So if my social media feeds are any indication, even after a week in theatres, not only is STAR WARS THE FORCE AWAKENS still going strong, there are still crazy lines for showtimes. Which, honestly, couldn\u2019t make me happier to hear.<\/p>\n
BUT if you are in that minority who hasn\u2019t seen this movie yet, I\u2019ll keep this review as spoiler free as possible. Don\u2019t worry dear reader, if I get into spoiler territory, I\u2019ll give you fair warning.<\/p>\n
As for a review, let me simply say, if the \u201coriginal, PRE-special edition\u201d trilogy were something you grew up with, I\u2019ll tell you right at the outset, I think you\u2019re going to be happy, VERY happy.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Now, let\u2019s be honest. You\u2019re going to see this movie no matter what I say, and quite frankly, you SHOULD. Cause it was amazing. But again, to keep this review spoiler free, I\u2019m just going to talk about the aesthetics of the movie. Cause again, you know you\u2019re going to see no matter what I say, so I think keeping the story a surprise as much as possible would be an awesome thing for you.<\/p>\n
SO, the look and feel of THE FORCE AWAKENS was so on point. As I write that, I can\u2019t help but think about a release Kathleen Kennedy put out way back when they were first ramping up for Episode VII. If I remember correctly she talked about respecting the history. Putting a focus on sets, practical effects, models, and prosthetic make-up, all of it. Even commenting that using CGI would be as an accent.<\/p>\n
And I remember thinking that she could be giving me a whole lot of lip service, but dammit if she\u2019s not saying all the right things.<\/p>\n
Not only was she saying all the right things, she and J.J. Abrams definitely delivered.<\/p>\n
I mean, in this age of prequels & sequels, it feels like the filmmakers seem to have forgotten the concept of consistency. Immediately PROMETHEUS comes to mind, that movie was such a cluster from so many angles, but from a continuity standpoint? I think <\/em>it happened before the ALIEN movies, but you look at it, and so much of the production design looks like it took place decades after ALIENS (I don\u2019t count 3, RESURRECTION, or the AVP movies). Going from switches, buttons, and 3 color monitors to glass, holographic, touchscreen displays. There\u2019s a break in the world aesthetic I think the filmmakers forget about as they get seduced by the technology available to them.<\/p>\n And STAR WARS is no exception. If you look at prequel trilogy, yes, they are beautiful to look at. CGI world, costume design & set design with an arguably Art Nouveau feel\u2026 but then you get to the end of EPISODE III, and all of a sudden we\u2019re in the 1970s.<\/p>\n My point here is that, there only seems to be focus to create something beautiful. But people seem to forget to create something beautiful for the universe they\u2019re filming a story for.<\/p>\n But that is not the case here.<\/p>\n Every last detail that I could tell just screamed, \u201cTHIS IS STAR WARS\u201d! J.J. Abrams didn\u2019t try and reinvent the wheel, he added to it. He made a car. So much of this movie brought me back to watching the original trilogy as a kid.<\/p>\n Abrams took such an amazing & beloved franchise, and he honored it with this installment, but at the same time made it his own. Though, I was almost hoping that he would throw in a subtle \u201clens flare\u201d as a nod to all his STAR TREK haters.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t worry. No lens flares, haha.<\/p>\n Anyway, watching this story was an absolute joy. I was stuck to my seat right from, \u201cLong ago, in a galaxy far, far away\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So if my social media feeds are any indication, even after a week in theatres, not only is STAR WARS THE FORCE AWAKENS still going strong, there are still crazy lines for showtimes. Which, honestly, couldn\u2019t make me happier to hear. BUT if you are in that minority who hasn\u2019t seen this movie yet, I\u2019ll…<\/p>\n