Star Wars is an American epic space opera franchise, centered on afilm
series created by George
Lucas.
It depicts the adventures of various characters "a long time ago in a galaxy
far, far away".
The film series began on May 25, 1977 with
the release of the filmStar
Wars (subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope in 1981) by 20th
Century Fox,
which became a worldwide pop
culture phenomenon.
It was followed by the similarly successful sequels The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983); these three
films constitute the original Star
Wars trilogy. A prequel
trilogy was later released between 1999 and 2005, which received a more mixed
reaction from critics and fans in comparison to the original trilogy. All six
films were nominated for or won Academy Awards, and were commercial
successes, with a combined box office revenue of $4.38 billion,[5] making Star Wars the fourth
highest-grossing film series.[6]The series has
spawned an extensive media
franchise—the Star Wars expanded
universe—including books, television series,computer and video games, and comic
books, resulting in significant development of the series's fictional universe. Star Wars also holds aGuinness World Records title for the
"Most successful film merchandising franchise." In 2012, the total
value of the Star Warsfranchise
was estimated at USD $30.7 billion, including box-office receipts as well as
profits from their video games and DVD sales.[7]
In 2012, The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm for
$4.06 billion and announced three new Star
Wars films; the first film of that trilogy, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, was released on
December 18, 2015.[8] 20th Century Fox
retains the physical distribution rights to the first two Star Wars trilogies, owning permanent rights for
the original 1977 film and holding the rights to Episodes I–III, V and VIuntil
May 2020.[9][10] Walt Disney Studios owns digital distributionrights to all the Star Wars films, excluding A New Hope
Setting
"Star Wars
galaxy" redirects here. For the video game, see Star Wars Galaxies. For the comic series named Star Wars Galaxy, see Star Wars (UK comics).
The events depicted in the Star Wars franchise take place in a fictional galaxy. Many species of alien
creatures (oftenhumanoid) are depicted.
Robotic droids are
also commonplace and are generally built to serve their owners. Space travel is common, and many planets in the
galaxy are members of a single galactic government. In the prequel trilogy,
this is depicted in the form of the Galactic Republic; at the end of the
prequel trilogy and throughout the original trilogy, this government is the Galactic
Empire. Preceding and during the sequel trilogy, this government is
the New Republic.
One of the prominent elements of Star Wars is "the Force", an omnipresent energy that can be harnessed by
those with that ability, known as Force-sensitives. It is described in the
first produced film as "an energy field created by all living things
[that] surrounds us, penetrates us, [and] binds the galaxy together."[12] The Force allows
users to perform varioussupernatural feats (such as telekinesis, clairvoyance, precognition, and mind control) and can amplify certain
physical traits, such as speed and reflexes; these abilities vary between
characters and can be improved through training. While the Force can be used
for good, known as the light side, it also has a dark side that, when pursued, imbues users with
hatred, aggression, and malevolence.
The six films feature the Jedi,
who adhere to the light side of the Force to serve as peacekeepers and
guardians, and theSith, who use the dark side of the Force for evil in an
attempt to destroy the Jedi Order and the Republic and rule the galaxy for
themselves.
Theatrical
films
The first film in the series, Star
Wars,
was released on May 25, 1977. This was followed by two sequels: The Empire Strikes Back, released on May 21,
1980, and Return of the Jedi, released on May 25, 1983. The opening crawl of the sequels disclosed that they
were numbered as "Episode V" and "Episode VI" respectively,
though the films were generally advertised solely under their subtitles. Though
the first film in the series was simply titled Star Wars, with its 1981
re-release it had the subtitle Episode
IV: A New Hope added to
remain consistent with its sequel, and to establish it as the middle chapter of
a continuing saga.[13]
In 1997, to correspond with the 20th
anniversary of the original film, Lucas released a "Special Edition"
of the Star Warstrilogy to
theaters. The re-release featured alterations to the three films, primarily
motivated by the improvement of CGI and other special
effects technologies, which allowed visuals that were not possible to achieve
at the time of the original filmmaking. Lucas continued to make
changes to the films
for subsequent releases, such as the first ever DVD release of the original
trilogy on September 21, 2004, and the first ever Blu-ray release
of all six films on September 16, 2011.[14]Reception of the Special Edition was mixed,[15][16][17][18] prompting petitions
and fan edits to produce restored copies of the original trilogy.[19][20]
More than two decades after the release of
the original film, the series continued with a prequel trilogy; consisting ofEpisode I: The
Phantom Menace,
released on May 19, 1999; Episode II: Attack of
the Clones,
released on May 16, 2002; and Episode III: Revenge
of the Sith,
released on May 19, 2005.[21] On August 15, 2008, Star Wars: The Clone Wars was released
theatrically as a lead-in to the animated
TV series of the same name. Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released on
December 18, 2015.
On January 26, 2016, Variety reported that Disney executives were
meeting with cable outlets Turner, FX
Networks,Viacom, NBCUniversal, A&E
Networks and AMC
Networks to have a discussion
on purchasing the free-TV rights to the first six Star Wars movies
The Force has
awakened the Star Wars franchise from a long coma. The hype for “The Force
Awakens” has reached a manic level. J.J.
