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Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens–Thoughts to Consider (SPOILERS)

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Kylo RenSince a large chunk of the population has donated a portion of their disposable income to a movie theater in order to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens, we’re getting to the point where spoiler-free reviews are going to be unnecessary. If you haven’t seen the film yet and want to be surprised when you get to the theater, I’d recommend taking a look at my earlier review first, since it contains no spoilers.   Otherwise, read on, as I go into some of my personal ponderings regarding the movie.

Scroll past the picture below to read on.  Otherwise, it’s okay to return later and read when you’ve had a chance to see the film for yourself.

Fighter battleAre we all here? Good.  Here are a few personal thoughts after seeing Star Wars: The Force Awakens twice (Thursday PM and Friday PM):

I am not a Star Wars fanboy, but I have always had an interest in the series.  Perhaps it’s because George Lucas wanted to change some sequences in the preexisting films to make a plot point more noticeable (Greedo shooting first instead of Han Solo), more detailed (all the CGI with Jabba the Hutt in A New Hope) or look more unified (the horrific revised ending to Return of the Jedi that seems a bit ironic, seeing as it shows the folks on Corcuscant celebrating freedom, not knowing they’ll suffer the same fate as Alderann thirty years later). Maybe it’s because I wanted to leave a theater with a sense of awe and wonder—something I didn’t get when seeing The Phantom Menace back in 1999.  It could be due to the fact that I saw Peter Jackson succeed mightily in the Lord of the Rings trilogy (The Hobbit?  Not so much.). Regardless, I went in wanting something more, something dynamic, something post-worthy.

I got that—and much more.

The film’s first portion centers on the planet of Jakku, as BB-8 takes the map portion with him a few seconds before Kylo Ren’s Bat Cruiser (not trademarked, but it should be) shows up and annihilation occurs.  Rey, a scavenger in those parts, wants little to do with the droid when she encounters him and eventually has to make a decision about whether to sell him.  BB-8’s loyalty reminds me, in a non-speaking way, of the loyalty of Ruth to Naomi in the Old Testament (see Ruth 1:16-18).  Rey decides not to, and it’s a good choice on her part, as the droid introduces her to Finn, a Stormtrooper gone AWOL. The two make quite a formidable pair, and I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of this pair in future films.

As for Kylo Ren, it’s revealed that he’s the son of Han Solo and Leia.  He’s definitely a force (pun intended) to be reckoned with (notice the Force stop of Poe Dameron’s blaster shot in the opening sequence). In fact, the only folks who can fight him off are Snoke, General Hux, and (later on) Rey. But he’s got some serious issues. He has no control over his temper, slashing massive streaks into a computer wall when he finds out Rey was not captured. In another sequence, the Stormtroopers on duty just turn around and walk away. This probably explains why his lightsaber fizzles, pops, and looks so different than the ones we’ve come to know in the past. He wants to be good, but can’t seem to fight his way out of the Dark Side. We see this in play on numerous occasions, notably when taking to Han Solo on the bridge at the end of the film.  He knows what he needs to do, but can’t do it—does that sound eerily like the struggle Paul talks about in Romans 7:15-25?  As a result, he is a wretched man.  It looks like we’ll get to see more of this struggle in future episodes.

The last scene location of SW: TFAIn the end, Starkiller Base is destroyed, Han Solo is taken out by his son, Finn is on life support after a nasty lightsaber slash up the back from Kylo Ren, and Rey travels with Chewbacca to a planet full of islands.  Atop one of the islands, she meets up, for the first time, with Luke Skywalker.  Luke on the island reminded me of John on the island of Patmos in the book of Revelation. He had vanished (remember the opening screen crawl?) after seeing one of his Jedi trainees go rogue (in this case, Kylo Ren).  Perhaps he was waiting for a revelation of his own.  In John’s case, he came across Jesus himself, who told him to write some letters to a group of churches that needed a wake-up call badly (except for Philadelphia) and provided an amazing look at what will eventually come to pass. We’re not sure about Luke yet, but Rey holds his lightsaber out to him as the camera pans around them and the film ends (one of the best shots I’ve seen in a film in quite a while, I might add).  Perhaps it’s the wake-up call Luke needs to hear.  Sadly, we’ll have to wait a few more years until director Rian Johnson shares Episode VIII with us.

