monkey_roo
Sith Lord
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2011
- Messages
- 2,014
Ok, so for some reason I have been thinking about the new Star Wars films, more specifically how relevant are they going to be?
Sure, like a lot of people I am excited and looking forward to them but a large part of me wonders if they will merely be fleeting flights of entertainment or will they have a lasting relevance in the world.
For all the supporters and detractors of the 10 cinema outings SW has had over the last 35 years one thing that can be argued is that they have all be relevant in one way or another. Let me explain (stop reading here if you don't like long posts and just skip to the end)
Back in 1977 the western world was in a bit of a downer (large generalisation but go with it). There was a large amount of political flux, especially in the US and UK and the feel good 'vibes' from the previous decade had long slunk back into the short shorts from which they came. Major global conflicts dominated the landscape and there was a sense that 'The Man' had all the power. While a lot of this passed the average ten year old by the reality is you can't escape the impact the geopolitical landscape had on a child back then, because it affected your parents and teachers etc. The 70's may have been a great era for film in general it was dominated by larger, darker styled films that played on fear and social awareness, films like The Godfather, Jaws, Apocalypse Now, Saturday Night Fever, All the Presidents Men etc. Etc. hardly uplifting and certainly not fodder for kids, and then along came Star Wars. Here was a story that packaged the classic values of a good v's evil fairytale and set it in this visually stunning world. It screamed out that there is hope, that one person can make a difference, that there is a greater existence, a message that was received, understood and taken to heart by millions, it is after all part of why we are on this forum. Away from the social element Star Wars presented the greatest technical advances in film making since the end of the silent era or the advent of Kodak colour, or to put it another way, without Star Wars we would have been deprived of some of the best cinematic effects and Movies of the last 35 years, Forrest Gump (seriously look at the effects in this one), T2, Jurassic Park and the entire Pixar studio, anyone fancy a world without Toy Story? In short here was a film that reached out to an audience and gave them hope and at the same time pushed and industry to dizzy new heights. While Empire and Jedi didn't quite have the same impact they built on the foundations laid by Star Wars and reinforced the points ensuring a lasting legacy.
Roll forward a decade and bypass some very forgettable TV cartoons that missed the mark and we have the special editions. Socially the impact of these films was very different, the stories were known and the western world was in the middle of a boom period so the uplifting slant wasn't as pertinent. But over the precious decade Star Wars had become enshrined in pop culture but there were generations of young film fans who had never seen it on the big screen (including me), rumours were flying around that Lucas was planning out the prequels and there was excitement growing about what might be coming our way. Add to that digital remaster technology and the hard THX push and here were a set of films with new footage playing to a new audience pushing new technologies, they had a relevance.
Some people here (if you are still reading) might want to look away but 1999 saw the release of Episode 1 and in many ways it was as relevant to the world as Star Wars was in 1977. As with 77 the western world was entering a bleaker period, the .com bubble was bursting global politics were becoming mired once more and there was a recession on the horizon and no small amount of global conflict (although there is always that if you look) and once again we were invited to watch a film that pushed the classic values of doing the right thing, good v's evil etc. But if the social impact held relevance technologically Episode 1 rewrote the book again, the cutting edge green screen and digital work pushed film making on once more and forced film makers, studios and cinemas to up their game once more. Just liken Empire and Jedi before them Ep2 and Ep3 didn't quite match up but certainly maintained and upheld those advancements and themes and as a collective hold relevance.
The last cinematic outing was the 2007 clone wars film and once again it positioned itself well. The tone and style helped redefine Star Wars' position as a lighter less self conscious entity and paved the way for the hugely popular and critically acclaimed animated TV show (please Disney reconsider the cancellation...). So no matter what you think of the films, or elements of the films it's hard to argue that on some level each outing has added something to either or both the cinema going public or the film industry itself which brings me round to what next.
Can a new Star Wars film do the same, what technological advancements can it bring to the table, what story can it tell that resonate beyond the moment? I have no doubt that the current creative team will be thinking about this as well but in short will 2015 see Star Wars become a summer blockbuster franchise that comes and goes or will it draw on its pedigree and provide us with something more lasting?
