For those praising this film,
Star Wars Episode 7 is a despicable corporate product of a movie, that leeches off the imagination of the man who created its universe, while simultaneously giving him a giant middle finger by erasing all remnants of his Prequel Trilogy and turning the franchise into a vehicle for pandering fan service and a "progressive", feminist agenda.
Episode 7 is nothing but glorified fan fiction made by a corporation desperate to get a return on their investment. With years of careful risk-benefit analysis, they were able to produce a film that upset the least amount of the rabid, vicious "original fan base" as possible.
So "fans", you got everything you wanted. George Lucas, and the prequels are but a memory and you get all your original toys back, with just enough new crap to fool you into thinking your experiencing something fresh. You'll see the next 20 Star Wars movies and you'll get everything you begged to have, but you'll never be surprised.
When Lucas wrote the script for A New Hope, he wasn't trying to please anyone but himself. He wasn't feeding a hungry mob everything they wanted, he was crafting a story that he wanted to see told on film. After 6 great chapters, he finished his story. So enjoy Disney's Star Wars movies until the end of time, but just remember that you're never going to see a film series so daring, ambitious, and above all, entertaining as George Lucas' Star Wars.
Now, onto the aspects of this travesty that I fundamentally stand against.
1. A Star Wars Movie Without George Lucas Is Not Star Wars
- George Lucas didn't just have a part in the making of Star Wars, he CREATED it. Star Wars wasn't a collaboration that incorporated the imaginations of many different people. It wasn't an adaptation of someone else's work. Star Wars is solely the product of one man's imagination. Sure, tons of people worked on the films, but the entire Star Wars universe is George Lucas' vision. The uniqueness of Star Wars is that it all comes from the mind of one, incredibly creative man. Episodes 1-6 are the official Star Wars story as told by the man who created it. Any other story is, by definition, an imitation. Lucasfilm can try all they like to make these new movies look and feel like the real deal, but the truth of the matter is, they will never be the genuine article. Lucas' quirky touch is what makes Star Wars special. Without it, it's just another disposable sci-fi franchise.
2. Every Decision Was Made By A Corporation.
- The Force Awakens is a focus-grouped, market researched, PRODUCT that reeks of corporate control. After acquiring Lucasfilm, Disney had this film made so they would make their money back and then some. Storytelling was absolutely secondary. And the conception of the film isn't the only glaringly obvious corporate decision in Episode 7. EVERY major decision in the film was overseen by Disney and Lucasfilm. The new characters in particular reek of corporate greed and agenda pushing. The main character is a female and the secondary characters are mostly played by women or minorities. Disney will champion these casting decisions as a progressive triumph, but the truth of the matter is that these new characters exist purely as a PR move. Congratulations, your SJW street cred is through the roof, but I will never support a movie that uses someone else's creation as a platform to help their brand.
3. It Panders To A Vocal Minority Of "Fans"
It absolutely sickens me that this movie deliberately ignores and actively mocks the prequels. George Lucas spent 10 years of his life crafting those films, and millions of people loved them, but the executives at Lucasfilm and Disney were so afraid of the pathetic internet trolls that they became one themselves. All the marketing of "The movie you've been waiting for since 1983!", "It's all real!", "The magic is back!"... it's all a ploy to appease a vocal minority of sad losers that couldn't stand that Episodes 1,2, and 3 tried new things. Even the title of the movie is a shot at the prequels. "The Force Awakens", as if those 3 massively popular movies somehow put the force to sleep. Once again, all of these decisions are corporate based. As a result, we get a two hour apology tour. They hear people complain about dialogue, so everyone becomes an over-acting spunk machine. They hear people complain about politics, so they ax that aspect entirely. Basically, they hear people complain about the prequels, so they do everything possible to remove them from memory. "We hate George Lucas and the prequels too, see?" Because the vocal minority of whiners is more important than the majority of people who love Lucas' entire saga. It's almost shocking how disrespectful Lucasfilm has been to prequel fans and Lucas himself. Almost.
4. This Is A Troubling Sign Of Things To Come.
- The Force Awakens ushers in an era of prostitution for the Star Wars name. With Episode 7, Disney has learned that they can make whatever they want, and as long they do exactly what the "fans" tell them, they'll have a cash cow that never dries up, and they'll never have anyone complain. After all, fans are getting everything they want, right? Well what about those of us that want to see NEW things? These corporations don't care about us. New ideas could upset people, so innovation loses over imitation. The Star Wars story ended in 2005. It's time for something new. Boycott the rest of Disney's Star Wars fan-fiction, and maybe we can prevent Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens from being the movie that killed the blockbuster.