Thoughts, hopefully deepening ones, arrive at my brain in
layers.
Layer One:
My initial reaction to “Star
Wars The Force Awakens”:
Skillful. Savvy. Successful.
And safe.
New characters, yes.
But intermixed with the old and beloved, combined with recognizable
touchstones from the franchise’s fondly remembered iconography. Most importantly, not a sui generis storyline, but a narrative which at its core is grounded
in the rediscovery of the series’ original centerpiece, Luke Skywalker.
Layer Two:
No, wait. First, a
hopefully brief disclaimer. I say
“hopefully” because I have not written it yet.
And having now made it longer by explaining my hope that I can make it
shorter. Sorry. Move on, Earlo. And limit your verbiage.
I enjoyed the original Star
Wars enormously, from its soaring John Williams theme music and its
diagonally scrolling introductory blah-blah.
I then saw the sequel, The Empire
Strikes Back, in which, during its climactic light saber duel, Darth Vader
lops off Luke Skywalker’s hand, which was unpleasant but imaginable.
In the following scene, Luke is almost casually reunited
with his hand, which, in my world,
insults the generally accepted rules of credibility. At that point I said, “Check please” and I abandoned
the Star Wars opus for what I
believed would be forever. If they can so
easily reattach a hand, went my thinking, they can do anything. And if they can do
anything, the bond of trust between me and the filmmakers has been irreparably
severed. Unlike the hand they so easily
stuck back on.
“Rocky” bellowed he did not want a rematch, and I did not
return for the five subsequent rematches.
I can’t help it. That is simply
the way I am.
Abandoning my integrity, I attended Star Wars: The Force Awakens,
which I saw in Hawaii, because… Google what
was playing in Hawaiian theaters in late December and you will understand my
dilemma.
Now…
Layer Two (of my reaction to Star Wars: The Force Awakens):
What flashed to mind was the image of a fullback taking the hand-off, wrapping both arms tightly around the ball to avoid a costly fumble, powering
his way into the end zone for the score.
The “football” in this context is the mega-bucks Star Wars investment and its hallowed
legacy. The fullback’s careful handling
of the ball is the producers’ risk-averse strategy making the movie. The analogous “score”: The billion dollars in worldwide box office
grosses, and still counting.
Layer Three:
(Which came to me last night, before tackling this post.)
The approach the producers applied to Star Wars: The Force Awakens
– the dutiful respect for tradition, the aversion to “re-inventing the wheel”,
the story’s “baby steps” evolution assiduously combining the old with the new,
the proprietary concern, the artisanal professionalism and the deliberate
thoughtfulness in the film’s execution…
That is the essence of traditional conservatism.
(In contrast to the current “We hate everybody that isn’t us”
conservatism.)
The end result suggests they did pretty well with that brand
of conservatism.
Is it possible that philosophy is ready for a comeback?
3 comments:
Quibble: "In the following scene, Luke is almost casually reunited with his hand,"
Nope. It's clearly established as an artificial mechanical hand, see http://i.stack.imgur.com/4HRTg.jpg
If one can suspend disbelief that they can travel faster than light, you should be able so similarly accept a cybernetic arm.
I liked Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The story line may have had a list of plot points similar to the original Star Wars: A New Hope just as every adventure can be compared with The Odyssey and every modern fantasy story can be compared with The Lord of the Rings (which itself can be said to derive from the Bible). In the latest Star Wars, the characters were better, the dialog was better and the special effects were miles better and used in better ways. The music was just as good and the incidental music was even better.
I compare this with another J. J. Abrams directed series, Star Trek, that used the device of someone going back in time to make huge changes in the timeline to change the story around. I liked that movie, too, and I like how dynamic the new series has become after the older movies got bogged down. The Star Trek series needed a major overhaul while the Star Wars series just needed some new additions.
At least in this non-professional viewer's opinion.
I do not quite follow this film
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