I've been having a look at what we know about Star Wars 9,
due for release in December 2019. I will admit I often catch myself murmuring
'please don't suck please don't suck'. And I have every reason to do so. For a
start, it's directed by JJ Abrams. He directed The Force Awakens which earned a giant raspberry from me. It was a
remake of A New Hope, complete with
orphan in desert, cute personal droid, and giant super weapon.
Maybe Abrams has learned his lesson. An interview states "Abrams said he wants to "go beyond, and do better than we did in 7" – which hopefully means that Episode 9 won't be a clone of Return of the Jedi in the way his Force Awakens duplicated the plot of A New Hope."
Although I thought a little more highly of The Last Jedi
(eventually directed by Ron Howard) I wouldn't say it was wonderful. Once
again, we had storylines reminiscent of The Empire Strikes Back with a few
shots from Return of The Jedi. The vast First Order fleet pursues a rag tag of
rebels to force a final confrontation. I could have done without the rather
silly casino sub-plot – although I suppose it made the point that lots of
people profit from wars. Then we had the throne room scene (reminiscent of ROTJ)
where Snoke presides over Kylo Ren and Rey in a battle. I didn't mind Luke
Skywalker's arc. It made lots of sense to me. But again, shades of Empire with Rey going off to find a Jedi Master who has chosen solitude.
So… at the end of The Last Jedi, what do we have left?
We know nothing at all about Snoke and how he fits into the
story line. How did he become Supreme Leader (aka Emperor)? Or maybe he was the Token Villain? Princess Leia will
appear in her last movie. There is much talk on the rumour mill that Darth
Vader and/or his castle will be seen. Luke is dead but he can be a Force ghost –
as could Darth/Anakin. Oh, and in more resurrections, it seems Billy Dee Williams
will be included as an older, wiser Lando Calrissian. The mad hatter, General
Hux, will rejoin the crew, as will Rey. And I have to wonder what will happen
to young Ben Solo?
Sigh.
It's all starting to sound a lot like Hogwarts, with lots of ghosts floating around in a castle with moving staircases. All we need is for Han
to appear as a ghost. Oh wait. I've seen suggestions that he'll appear in
flashbacks. Added to that, Carrie Fisher, who played Leia Organa, is REALLY dead. Apparently, there is enough left over footage from episodes 7 and 8 to
sustain her vital role in Episode 9. It will be interesting to see how Disney
removes her character. Will she die a heroic death, or retire to a nice planet somewhere,
or move to a retirement home, or become an instructor in matters Jedi?
One thing the rumour mill is pretty much agreed on – Disney will
not air a trailer at the Super Bowl.
Meanwhile, I'll keep murmuring, soto voce, 'please don't
suck please don't suck'.
Tell you what, I'm over the Skywalker family. Disney, write something new and good, like Rogue One. Or (better still) make a movie with Grand
Admiral Thrawn. Or come up with something new and different, a bit like the original Star Wars from 1977.
Lordy, what a radical thought.
Lordy, what a radical thought.
Great thoughts, Greta! I'm in the "please don't suck" internal chant mode, too. This has to be the movie that will put a crown of glory on a 40 year old icon (though I'm sure Disney is planning and plotting offshoots and spin offs).
ReplyDeleteOne thing I've seen mentioned in a few different places by some of the actors is that they liked what was done with Princess Leia's character. I hope that wasn't just lip service. If we must say goodbye, I'd really need to see a dignified conclusion to the Leia Legacy, as I think they managed with Luke, his last hurrah and his serene passing (though he may be back in some form).
I'm also in agreement that I hope Hollywood keeps its "moral statements" out of the next one. Star Wars is, after all, supposed to be a galaxy far, far away and somewhere viewers go to escape the here and now. I really didn't care for the nasty stab at horseracing or the convoluted sidetrip just to include it in the plot. (Beside the irony of a movie pushing an "ugliness lurks beneath the glamorous facade" message. Hey, ya'll, next time just look in the mirror, ok?)
Mostly I just hope this conclusion isn't a horrible let-down after my four decade love affair with the franchise. They just can't do that to us diehard fans. (Please!)
But like you, I agree there are a lot more stories to be told if the studios would just open their eyes to the possibilities. SF and SFR has some fabulous series out there that would wear a screen version VERY well! (Where's my Dragonriders, for one!)
Oh yeah - dragonriders. I loved all the Pern books.
DeleteI think there's plenty of room from the Star Wars legacy for great new stories - and I hope Disney makes them. Rogue One was a terrific movie. Solo not so much, but that was because it wasn't Harrison Ford. They need to pick up some of the lesser known tales. Heck, there's plenty of them in the Star Wars novels. Go there for inspiration.