Star Wars The Force Awakens: A Spoiler Filled Look At The Newcomers to The Franchise

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aforcereyStar Wars: The Force Awakens was everything a fan of the original films would hope to find. JJ Abrams captured the wonder and the magic of the original trilogy with a 2015 visual EFX that made the film just pop out of the screen. The scene transitions were seamless with great cinematography that carried the magic that made the first films ahead of their time.

And here is where I throw my warning as I highlight the new characters in the film: SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER.

In case you didn’t get the hint, spoiler warning. We are entering the spoiler region, so if you have not seen the film, stop reading now, go watch it, and then come back.

Ok, so last month I wrote on how Luke Skywalker had not turned to the Dark Side like many suspected. I also stated that he would train the new Jedi and that Kylo Ren was a Skywalker. I was correct on all three.

Kylo Ren

The mysterious “Darth Vader” fanboy isn’t really a fanboy as much as a grandson wanting to live up to what his grandfather stood for. Kylo Ren is the son of Han Solo and Leia [Organa nee Skywalker]. Sent away at a young age to train with Luke who was training the next generation of Jedi, Leia and Han hoped that the darkness and obsession that “Ben” had for Vader would be wiped away. They mention how Luke went into hiding because his apprentice turned on him. And although Kylo is hinted at it, I’m not so sure it was him (we’ll get to that later).

My disappointment in Kylo is that the mysterious bad boy was really just a child with daddy issues. But when he was confronted with his dad, this is where some of the visuals of the film really stood out.  You have Han and Kylo on a bridge. Han is trying to reach to that glimmer of light still left in his son. Behind Han you see this bright background of the sun still peeking through. Behind Kylo is red that points to a great metaphor of the characters inner struggle of light or dark. Then the sun is finally drained and darkness covers them all. At that moment, the inevitable that everyone saw coming came: the end of Han Solo at the hands of his son. Whatever light was left was buried even deeper. And even though he will soon get his tail whooped, the next time we see him on screen, we will see not the boy with daddy issues, but the true bad boy we all expected.

Rey

Here is the mysterious scavenger-turned-hero and the star of the show. We say that all things happen for a reason, and the fact that she is thrown into a fight she didn’t expect to be a part really points that out. Untrained, these series of events allow us to see the power of the force really come forward. She was able to withstand Ren, tap into the Force several times, and even make the trained Kylo Ren look like a rookie who was wielding his lightsaber for the first time.

What makes Rey so compelling is that her character was so innocent but also very strong. She is an independent character that stood her own, yet we are left with one burning question, who is she? She was abandoned on a planet when she was young and expecting her parents to return but they never did. But how powerful she is with the Force will bring all kinds of speculation. Did Han and Leia have another child? Are we playing the same “twins separated” of the original trilogy? Or, is she Luke’s daughter? I think it is safe to say that she is definitely a Skywalker and much more power than Ren at this stage (and that’s just raw power).  Rey is such a huge integral part to the film; that it is tragic that she just isn’t marketed as much as she should have been, but that is a different conversation on its own.  We can for now enjoy one of the best lightsaber fights in Star Wars. Rey vs Kylo Ren was so well done and set in a great backdrop that we can’t help but sit her impatiently for their next encounter. She alone makes the film worth watching several times again.

Finn

He is an interesting character because what he represents is such a huge metaphor that cannot be ignored.  Finn, from birth, was raised to be one thing, a Stormtrooper. But when confronted with the horrors of war and the reality of the First Order and Kylo Ren, he quickly realizes that evil is not something he wants to be a part of. It is a great example of nature versus nurture and shows us that we are determined by our surroundings or our upbringing. Rather, we have a moral center that God has given us that we have to decide for ourselves whether to follow or not. Finn first and foremost changed his life by deciding to follow that moral center and reject evil.

