Star Wars preview: What to expect when the Force awakens… again
It has been thirty eight years since the Star Wars Movie franchise began. Since then, there have been six total feature-length films. Each film bringing into existence various merchandise, video games, TV shows and books, which have led to over thirty billion dollars in net worth. It would appear that net worth will grow with the next installments coming in the next decade.
This December, the first new installment to the Star Wars franchise will arrive in theatres. But what should fans expect from the film? Who will appear in the film? What is this film even about?
Initially, there were some pretty disappointed fans when writer and director George Lucas produced “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace”. Should fans get their hopes up? Only time will tell. But perhaps we can answer some of those questions that everyone is eager to ask.
How can the movie franchise plan to give the fans what they want? How do they avoid disappointing fans as they did with Episode I? While he was the mastermind who brought the Star Wars films to theatres, many fans blame the lackluster plotline of Episode I on George Lucas.
If you happen to be one of these fans, you will probably be relieved to know that Lucas was one of four credited writers—and he was listed fourth—on imdb.com. If you are one of these skeptical fans, at least you can know that there will be three other individuals giving their input.
One of those individuals is J.J. Abrams. Abrams is listed as a writer and, perhaps more importantly, the director of the film. Abrams has previously directed science fiction movies such as “Star Trek,” “Star Trek into Darkness,” and “Super 8.”
The new film is being produced by Lucasfilm, Bad Robot, Truenorth Productions and Walt Disney Studios. Between four different production companies, four different writers, and J.J. Abrams directing the film, they did not spare any expense.
So what is this film about? For those that have never seen the films, there are some spoilers in the following sections.
According to imdb.com, the new film is set thirty years after Episode VI. While Episode VI was not the last film produced, it is the last film in the sequence of events in the Star Wars universe. At the end of the film, the Rebel Alliance has destroyed the Death Star along with the Emperor Darth Sidious. The film concludes with Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Han Solo and the rest of the Rebels all on the forest moon of Endor celebrating their victory after an epic battle of galactic proportions.
After this scene, most viewers probably assumed that the Rebel Alliance overthrew the Empire, the Sith were destroyed, and everyone lived happily ever after. However, if you are a die-hard fan of the films, you probably found the ending very vague and open-ended.
Many fans were aware that the Empire and the Sith still existed in the Galaxy despite the destruction of the Death Star space station. Based on the trailer of the upcoming film, it would appear that we finally get to see what happened after the events of “Episode VI – Return of the Jedi”.
Some fans may be curious about the status of the rebellion and the empire, but they may also be wondering what happened to all the characters? First of all, to my knowledge, Jar Jar Binks will not be appearing in any of the upcoming films. That should come as a relief to all viewers that became acquainted with this poor excuse for some comic relief in some of the past films.
In addition, many of the original cast members from Episodes IV – VI will be appearing in the new film. Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill; Leia Organa, played by Carrie Fisher; and Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford, will all appear in the film. Supporting characters Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2 will also appear in the film and will be voiced by their original actors.
However, it looks as if the storyline will be based around some new characters played by Daisy Ridley and John Boyega. Ridley’s character seems to have some sort of connection with Han Solo in the film, and it’s been theorized that she is the daughter of Solo and Leia Organa.
Regardless of who will and will not be appearing in the film, fans are more than eager for the release of the film. Tickets for the film went on sale on Oct. 19 of this year. By Oct. 21, it was reported that $6.5 million in ticket sales had already been made. That $6.5 million that Star Wars made in that short amount of time has completely blown other movie’s presales out of the water. Movies such as “The Dark Knight Rises” and “The Avengers” only made about $1 million in presale.
“Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens” arrives in American theaters on Dec. 17. In the midst of Star Wars madness, eager fans can soon experience the next installment of Star Wars and watch the Force awaken on the big screen once again.