On Star Wars and JJ Abrams... *no spoilers* (Off-Topic)

by CruelLEGACEY , Toronto, Thursday, December 24, 2015, 16:18 (3263 days ago) @ Avateur
edited by CruelLEGACEY, Thursday, December 24, 2015, 16:21

So I've now seen about half of the movie (yes, I'm one of those horrible people who downloaded it but only because I've been trying to see it in the theater since opening day and things keep going wrong and I finally do have tickets to watch it next week but I just can't wait that long to see it so please don't hate me).

A lot has been said about how derivative it is, and I have to agree. I literally guessed every major plot point over a month ago, after the trailers first launched. I don't say that to brag, but rather to point out how thoroughly predictable the movie is. But I'm ok with that. I have no problem with lack of surprises in a movie, as long as the movie isn't relying on the element of surprise as part of its entertainment value.

As for the movie itself, I think there is a lot to like or even love about it. I find Rey totally captivating, the scenery is gorgeous, the overall feel and tone is almost perfect... well, not exactly. There is something about this movie that feels very off to me. Took me a while to figure out what was bothering me, but I've come to realize that I have the same feeling while watching The Force Awakens as I did while watching Star Trek Into Darkness: the movie doesn't "breath". Characters race from plot point to plot point, location to location, without ever pausing for a moment to reflect on what has happened or what is going to happen. Because of this, the audience doesn't have time either. It's as is Abrams is so terrified of including a single dull moment in the film that he just crams it full of "events" and cuts out absolutely everything in between.

Without a sense of time passing between the major events, it feels like the most insanely unlikely train of coincidences known to man. This person just happens to arrive at the exact same time as these other people, who manage to barely escape thanks to running into this other person, who stumbles across that thing that these other people have been searching for and then they actually find it the moment those other people escape from the bad people... It's just too much to believe (and I have a very flexible suspension of disbelief).

So far, The Force Awakens, much like Into Darkness, feels like fan fiction to me. It's a movie made by huge Star Wars fans who have come up with a bunch of cool "Star Wars-y" moments and strung them together using the exact same plot as the original. Unlike Into Darkness, I think The Force Awakens does a good job of recapturing or recreating much of the original magic. I'm just having a tough time seeing it as a true "sequel" to the Star Wars franchise. It really does feel more like a remake/reboot to me. But enjoyable none the less.