The other part of Finn’s story is a character that must decide whether fight or flight. For the most part, his decision is quickly flight. He wants to get as far away from the First Order as possible. But it is funny how love can change things. For the first time ever he knows what it is like to have a true friend, and when that friend needed him the most, his character changed. At that moment he was no longer choosing flight but rather fight. He did all he could to save Rey (who ironically ended up saving him instead). It is the power of love and friendship and the light that shines bright in these two characters.

Captain Phasma and Poe Dameron

In my opinion, they were just not in the film enough to make one truly care for them. Phasma leads the Stormtroopers but is barely seen and Poe is shown as a great pilot and leader, but again we aren’t given enough to really invest in them yet.

BB-8

BB-8 was a very adorable droid that at times made you laugh and others made you sad. He won’t take the special place that R2-D2 has, but he is a great addition to the film.

Supreme Leader Snoke

We finally come to the real bad guy. Snoke is the one pulling the strings. He is Kylo Ren’s master as far as the dark side is concerned. The figure we are introduced to is a hologram that is like a giant, and very deformed. Is this the real look of Snoke, or just an image he projects of himself? He is the real evil of the universe and when this trilogy comes to an end, it is him who will need to be defeated. The question is; who is he? We really don’t know, but I have a theory.

Kylo Ren was sent to Luke to be trained with the Jedi. At some point, Kylo’s obsession for Vader brought him to Snoke. Luke has disappeared because his apprentice turned on him, and we see Rey have a vision of Kylo and the Knights of Ren strike down all the Jedi in the same way that Anakin did. But, I believe that Snoke, whoever he is, was the apprentice that turned on Luke. He took Kylo under his wing and trained him in the Dark Side and then sent him to kill everything that Luke worked for. That pain drove Luke to solitude. His apprentice turned his nephew and he couldn’t stop him.

In the end, Star Wars The Force Awakens carries all the greatness of the original trilogy. It reminds us that the battle of light versus dark is an ever pressing matter, and that we all need to work to make sure that the light shines brighter and not allow the dark to take over.

If you read this review, you’ve seen the film. So what do you think? Are you going to see it again? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (NON-SPOILER): Visiting a Good Friend Once Again

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Rey and Finn runThe internet is a fickle place. A good amount of the time, people are doing everything they can to get you to respond in a specific way to a picture, an article, or an attempt by someone else to troll. However, when it comes to the launch of a film that is beloved across many generations, a unique thing happens: the Internet goes on self-policed lockdown.  People don’t want to know what happens.  They prefer to remain in blissful ignorance until they see it for themselves and make their own evaluations. And woe be to the individual who chooses to violate that unwritten code!

(Don’t worry; I’m not going to be that person)

Han Solo and ChewbaccaSuffice it to say that Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a grand return to the galaxy far, far away that we all have come to love over the last thirty-seven years. Director and co-writer JJ Abrams knew he had to accomplish three main things: 1) bridge the unseen gap between Return of the Jedi and his film; 2) instill a powerful story that beats true to the Star Wars ethos; and 3) not tick off legions of die-hard fans in doing so. Mission accomplished.

There’s a nice blend of old and new in the film, from the planet sequences to the familiar faces (Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2, and Leia—all of whom need zero introduction) and an inevitable new cast of characters, led by John Boyega (Finn), Daisy Ridley (Rey), and Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron). In fact, if I have a quibble about the movie, it’s that it plays a little too much to the nostalgia side at times. But that aside, this is an extremely fun ride, filled with a nice mix of action, humor, and things you just need to see for yourself.  One of the bonuses is that Star Wars: The Force Awakens feels more organic in nature than CGI-laden.  The film is filled with lush environments, sweltering deserts, and icy climes that feel out of place in the first three prequels (note: this is a good thing). It tends to draw the viewer into the film more.