Sure, like a lot of people I am excited and looking forward to them but a large part of me wonders if they will merely be fleeting flights of entertainment or will they have a lasting relevance in the world.
For all the supporters and detractors of the 10 cinema outings SW has had over the last 35 years one thing that can be argued is that they have all be relevant in one way or another. Let me explain (stop reading here if you don't like long posts and just skip to the end)
Back in 1977 the western world was in a bit of a downer (large generalisation but go with it). There was a large amount of political flux, especially in the US and UK and the feel good 'vibes' from the previous decade had long slunk back into the short shorts from which they came. Major global conflicts dominated the landscape and there was a sense that 'The Man' had all the power. While a lot of this passed the average ten year old by the reality is you can't escape the impact the geopolitical landscape had on a child back then, because it affected your parents and teachers etc. The 70's may have been a great era for film in general it was dominated by larger, darker styled films that played on fear and social awareness, films like The Godfather, Jaws, Apocalypse Now, Saturday Night Fever, All the Presidents Men etc. Etc. hardly uplifting and certainly not fodder for kids, and then along came Star Wars. Here was a story that packaged the classic values of a good v's evil fairytale and set it in this visually stunning world. It screamed out that there is hope, that one person can make a difference, that there is a greater existence, a message that was received, understood and taken to heart by millions, it is after all part of why we are on this forum. Away from the social element Star Wars presented the greatest technical advances in film making since the end of the silent era or the advent of Kodak colour, or to put it another way, without Star Wars we would have been deprived of some of the best cinematic effects and Movies of the last 35 years, Forrest Gump (seriously look at the effects in this one), T2, Jurassic Park and the entire Pixar studio, anyone fancy a world without Toy Story? In short here was a film that reached out to an audience and gave them hope and at the same time pushed and industry to dizzy new heights. While Empire and Jedi didn't quite have the same impact they built on the foundations laid by Star Wars and reinforced the points ensuring a lasting legacy.
Roll forward a decade and bypass some very forgettable TV cartoons that missed the mark and we have the special editions. Socially the impact of these films was very different, the stories were known and the western world was in the middle of a boom period so the uplifting slant wasn't as pertinent. But over the precious decade Star Wars had become enshrined in pop culture but there were generations of young film fans who had never seen it on the big screen (including me), rumours were flying around that Lucas was planning out the prequels and there was excitement growing about what might be coming our way. Add to that digital remaster technology and the hard THX push and here were a set of films with new footage playing to a new audience pushing new technologies, they had a relevance.
Some people here (if you are still reading) might want to look away but 1999 saw the release of Episode 1 and in many ways it was as relevant to the world as Star Wars was in 1977. As with 77 the western world was entering a bleaker period, the .com bubble was bursting global politics were becoming mired once more and there was a recession on the horizon and no small amount of global conflict (although there is always that if you look) and once again we were invited to watch a film that pushed the classic values of doing the right thing, good v's evil etc. But if the social impact held relevance technologically Episode 1 rewrote the book again, the cutting edge green screen and digital work pushed film making on once more and forced film makers, studios and cinemas to up their game once more. Just liken Empire and Jedi before them Ep2 and Ep3 didn't quite match up but certainly maintained and upheld those advancements and themes and as a collective hold relevance.
The last cinematic outing was the 2007 clone wars film and once again it positioned itself well. The tone and style helped redefine Star Wars' position as a lighter less self conscious entity and paved the way for the hugely popular and critically acclaimed animated TV show (please Disney reconsider the cancellation...). So no matter what you think of the films, or elements of the films it's hard to argue that on some level each outing has added something to either or both the cinema going public or the film industry itself which brings me round to what next.
Can a new Star Wars film do the same, what technological advancements can it bring to the table, what story can it tell that resonate beyond the moment? I have no doubt that the current creative team will be thinking about this as well but in short will 2015 see Star Wars become a summer blockbuster franchise that comes and goes or will it draw on its pedigree and provide us with something more lasting?
