Star Wars: The Force Awakens - 5 Things Hollywood Blockbusters Could Learn
Films that make a lot of money quickly become trend-setters in Hollywood. Studios see success and want to emulate it as quickly as possible. ‘Jurassic Park’ ushered in an era of CGI, ‘The Dark Knight’ kicked off a spate a gritty and dark superhero films and ‘Avatar’ caused a 3D resurgence - to name just three examples.
Not every huge success is emulated in positive ways (‘Avatar’ also made Sam Worthington a star) but some certainly have the potential to. With this and the inevitable box office triumph of ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ in mind, we decided to look at how JJ Abrams’ ‘Episode 7’ could influence Hollywood blockbusters for the better.
[The following contains no specific plot spoilers for ‘The Force Awakens’]
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When making a film, always start with strong characters
‘The Force Awakens’ has a new cast of young characters given such great depth that the film puts all but a very few summer blockbusters to shame. This is especially true of modern cinema, where only the superhero genre, and in particular the work of Marvel Studios, offers anything close.
Rey, Finn and Kylo Ren are great characters worthy of their place alongside Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess, sorry, General Leia. Each is given an arc, each is relatable and each is complicated in a way that’s interesting and can be further explored as this new trilogy continues.
It goes to show that having a cast of strong characters is always the best foundation for a film, one that can even overcome the potential shortcomings of a film’s narrative.
Practical effects always look better
LucasFilm promised practical effects would be very important to ‘The Force Awakens’ after the prequel trilogy’s over-reliance on CGI. Unlike ‘Jurassic World’, which made a similar promise but didn’t deliver, JJ Abrams’ film is bursting at the seams with the wonderful works of practical effects studios.
CGI certainly has its place, as evidenced in the film’s two motion-capture characters, but practical effects seldom age poorly. You may be able to tell that Yoda is a puppet in ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ but he’s more believable than Jar Jar Binks, or the prequel trilogy’s CG version of the Jedi Master.
Embrace the fun
‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ is the epitome of this. Being a bit weird and embracing that fact doesn’t have to be detrimental to a film’s success. ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ isn’t as obviously weird as ‘Guardians’ but it does have a strangeness permeating its galactic setting.
Like that sci-fi Marvel adventure, and recent hit ‘The Martian’, it’s incredibly funny too, hitting the mark with every one of its gags. There’s certainly a lot to be said of the idea that blockbusters with comedic undertones do well, just like at the aforementioned, and ‘Avengers Assemble’.
There’s room for a darker fair like ‘The Dark Knight’ but only where it makes sense. For the most part, films should be proud to embrace the nature of what they are, even if what they are innately silly.
There’s no need to shoehorn in romance
Like ‘A New Hope’, ‘Episode 7’ does not have anything approaching a “standard” romantic sub-plot. There’s a brief hint that one character may have feelings for another, and Han and Leia’s love is acknowledged – as it would have to be – but the film is in no rush to pair off its new characters.
Hollywood likes to think romance is an important part of the recipe for success. It certainly has a place of course – Han and Leia’s was integral to the original trilogy – but it needs to be earned, not rushed and certainly not crowbarred in for the sake of having a love story.
It’s possible to set up sequels without short-changing audiences
Near enough every modern blockbuster is being made with “franchise potential” in mind, or, as is becoming increasingly common, the potential for an expanded, connected universe like that of Marvel.
Naturally ‘The Force Awakens’ leaves room for its sequel to come in and continue the stories of the characters set up here, but the film itself works perfectly as its own satisfying story with – as mentioned - three distinct character arcs. Most films struggle to include one fulfilling character arc, or spread their characterisation too thin, like in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’.
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Picture Credits: LucasFilm.