Kylo RenWhen it comes to the faith aspects of the film, there’s a lot to talk about in regard to good and evil—as well as a number of other themes.  But I’ll mercifully save that for a more in-depth look at the film next week—when a good number of people have seen it and an online discussion can legitimately take place. Until then, it’s best to follow the crowds to the cinema, find a seat, grab a snack (if you so choose), and prepare to be entertained for a few hours.  With the state of the world right now, it’s a nice thing to look forward to.

‘Twas the Night Before Star Wars

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‘Twas the night before Star Wars and all ‘round the world,

Lay a quiet before storms of fandom unfurled

All the lightsabers were wrapped and grown men had to wait

To play with their brand new remote BB-8s.

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Fans tried to sleep hoping the prequels were flukes

While dreaming ‘bout finding the answer to ‘Where’s Luke?!’

Mama and I are tucked in now in our bedroom suite

(But why she won’t let us use my old Jedi sheets?)

Then up on my Facebook came the beep of great news!

The film has actually gotten good early reviews!

I sprang out of bed just beside of myself,

While grabbing my mint-in-box Han off the shelf.

“You did it,” I screamed to the toy in my hand,

“Thank you Mr. Ford for being Han once again!”

I threw on my coat and ran out into the streets

(But, passing by the garbage, missed my old Jedi sheets…)

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As I skipped down the road in my slippers and jammies

I felt like I’d fought a whole Stormtrooper Army

Though, at the corner, was man looking quite clueless

But, upon closer look, ‘twas a frazzled George Lucas

“Mr. Lucas,” I paused, “you’re looking quite grim,

like your Tonton had died on the Hoth outer rim!

Aren’t you thrilled with the word that the new one is groovy,

Though you sold it to Disney, they are still your movies.”

“I’m not happy,” he said “but the fans will all like.”

He groaned like a child with no tires on his trike.

I had to reply and said, “Why are you sad?

Though you’re proud of the prequels, you know that they’re bad.”

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“Um, you see,” he began, “it’s the power of myth…”

“Blah-blah-blah blah-blah-blah blah-blah-blah blah-blah-Sith…”

I admit I didn’t hear him because I was bored.

He clearly hadn’t given it much thought before.

I stopped him, “Now George, know the old ones were great!

But the prequels were really what sealed your fate.

I know you meant well but you just didn’t think

As you killed off Darth Maul and, of course, Jar Jar Binks.”

The midichlorian counts were scientific, of course,

But the worst sin of all was destroying the Force.

That put the whole story on a slippery slope

And with it, yes, you took our spiritual hope

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As fans, we were looking for something more

Than mere marketing that you put in a store.

We just want a story about wrong vs. right

(Even though we are suckers for cool Jedi knights…)”

He still didn’t get it though we talked for some time

And parted our ways at the 2 o’clock chime

So to home I returned, somewhat light on my feet

(And reclaimed from the garbage, my old Jedi sheets…)

Quite tired, I snuck right back into my bed

While Kylo and Finn used the Force in my head.

I know George was wrong and that this film won’t bust

‘Cause, if one things for sure, it’s in JJ we trust.

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Awakening the Force

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Star_Wars

Have you got your tickets?

That seems to have been one of the main questions amongst Star Wars fans over the last 6 weeks. Amazingly, as soon as Fandango opened their digital doors for advance tickets for The Force Awakens, the latest chapter in the Star Wars canon, they didn’t just get snapped up… they shattered box office records.

Don’t believe me? On the first day alone, The Force Awakens sold 8x more tickets than previous record holder, The Hunger Games. Then, by November 19th, they reported over $50 million in sales—a full month before the film’s release!

For a lot of movies, that’s more than what they get in their entire theatrical run.

And Luke, Han and Co. did it before anyone’s seen the movie.

Clearly, we’re all still clamouring for a visit to a galaxy far, far away. But why?

