Gary's review of Star Wars
Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2015 10:23 am
I'd have to agree with him:
STAR BORES - The Farce Awakens
Star Wars at its best relied heavily on the silent power of The Force . The force carried an almost meditational alignment akin to the spiritual resonance and discipline of a martial arts or zen practitioner . Many great movies have tapped similar , greater mystical , unspoken ancient spiritual 'forces' to add power to the plot and Star Wars at its best was no exception.
The force is now , however , bandied around without anything of such depth or significance & it's a massive oversight . Sure ,light sabers crackle frequently into action and the force is referred to frequently as if just mentioning the words is enough but without seeing the discipline needed and any struggle of aligning with it ( as Luke Skywalker did initially with the masterly OBE WAN ?) this deeper mystical connection is non existent & STAR WARS becomes just another( albeit impressive ) giant fly through , virtual fight and flight scene . It's like an arcade game without the interaction ,depth or significance . Maybe it's the logical next step for cinema ? A world increasingly versed and participating in gaming & interactiveness can recognize it , feel comfortable , substitute the interaction with over indulgence of sugary snacks and sit, chill out as you're propelled through all the aesthetics of a game joined with just enough of a plot and dialogue to augment without ruining the immersiveness of the game . It's a video game for non - gamers or a chill out for gamers !
If you need human relations , interaction or development of character however , y'know the language of truly great movies to give you a reason to want to undertake the thrill of the 'fly through' then I suggest you'll struggle with this film since these aspects are scant to say the least . All in all , it's all there in form and aesthetic but the force lacks deeper meaning for me to make the fly through a truly rewarding trip .
Once you're high on sugary snacks and pop it could well be the sensory thrill you're seeking but it's telling that I returned home craving to watch a Norman Wisdom film I hadn't seen ( or thought about ) for about twenty years which we duly found and watched . My 8 year old daughter brightened up considerably ( rather than literally picking her 3d glasses apart so she was reduced to watching through one eye in 3D and the other normal.
)) ) and when asked which she preferred shouted 'Norman Wisdom ' loudly . Incidentally , to give some context to her credo as critic ,she'd neither experienced Star Wars or Norman Wisdom before but is quite able to immerse herself in ( and love ) over 2 hours of recent spacey epic Interstellar.
Herein lies another problem Star Wars makes huge assumptions you're a fan already , it meant nothing to her and made little sense nor did it 'awaken ' any desire to find out . It's gonna take advantage of your nostalgia that's for sure cos give it a few months and you'll see it for what it is . A video game where the architecture has been expertly put in place ready for a film to inhabit when they inject narrative ..Everything is there ready ( they have made sure of that - STAR WARS greatest bits and hits ?) but rather than make a complete movie with satisfying narrative its merely set up the architecture ready for the next stage in their corporate masterplan . The Force might very well have 'awakened ' but it hasn't emotionally stirred that's for sure . This film has been made with an eye very firmly on how the franchise rolls out over the next ten years which has got little to do with the art of filmmaking and further emphasizes the commerce of film brands and sequels rolling out simultaneously across thousands of shopping malls around the world these days . Fuck the inevitability of a sequel I say , make a complete experience that warrants it ! This is like the first strategic single of a pop star's first new album in 10 years , it delivers only enough to awaken the desire of the fanbase to want more . To make new fans however will require watching the first film again . Y'see it's all been strategically planned by the new committee . The days of maverick filmmakers is dead . Long live the franchise .
STAR BORES - The Farce Awakens
Star Wars at its best relied heavily on the silent power of The Force . The force carried an almost meditational alignment akin to the spiritual resonance and discipline of a martial arts or zen practitioner . Many great movies have tapped similar , greater mystical , unspoken ancient spiritual 'forces' to add power to the plot and Star Wars at its best was no exception.
The force is now , however , bandied around without anything of such depth or significance & it's a massive oversight . Sure ,light sabers crackle frequently into action and the force is referred to frequently as if just mentioning the words is enough but without seeing the discipline needed and any struggle of aligning with it ( as Luke Skywalker did initially with the masterly OBE WAN ?) this deeper mystical connection is non existent & STAR WARS becomes just another( albeit impressive ) giant fly through , virtual fight and flight scene . It's like an arcade game without the interaction ,depth or significance . Maybe it's the logical next step for cinema ? A world increasingly versed and participating in gaming & interactiveness can recognize it , feel comfortable , substitute the interaction with over indulgence of sugary snacks and sit, chill out as you're propelled through all the aesthetics of a game joined with just enough of a plot and dialogue to augment without ruining the immersiveness of the game . It's a video game for non - gamers or a chill out for gamers !
If you need human relations , interaction or development of character however , y'know the language of truly great movies to give you a reason to want to undertake the thrill of the 'fly through' then I suggest you'll struggle with this film since these aspects are scant to say the least . All in all , it's all there in form and aesthetic but the force lacks deeper meaning for me to make the fly through a truly rewarding trip .
Once you're high on sugary snacks and pop it could well be the sensory thrill you're seeking but it's telling that I returned home craving to watch a Norman Wisdom film I hadn't seen ( or thought about ) for about twenty years which we duly found and watched . My 8 year old daughter brightened up considerably ( rather than literally picking her 3d glasses apart so she was reduced to watching through one eye in 3D and the other normal.
)) ) and when asked which she preferred shouted 'Norman Wisdom ' loudly . Incidentally , to give some context to her credo as critic ,she'd neither experienced Star Wars or Norman Wisdom before but is quite able to immerse herself in ( and love ) over 2 hours of recent spacey epic Interstellar. Herein lies another problem Star Wars makes huge assumptions you're a fan already , it meant nothing to her and made little sense nor did it 'awaken ' any desire to find out . It's gonna take advantage of your nostalgia that's for sure cos give it a few months and you'll see it for what it is . A video game where the architecture has been expertly put in place ready for a film to inhabit when they inject narrative ..Everything is there ready ( they have made sure of that - STAR WARS greatest bits and hits ?) but rather than make a complete movie with satisfying narrative its merely set up the architecture ready for the next stage in their corporate masterplan . The Force might very well have 'awakened ' but it hasn't emotionally stirred that's for sure . This film has been made with an eye very firmly on how the franchise rolls out over the next ten years which has got little to do with the art of filmmaking and further emphasizes the commerce of film brands and sequels rolling out simultaneously across thousands of shopping malls around the world these days . Fuck the inevitability of a sequel I say , make a complete experience that warrants it ! This is like the first strategic single of a pop star's first new album in 10 years , it delivers only enough to awaken the desire of the fanbase to want more . To make new fans however will require watching the first film again . Y'see it's all been strategically planned by the new committee . The days of maverick filmmakers is dead . Long live the franchise .
