My hopes for The Force Awakens are somewhat broader than simply hoping the film is entertaining, or that it ushers in a new era of quality Star Wars live-action content the likes of which hasn’t been seen since 1980. Each Star Wars film, good or bad, has had a considerable impact on not only the pop culture conversation, but on the disposition and direction of the film industry itself. The idea that The Force Awakens will be no different seems a foregone conclusion. My hope, then, is that the resulting shift is a positive one.
New Hollywood was NOT trampled under the jackboots of the Stormtroopers, despite what some critics and historians claim.
Even claiming the Star Wars films were responsible for those shifts in the industry is an oversimplification. The first Star Wars film, in 1977, is often cited as the death knell of the “New Hollywood” era, a period auterists tend to look on as a golden age of cinema, when filmmakers were given the creative freedom to realize their artistic visions without much, if any, studio oversight. Easy Rider, The French Connection, Taxi Driver — even films such as The Exorcist and The Godfather are considered part of this wave of unbridled creativity and artistic freedom. And then, if you believe certain critics, Star Wars came along — a big-budget, crowd-pleasing “popcorn” film of dubious artistic merit — made a ton of money, and ruined everything for the “serious” filmmakers.
![Films like William Friedkin's The French Connection were an example of studios' "hands off" policy during the '70s. [20th Century Fox]](https://toschestation.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/French-Connection-Signature-Series-BD_05.jpg)
Films like William Friedkin’s The French Connection were an example of studios’ “hands off” policy during the ’70s. [20th Century Fox]
![Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather pioneered the now-standard practice of wide release. [Paramount]](https://toschestation.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/the-godfather-still-marlon-brando-636-380.jpg)
Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather pioneered the now-standard practice of wide release. [Paramount]
We have Jar-Jar to thank for The Lord of the Rings. Kinda.
So, what are my hopes for The Force Awakens? My hope for The Force Awakens is that it gives me hope for the industry as a whole. Studio films are becoming larger and more unwieldy as time goes on. Blockbusters are all the studios are producing nowadays, at the expense of low or even medium-budget films. Most key, quality has been replaced by spectacle, nuance by noise, character by destruction. Now, a shift away from this is an unrealistic expectation to place on a well-known, highly-anticipated franchise film with a huge special effects budget and owned by one of the largest companies on the planet.
![Films like Man of Steel and Star Trek Into Darkness (pictured) proved that bigger isn't always better. [Paramount]](https://toschestation.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/maxresdefault-2.jpg)
Films like Man of Steel and Star Trek Into Darkness (pictured) proved that bigger isn’t always better. [Paramount]
IS an awakening coming?
But what if there’s a sign, a hint woven into the fabric of the film, a quality to the movie’s texture — something, anything that might indicate this industry is stepping back from the abyss it finds itself teetering at the edge of? I’m grasping at straws, I’m well aware. But the industry can’t sustain this “bigger is better” business model for much longer. The bubble is going to pop. I’m not claiming the “death of cinema” is on it’s way, but a change is coming. Realistically, it has to be. And what if The Force Awakens is, in some small way, a harbinger of that change?
Star Wars has always been a signpost of things to come. My hope for this film, in a nutshell, is that the signs are good ones.
Vader Down continues this week as Jason Aaron and Mike Deodato take over again and oh my word, this issue is fun! Despite the lovely cover by Mark Brooks, there’s not much of Leia or Vader in this issue. Instead, it focuses mostly on Dr. Aphra and the Murder Bots versus Han Solo and Chewbacca. The stakes? Luke Skywalker and Artoo.
Look, let’s be honest: Vader Down is essentially Jason Aaron and Kieron Gillen sitting across a table from each other while grinning diabolically and going “Oh, you had your artist draw Vader doing that cool thing? JUST WATCH WHAT I’M GOING TO HAVE MY ARTIST DRAW!” Alternatively, just imagine this as a Pokemon fight with Larroca and Dedato as the Pokemon and Aaron and Gillen as the trainers. (I should probably admit that I never played Pokemon or watched it or… this metaphor has gotten away from me.) (Ten thousand bonus points go to the first person to photoshop this.)
It’s been two weeks which must mean it’s time for the release of Chewbacca #4 by Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto! (On a personal note, I’d like to add that both gentlemen are incredibly nice and I’m thrilled to have had the chance to meet them at Third Eye Comics the other weekend.)
It seems like just last month that the Star Wars folks announced Delilah S. Dawson would be writing an e-short titled The Perfect Weapon. Oh wait, that was last month! Del Rey doesn’t make us wait very long with today’s release of The Perfect Weapon, one of five stories that feature the pictured beings from Maz Kanata’s castle. Bazine Netal is an efficient and lethal mercenary and spy who knows how to get a job done. When an anonymous client hires her to track down a former stormtrooper, she’s forced to trade teaching a newbie in exchange for use of a ship. And while Bazine is good, even she can still be taken by surprise on a dangerous mission…