After all, it’s not like we haven’t had a slew of incredible sci-fi fantasy to capture our imagination in recent months and years. Mad Max: Fury Road was one of the best films of the year (not just sci-fi). The Martian is arguably favoured to win Best Picture at next year’s Oscars. Gravity, Interstellar, Ex Machina, and Edge of Tomorrow are just a few of the excellent entries into the genre in recent years as well. (We’ll just pretend that Jupiter Ascending and Tomorrowland didn’t happen…)

There has to be more to it.

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Recently, the folks at Reel World Theology made a comment that got me thinking. They suggested that Star Wars offers more than the casual sci-fi film, especially when compared to today’s entries into the genre that do everything they can to feel authentic. For example, films like The Martian, Gravity and the rest do an amazing job of grounding themselves in our world. In most cases, they go to great lengths to prove to people that they are scientifically sound. (Yes! We can plant potatoes on Mars!) In other words, they want to emphasize the ‘science’ in ‘science fiction’.

However, in the process, the focus of these films invariably becomes ourselves.

Our achievement.

Our importance.

The Star Wars franchise takes a different approach. Coming at a time when culture was reeling from tragedies like Watergate and Vietnam, Star Wars offered a new hope. With its focus on the Force, our efforts and choices remain important but it demonstrates a desire to connect with something beyond ourselves. It’s a cry for help and hope for those who are weak. A recognition of something beyond our limited understanding of the universe.

There’s a reason ‘May the Force be with you’ resonates with so many.

As its characters gradually discover the Force, they’re called to significance. Luke lives a humble life but doesn’t discover his purpose until he begins his training with Obi-Wan. In response to the arguments of the Imperial leadership, Vader himself claims, “The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force.” In fact, Ford’s beloved Han Solo is treated as misguided by his claims that “[he’s] never seen anything to believe in some all powerful force that controls everything.”

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In this story, the skeptic is the one who’s missing something.

The Star Wars films have always called us to realize that our significance doesn’t lie within ourselves but in the hand of something mysterious. There is a calling and a longing for us to have purpose. Having had many conversations with atheists, it is clear to me that their desire is to know what’s tangible. Like Han, they rely on their passion for quantifiable substance to judge what’s real. While I completely respect that, I have heard a quiet yearning within them at times that suggests they want to believe in more. As a Christian, I believe that this longing is part of the image of God that calls us back to Him. Isaiah 26:9 says “At night, my soul longs for you. Indeed, my spirit within me seeks you diligently.”

At our heart, we want to believe. It’s a piece of who we are.

Unlike a lot of sci-fi films, the Star Wars franchise points us beyond what we can see to a life of meaning found in something (or Someone) else. It connects with us because it’s part of us. When Lucas began this series, this spiritual imprint was embedded into its narrative framework—and it awakened something within us. I believe that our enthusiasm for the franchise goes far beyond lightsabers, Jedi or even Harrison Ford. At a time when terrorists seem to attack at will and violence has poured in our streets, we find ourselves in a world that echoes the heartache and tragedy of the 70s in many ways. Once again, we’re looking for a new hope. We want our eyes to be opened to the world of the spiritual when so many other stories attempt to close them.

When we allow ourselves to do that, in the words of Obi-Wan, we find ourselves “taking our first steps into a larger world.”

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Is Publicity the Missing Link?

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The chain No matter how good a motion picture is, its success rises and falls on the shoulders of how well it is publicized.  If you don’t believe that, Fandango and countless other theaters would like to have a word with you concerning the release of the final Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer Monday evening. The demand for opening night tickets was so heavy that many websites simply crashed.  Two months before the film drops, thousands of shows have sold out.

When a film is given the go-ahead by a movie studio, a series of events swing into motion regarding getting the word out.  Press releases are written about the film and the actors in the leading roles, while filming sometimes provides an opportunity for media organizations to have on-set visits.  Trailers are released and advertising begins on TV, radio, print, and social media.  The cast members are interviewed.  Screenings are then offered for the media (and sometimes the general public), who generate reviews of the film. There are world and local premieres of the film (complete with red carpets) Websites like Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic compile the media reviews and assign a score to the film. Then, on opening day, moviegoers pay to see the film and formulate their own opinions, generating positive or negative buzz to keep a film playing as long as possible in a theater.

