Star Wars Quick-Takes: The Force Awakens- Does it Fit?

I know that a lot of people have seen The Force Awakens already, but since it is still so new, I am going to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible.

We’ve seen a lot of reboots, remakes, and continuations of 1970s and 80s sci-fi franchises lately. Some of them have stuck faithfully to the heart of the original franchise, and some have not. So, how does J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars measure up to the series that has been engaging (and occasionally enraging), geeks since 1977?

One of the main selling points of this new Star Wars movie for me was the return of the original cast. It was exciting to sit in the theatre opening night, and cheer along with all the other fans as favorite characters returned to the screen. Luke, Han, Leia, Chewbacca, C3PO and R2-D2 were some of my earliest childhood imaginary friends. There were some times in the film when I wanted more of these characters, but overall, I thought their characters had progressed naturally from where they were in Return of the Jedi.

The new characters introduced were relatable and fun. They had some similar characteristics to old characters, but also felt like their own people. I am excited to see more of them in the future.

The style of The Force Awakens definitely hearkens back to A New Hope. The starfields, ships, and common speech plants the viewer firmly in that familiar, well-used, and exciting galaxy. I was impressed by the use of practical effects, and excited by John Williams’ newest score.

The plot will probably seem familiar to Star Wars fans. Once again, we are seeing a variation on the classic hero’s journey tale. I’ve heard some people complain about the re-use of this plot, but as it seems to be the heart of Star Wars’ narrative, I wasn’t terribly upset to see familiar moments and themes pop up in this first movie.

If you’ve seen the movie, I’d love to know some of your thoughts. If you haven’t I definitely recommend it.

Thanks for coming with me for this voyage through the Star Wars franchise. However, this is the year of Star Trek, as the original series is turning 50 in September. So, leading up to the anniversary, I am going to blog through every episode, starting with the first pilot,“The Cage”. If you’re interested, stay tuned!

Keep on glowing in the dark,

Elora

Star Wars Quick-Takes: Return of the Jedi- What is Left

We know that humanity is corrupt. We made the choice at Eden to reject the light and cling to the darkness. Therefore, we may feel like dismissing Luke’s statement that there is “still good in” his father right off. Sounds humanistic. Sounds like “everyone is basically good”. Is that truly the story arc we see, however?

We discussed the story of Anakin’s fall and redemption in the posts about the prequel trilogy. Anakin was deceived by the dark side of the force, but he was not altogether innocent. He chose to give into his fears, and reject the counsel of his superiors in the Jedi Order. He turned from a kid who wanted to free slaves and protect the ones he loved to a power-hungry mass-murderer. This doesn’t seem like a character who is “basically good”.

Yet Luke Skywalker, with the compassionate eyes of  a Jedi and a son, looked for the things that were still redeemable in him. In his search for the good that was still left, he was able to bring his father back to the light side of the force in Anakin’s last moments.

Though we are all flawed human beings, there is still something in each of us that is good. Something God imbued us with at creation that is waiting to be restored. He looked through the eyes of The Son, and saw those things- those people that He had designed, and reached out to bring us back into His light.

As children of this God, one of our jobs is to see the image of God in everyone. It is so easy to see people’s sins, and darkness, and failure. However, if we, like Luke Skywalker, choose to see others with compassion, we will witness the miracle of God’s redemption in their lives. We may even, by His grace, be allowed to take part in the story He is telling in the lives of other human beings.

Star Wars Quick-Takes: The Empire Strikes Back- The Danger of Isolation

Yoda sure does seem wise, doesn’t he? A lot of the things he says do make good sense. However, there’s one instruction he gives to Luke that we just can’t tolerate. Much to our relief, Luke can’t either, so he decides to ignore the sage, old Jedi Master’s advice, and set off on a quest to rescue his friends and fight Darth Vader.

Did Luke make the correct choice by rushing out on this ill-advised rescue mission? In spite of Yoda’s statements, The Empire Strikes Back presents several examples of the deadly folly of individualism.

Early in the film, at the beginning of the battle on Hoth, Luke’s co-pilot, declares that he feels like he could take on the Empire single-handedly. This overconfident attitude does not serve him well, as he is killed soon afterwards.

Later, in what is probably the most iconic light saber battle in all of Star Wars, Luke takes on Darth Vader by himself,(without even the companionship of his faithful droid R2-D2). Though Luke develops his skills with the force, and is enlightened as to the true fate of his father; he loses his hand, and is nearly killed in the fall from Cloud City.

In the end, he discovers that one of the most important things a force-sensitive person can learn is to reach out to others around him. The only way he is saved from certain death is by calling out to Leia, who directs Lando and Chewbacca to go back to the city and rescue him.

It seems that while Yoda may offer decent life advice when he says “do or do not, there is no try”, he doesn’t have it all worked out. People need to be able to rely on each other, and to help each other. We can’t make it on our own...That’s not how the Force works! (Or real life, for that matter).