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Star Wars The Force Awakens, A Fan Commentary and Review

The Force Awakens is a masterpiece of technical filmmaking and that’s about all it has going for it under this new Disney management.

To witness Star Wars: The Force Awakens in the same fervour as this franchise got exciting in the later parts of the original trilogy, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, is exhilarating. The subtitle says more about the potential of where this latest instalment is going sounds like a return to form — in keeping the mystique that surrounds The Force — and from there I was sold! I wondered what can transpire in a property that is now managed by Disney. Are they doing it because the property is a cash cow or because Lucas is out of ideas? In what the new writing team developed brings a new hope to a franchise that’s now 38 years old.

As the narrative in the trailers have indicated, there’s something in those “eyes” of the old and new heroes who find themselves in this war. In traditional story-telling fashion, they are often regarded as a window to an individual’s soul. Quite often, writers use that angle to show how people can recognize family lines of individuals they have not met. Take, for example, the Harry Potter films where the hero is often told, “You have your mother’s eyes.”

Just who is Finn (John Boyega), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), Rey (Daisy Ridley), Kylo Ren (Adam Driver)? They make up the cast in this latest film which is emphasizing the fact that a few of them may be related to one another, or to an individual from the past.
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[Non-spoiler] Wishes for Where The Force Awakens Should Go

In terms of what the latest trailers, TV spots and international ads for Star Wars: The Force Awakens have offered, this movie will be exciting.

Based on the trailers and in what’s considered the new canon of the Star Wars legacy, what I hope to see in The Force Awakens (TFA) is a return to the Joseph Campbell ideologies. I feel they were at the core of made the original trilogy great. The mystique of the title suggests that there’s sentience to this energy that binds the universe. Has the balance between all that is good and evil been restored since Return of the Jedi (RotJ)? Thirty years is a long time for some, but for others, that is a mere blink to the lifespan of any galaxy. Part of the story from other chapters of the saga suggests how The Force can be alive, and will that manifest as a character? Probably not right away, but that’s my hope!

I think Luke Skywalker has added demons to confront. He’s worked past some of the problems of becoming a fully realized Jedi but there will be other destinies to face. Is he ready to head a new Jedi Order, as some story theorists have suggested? After the climatic battle in RotJ, The Empire is defeated and what survives of their forces are scattered all over the galaxy. As the trailer indicates, one faction has fought their way up the ranks to be the new galactic threat. But a lot of people, myself included, will want to know what Luke is up to. The only telling moment is when he passes on his lightsaber to another character, presumably Leia (maybe Rey), to deal with establishing a new army of Force sensitive individuals. The Jedi were the peacekeepers of the galaxy once, and Luke cannot handle it alone.

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What Independence Day: Resurgence Means, An Analysis

Visiting the Warof1996.com website is required to fill in the blanks of what the Independence Day: Resurgence trailer is revealing.

Yes, the first Independence Day (ID4) is essentially a cheesy popcorn film extolling the virtues of what defines the American holiday. When looking at it in a broader perspective, it’s a story about bringing hope for the planet Earth. When aliens are out to pillage it for the resources and to exterminate the human race, humanity must gather to fight it. Enter Will Smith. He made this first movie a fun watch.

In Independence Day: Resurgence (ID42), he’s nowhere to be found. The story takes place 20 years later, and the explanation comes by way of a slickly made website, Warof1996.com, giving all the back story that’s needed before audiences flock to theatres to see what’s to happen next. I wonder when this trailer hits theatres, if this site will be well advertised?

A big deal fans of ID4 will ask is where is Smith’s character? The website reports:

While test piloting the ESD’s first alien hybrid fighter, an unknown malfunction causes the untimely death of Col. Hiller. Hiller’s valor in the War of ‘96 made him a beloved global icon whose selfless assault against the alien mothership lead directly to the enemy’s defeat. He is survived by his wife Jasmine and son Dylan.

Thankfully, stars Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, and Brent Spiner are back. Dylan will appear as a young man (now played by Jessie Usher) but his role is still to be determined. The trailer suggests he’s military at least.

Producer / director Roland Emmerich says this movie is a “reboot” of the franchise. If this new film does well, my hope is for spin-off products to emerge to fill out the back story in new ways. I’d love to see IDW Publishing print comic books, a video game company like Electronic Arts to create new flight simulators to recreate some of the epic air battles (or for Star Wars: Battlefront fans, combat scenarios) and maybe Palladium Books produce RPG material so fans can partake in reclaiming the Earth or taking on the next invasion!

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Is Star Trek “Beyond” Hope? Action versus Vision

Sadly that means the final product may have very little regard for what made Roddenberry’s Star Trek series great.

The problem with the trailer for Star Trek Beyond is that it does not feel like classic Trek anymore. When the title implies it’s moving away from the ideologies created by Gene Roddenberry, who created this series, not everyone will take to the changes. Some themes from the television sagas must be kept.

Ever since the first movie rebooted the saga, the story has been more about re-imagining the series. J.J. Abrams, however visionary he is, has some good ideas. I appreciate him telling fans in the film that this series is set in a mirror universe. I’m okay with the first film, but the second one was atrocious. I was not okay with a new Kahn. Ricardo Montalbán owned the character. Nobody, not even Benedict Cumberbatch, could ever replace him. From “Space Seed” to Star Trek II: Wrath of Kahn, he made that character.

In this third film, Idris Elba has some tough shoes to fill. Who will be playing? A Gorn perhaps? Most likely not but I get the feeling this movie will be a tribute to all the episodes where Kirk was forced into an a blood sport and fight it out to save his crew. In the trailer released today, Justin Lin shows just how fast and furious he’s going to get with a franchise that’s lost its direction.

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Help CrowdFund The Golden Apple in its Last Hours

goldenapple The Golden Apple is an animated series seeking crowdfunding to achieve its goals of becoming real, and while it’s on the path of success to having a short film made, the ultimate hope is to make an animated series. Why this series is special is its mythic connection to the legends and lore around the Balkan region. While fantasy enthusiasts know all about dragons, elves and vikings, this tale goes deeper.

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More Updates to DreamWorks Dragons: Race to the Edge and Puss in Boots fans!

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Good news! As predicted, the Dragons are coming next year and early! After the festive fun is over with, How to Train Your Dragon enthusiasts can thrill to the next adventures of Hiccup, Toothless and gang! DreamWorks Animation made the announcement today in an email newsletter and on twitter with a contest today. To sate appetites, The continuing Adventures of Puss in Boots is leading the charge! The Dawn of the Croods will be coming on the eve before Christmas even!

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