In the case of the recent film Woodlawn, it received fantastic word of mouth from filmgoers, earning an A+ CinemaScore (this is very difficult to do; only a handful of films in 2015 have earned it [one of these being the Academy Award-nominated Selma]). It opened on 1,553 screens and had over one million Likes on their Facebook page.

Total earnings for week one: $4 million.

How can this be? I think there a few reasons why.

Film screeningOne is that, being a Christian-based film, publicity is done a little differently. Following The Passion of the Christ’s lead, most of the interest is generated through grassroots efforts—mainly in the form of screening the film to faith-based organizations and church congregations, and significant influencers. This way, there’s a willing audience that’s ready to pass on the message they’ve seen to their friends and family.  The media eventually gets hold of the film, reviews it, and posts their thoughts.Secondly, in the case of Woodlawn, Rotten Tomatoes was showing no score on the day of its release. Their site requires five reviews to earn a score, and the reviews have to come from significant influencing organizations (we at ScreenFish aren’t there yet, but we’re working on it).  Currently, Woodlawn has a 100% rating, but from only a handful of reviews.  The more buzz, the better—but only if people know about the buzz.

A third, often untalked-about reason often revolves around money. As anyone who has a business can testify, it costs money to get people interested in their offerings.  People have to design graphics, do radio spots, tape commercials/videos for YouTube, and more.  All of these cost money in some way, shape, or form. When a faith-based film is being shot for a miniscule budget, it means people have to come up with creative ways to get the word out that are financially responsible.  The world of social media provides a fantastic place to talk about the film, link to relevant articles, and generate a certain level of interest. Of course, Facebook and Twitter are rapidly becoming ‘pay to play’ sites, so the role of free publicity is becoming less and less an option.

Video shootSo the question then becomes whether or not faith-based films can be publicized well considering their inherent limitations.  I believe the answer is yes—if some things change:

  • Movie studios and PR firms have to stop relying on social media exclusively to generate buzz – people have to see the film and generate that buzz for themselves.
  • Movie studios and directors have to get their film in the hands of the influencers early on—they can’t wait for buzz to build, because that can take too much time and potentially be overshadowed by other films. In addition, there has to be a focus on finding–or creating/building up–reviewers that meet the publishing qualifications of sites like Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes.
  • Movie trailers have to go out to the masses – and become viral as much as possible.
  • Publicity methods must be able to create and sustain interest outside the church walls. Of course, it’s okay to promote inside, but caution should be exercised because promotion methods can possibly be seen as advertising and/or endorsement by the leaders of a congregation.
  • Be even more creative in promotion – try something outside the box and see if it works.  But if it does work, it’s important not to keep going back to that method again and again.  The film industry likes to copy success and what may have worked can soon become trite and cliché.
  • As I mentioned in a previous editorial, the film has to be designed so that it’s good enough to play to both sides of the audience; otherwise, you’re looking at about a $65M cap on box office revenue.
  • The biggest thing is perhaps the most simple: No matter how good the publicity is, a film will rise or fall due to how good it actually is.  As directors make better films, people will want to support what they see.

    It’s time for film publicity for faith-based films to take a major step forward and bring about lasting change that will impact not only the bottom line, but countless lives along the way for the Kingdom of God.  It’s a sacred trust that deserves to be treated that way, with all links in the process working together for something bigger than they can on their own.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Andy Serkis Role Revealed

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StarWars_AndySerkisEver since Andy Serkis was cast for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, many have been wondering who he will play. All that wonder is over as the folks over at StarWars.com have revealed it along with an exclusive Vanity Fair photo (seen above) of Serkis in his motion-capture garb.

Andy Serkis will be playing the role of Supreme Leader Snoke. We still don’t have many details, but at least fans can now fill the interwebs with ideas about who this leader is and what “stuff” he’s actually been through.

What do you think? Are you excited to see what the character will be like and how Serkis brings him to life?