in his side for the prequel trilogy. He simply doesn't know how to massage multiple opposed plots together into a meaningful, consistent, emotionally gratifying whole. Take Episode 1, which cuts between a number of different stories with an absolute absence of discrimination; Qui Gon Jinn is slaughtered by Darth Maul, and within mere moments, Lucas cuts to Jar Jar Binks - an already execrable entity in his own right - cracking funnies. While this might sit alright with emotionally developing children, adults are likely to find it grating, even unsettling; we should linger on the pain of Qui Gon's death, because that's how we know that it actually matters. Lucas, disrespecting his own characters in a sense, breezes past the moment of death, creating a wide tonal chasm that just feels...wrong. But at least with someone else at the creative helm, there is a strong possibility this will be fixed for Episode 7.
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Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.