What
J.J. Abrams did to Star Trek, he has now done to Star Wars. Yes, he gave
moviegoers an entertaining film. The visuals were stunning. The pacing was
epic. The characters were strong. It was a hell of a ride. But, I feel the same
way about this Star Wars rehash as I did about the Star Trek rehash. Star Wars: The Force Awakens would have
been better if it wasn’t Star Wars.
In
1977 George Lucas gave the audience something new—from the visuals, to the
sound track, to the characters, to the epic story, he gave the audience a
universe they hadn’t seen before. That was Star Wars—something that wasn’t
derivative, but something that was unique.
Here’s
what Hollywood doesn’t understand. Unique can’t be Xeroxed. Sure, you can take
yesterday’s leftovers out of the fridge and cook up some interesting hash. But,
the rehashed leftovers are never as good as the original; because, the original
was original. The only way to redo Star Wars is to not do Star Wars. All the
elements of the original started with a blank sheet of paper and the mind of a
genius.
Hollywood,
you can keep giving us these remakes. Yes, we’ll watch them. Sure, we’ll enjoy
them. You’ll make millions. But, when you give moviegoers something genius as
opposed to derivative, then (and only then), will you give the audience that
same feeling as they felt in 1977—when John Williams’ brilliant opening notes
touched their souls, and they began a journey into the unknown. You’ll also
likely make millions in the process.
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