Star Wars Spin-Off: 10 Lessons Gareth Edwards Must Learn From Godzilla

7. The Balance Of Tone

There is actually a bit of a debate to be had about the tone of Gareth Edwards' Godzilla. The trailers had us to believe that the film would be relentlessly bleak, yet the actual film, while still taking itself seriously, is much more adventurous and actually adheres to the formula of the older films. Some were so taken aback by this that they claim the trailers sold us a different film. There have been those that claim that Gareth takes it too seriously, wishing that it indulged in the silliness inherent to the genre, while others say he doesn't take it seriously enough because the story is too confined within the familiar trappings of past films. Regardless of the merit of either claim, what this shows is just how important it is to balance the tone of the film like this. Star Wars is actually very similar to Godzilla in this way, as it could easily devolve into extremely camp, which is why the original Star Wars trilogy is so beloved and iconic; it fired on all the right cylinders; bordering on the edge of both camp and sobriety with such precision it appealed to a mass audience. For the most part Gareth did a good job balancing the camp nature of Godzilla with an earnest interpretation of the material, which makes him a good fit for Star Wars. The spin-off must never forget that it is a blockbuster for all ages, which means it must take itself somewhat lightly, but never forget to root it in empathy and compelling drama. As long as Gareth directs with this in mind - which shouldn't be difficult for him seeing as how he is a huge Star Wars fan - he should deliver another stellar blockbuster. Parallel to good tone is also...