Abrams has the insurmountable task to satisfy a fanbase
that’s starving for him to re-create the Star Wars nostalgia of the past that
will make them forget about the last three films. Abrams succeeds on delivering
the best Star Wars since the early 1980’s, and one of the best ever. The
classic opening and John Williams musical score remain. The opening intro with
the title and the sliding description with the story set-up are done the same
way as they were in 1980.
“The Force
Awakens” introduces its three new prominent characters to the Star Wars
universe.Daisy Ridley is introduced as Rey, a scavenger that unintentionally gets involved
with the Resistance. The strongest female character since Princess Leia. John Boyega is another newbie coming into the franchise as a mainstay, he plays
Finn, a Stormtrooper that’s on the run from The Force. Oscar Isaac is everywhere these days, so it’s only natural that he’s included in
the new Star Wars. Isaac is Poe Dameron, an expert pilot that wears an orange
jumpsuit, sure sounds like someone familiar.
A lot happens in act one. That’s where all three of
these characters are introduced and come together, and they are all linked to
the charming little droid BB-8. He serves as an important linchpin to these new
characters, as well as the overall storyline of the film. He serves as
Rey’s R-2 D-2. The introduction of the characters is well established,
although due to time constraints are somewhat rushed. You don’t get the entire
reasoning why these characters are doing what they do, and what’s their motive.
Rey is homeless, without family, and living day to day being a scavenger in the
empty wastelands of Jakku. Unbeknownst to her she’s pretty much a Jakkuvian
Macgyver.
Adam Driver is established early on as the evil and imposing Kylo Ren, or Darth
Vader 2.0. Driver, known for his quirky characters in romantic and smart
dramatic indie films is actually the perfect for this role, it’s because
we haven’t seen him take on anything remotely similar to the role of Ren.
Finn’s character is introduced in the early portion as a Stormtrooper gone
rogue that actually has conscience, but is that the real reason why he turns?
That’s not completely explained. Finn does provide constant comedic relief, and
goes toe-to-toe with Han Solo when it comes to witty and funny dialogue.
Ridley and
Boyega are a great tandem
These new younger actors don’t just represent an
infusion of new blood in the franchise, there is a societal commentary by
bringing them aboard. They represent a modern age of cinema diversity. Ridley’s
character is a fierce woman who is tough, smart, and can fight off any man or
enemy. She’s a female heroine in a prominent and important role in terms of the
story and significance. This sends a message of the importance of female
characters in cinema, and in the action adventure world. On a personal note,
Ridley has this Keira Knightley thing going for her. Not only does she resemble
Knightley, her facial expressions and jaw movement are identical to Knightley.
Plus they are both British brunettes, so that doesn’t hurt either.
Boyega is a talented English actor who happens to be
black. Including him as one of the central figures in the film really adds some
much needed diversity to the franchise. He’s very charming on-screen, and
surely to be a fan favorite going forward. Isaac is one of the better
young talents in Hollywood, securing such a rising star is a huge coup.
One of these
Stormtroopers is a good guy
This is the first Star Wars film that’s backed by
Disney. The concern was that Disney would be too PG and tone down on the
action, but the film doesn’t miss a beat, it’s as if Disney had no involvement
in it. The action is well put together, not too over-the-top, and also not limited.
There are plenty of exciting chases and battles. Even the Millennium Falcon
gets dusted off and taken for a spin. No worries, the lightsabers get a workout
in the film also.
What ultimately this movie accomplishes is it bridges
the gap between the Star Wars movies from the 80’s to this one, while bypassing
the garbage that was the last three films. It’s a collection of Star Wars
all-stars from the past coming together and passing the torch to the stars of
the present and future. For sports fans this feels as if you combined the 90’s
Jordan Chicago Bulls with the Lakers of the 2000’s, or even Steph Curry’s
current Golden State Warriors team. Han Solo and Finn in the same scene. Leia
and Rey. That’s pretty cool stuff. The abundance of talent in the film is at
times overwhelmingly pleasant. There are plenty of laughs throughout the movie,
along with plenty references to the past films. You don’t have to be a die
hard, or even watched all of the previous films to enjoy “The Force Awakens”.
It’s important that casual and young fans can grown with this franchise going
forward.
Solo and
Chewbacca are finally back
Personally I’m not a Star Wars die-hard–never been. I
have seen all the films, and as a casual fan I appreciate them for what they.
“The Force Awakens” is an exciting film. The story arc is supremely crafted.
The introduction of the new blood, re-introduction of the nostalgic
characters of the past, set-up a couple twists along the way, and lead up to a
payoff that sets up a new story going forward. To accomplish all that in one
movie is a credit to Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan, and Michael Arndt. It’s hard to
ignore all the hype, but the movie stands on its own as being a quality movie,
Star Wars or not.
“The Force Awakens” might be one of the most ambitious
fan pleasing attempts made in any movie franchise. Credit Abrams fro officially
resurrecting two prominent and beloved franchises in Star Trek and Star Wars.
Keeping up with the sports terms, he’s the Phil Jackson, or better yet it’s
time to start comparing him to Mr. Star Wars George Lucas himself. The
nostalgia is alive and well. May the force awaken you from a long overdue Star
Wars nap.
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