In an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s seminal novel The Price of Salt, CAROL follows two women from very different backgrounds who find themselves in an unexpected love affair in 1950s New York.
As conventional norms of the time challenge their undeniable attraction, an honest story emerges to reveal the resilience of the heart in the face of change.
A young woman in her 20s, Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara), is a clerk working in a Manhattan department store and dreaming of a more fulfilling life when she meets Carol (Cate Blanchett), an alluring woman trapped in a loveless, convenient marriage. As an immediate connection sparks between them, the innocence of their first encounter dims and their connection deepens. While Carol breaks free from the confines of marriage, her husband (Kyle Chandler) begins to question her competence as a mother as her involvement with Therese and close relationship with her best friend Abby (Sarah Paulson) come to light.
CAROL is directed by Todd Haynes and written by Phyllis Nagy with moving performances from Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Kyle Chandler, Jake Lacy and Cory Michael Smith.
One the best movies of 2015, CAROL opens in St. Louis on December 25th.
WAMG invites you to enter for a chance to win a pass (Good for 2) to the advance screening of CAROL on Tuesday, December 22 at 7PM in the St. Louis area.
We will contact the winners by email.
Answer the following:
The film stars Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett. Who won the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 87th Oscars?
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2. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house. The theater is not responsible for overbooking.
An intimate and revealing portrait of one of the chief architects of the digital age, Steve Jobs is coming to Digital HD on February 2, 2016, and Blu-rayCombo Pack, DVD and On Demand on February 16, 2016, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. From Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, Moneyball) and Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours), Steve Jobs is an up-close-and-personal look at the founder of Apple, a remarkable creative genius whose vow to put computers in the hands of ordinary people changed the world.
A “must-see, one-of-a-kind that cannot be ignored” according to Indiewire’sAnne Thompson, Steve Jobs on Blu-rayCombo Pack and DVD also comes with a revealing “making-of” documentary and feature commentary by the filmmakers.
Witness the founder of Apple like never before. Steve Jobs paints an intimate portrait of the brilliant man at the epicenter of the digital revolution, backstage in the final minutes before three iconic product launches. Directed by Academy Award winner Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire), written by Academy Award winner Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) and starring Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen and Jeff Daniels. Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds, 12 Years a Slave) stars as the enigmatic Jobs, headlining an accomplished cast that includes Academy Award-winner Kate Winslet (The Reader, Titanic), Seth Rogen (Neighbors,This is the End) and Jeff Daniels (“The Newsroom,” The Martian) in an unexpected and enthralling film that led Peter Travers of Rolling Stone to declare, “Steve Jobs is a triumph.”
BLU-RAYand DVD BONUS FEATURES:
Inside Jobs: The Making of Steve Jobs
Feature Commentary with Director Danny Boyle
Feature Commentary with Writer Aaron Sorkin and Editor Elliot Graham
The film will be available on Blu-ray™ with DIGITAL HD UltraViolet™ and DVD
Blu-ray™ unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.
DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away.
DIGITAL HD UltraViolet™ lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.
FILMMAKERS: Cast:Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels, Michael Stuhlbarg, Katherine Waterston Directed By:Danny Boyle Written By:Aaron Sorkin Based on the Book By:Walter Isaacson Produced By:Danny Boyle, Guymon Casady, Christian Colson, Mark Gordon, Scott Rudin Executive Produced By:Bernard Bellew, Eli Bush, Bryan Zuriff Director of Photography: Alwin H. Küchler Production Designer:Guy Hendryx Dyas Edited By:Elliot Graham Composer: Daniel Pemberton Costume Designer: Suttirat Anne Larlarb
TECHNICAL INFORMATION BLU-RAY™: Street Date:February 16, 2016 Copyright: 2016 Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Selection Number: 2045020 Layers: BD-50 Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 Rating: R for language Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles Sound: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1/Dolby Digital 2.0, Spanish and French DTS Surround 5.1 Run Time: 2 hours, 3 minutes
TECHNICAL INFORMATION DVD: Street Date:February 16, 2016 Copyright: 2016 Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Selection Number: 2045019 Layers: Dual Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 Rating: R for language Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles Sound: English, Spanish and French Dolby Digital 5.1/English Dolby Digital 2.0 Run Time: 2 hours, 3 minutes
STX Entertainment has acquired motion picture rights to David Jaher’s “The Witch of Lime Street: Seance, Seduction and Houdini in the Spirit World,” it was announced today by Oren Aviv, President and Chief Content Officer for the STX Entertainment Motion Picture Group.
The true story inspired by real events chronicles the thrilling rivalry that simmered and grew more intense and mysterious as Harry Houdini and a panel of investigative experts embarked on a quest to debunk the world’s most gifted and accurate psychic and spirit medium of the era, Margery Crandon, known as The Witch of Lime Street.
Andres Muschietti (Mama) will develop, direct and produce the mystery thriller from a screenplay written by Jaher. The film will also be produced by Barbara Muschietti.
Based on David Jaher’s book of the same name, The Witch of Lime Street will be a gripping supernatural film set in post war 1920s about Harry Houdini, the legendary magician and occult expert, and his escalating rivalry with Margery Crandon, a woman who was considered to be the only real medium in New York City. An era better known for its jazz and glamour than for its dark obsession with the occult, the loss of lives in World War 1 gave rise to an intense desire to communicate with the dead and spawned a rash of self-proclaimed psychics. Houdini made it his personal mission to debunk fake spiritualists as frauds and charlatans by revealing their tricks. But Houdini meets his match in an alluring high society flapper known to her many astonished followers as Margery, The Witch of Lime Street, pitting the brash illusionist against dark and dangerous forces of the underworld, with Margery his ultimate target.
“Quite a few producers and studios were pursuing rights to this book for very good reason,” said Oren Aviv. “This is a spellbinding and exciting true story that weaves a fantastic mystery and lots of intrigue with history involving some of the most renowned and iconic figures of the era. The timeless question: ‘is there life after death?’ is explored through a scientific quest to investigate and validate supernatural phenomena. Ultimately the film leads to an epic showdown and otherworldly confrontation as the world renowned occult master Harry Houdini takes on the world’s greatest psychic Margery Crandon.”
STX Entertainment’s Vice President of Production Sheroum Kim will oversee development of the project on behalf of the studio.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that seven films remain in competition in the Makeup and Hairstyling category for the 88th Academy Awards.
The films are listed below in alphabetical order:
“Black Mass” “Concussion” “Legend” “Mad Max: Fury Road” “Mr. Holmes” “The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared” “The Revenant”
On Saturday, January 9, 2016, all members of the Academy’s Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the seven shortlisted films. Following the screenings, members will vote to nominate three films for final Oscar consideration.
The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
The 88th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
Returning cast members include Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Queen Latifah, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Simon Pegg, Keke Palmer, Wanda Sykes, and Jennifer Lopez and new cast members feature Stephanie Beatriz, Adam DeVine, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Max Greenfield, Jessie J, Nick Offerman, Melissa Rauch, Michael Strahan and Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Scrat’s epic pursuit of the elusive acorn catapults him into the universe where he accidentally sets off a series of cosmic events that transform and threaten the Ice Age World. To save themselves, Sid, Manny, Diego, and the rest of the herd must leave their home and embark on a quest full of comedy and adventure, traveling to exotic new lands and encountering a host of colorful new characters.
Dexter Fletcher & Matthew Vaughn bring you the feel good film of 2016 with the upcoming film, EDDIE THE EAGLE.
Taron Egerton and Hugh Jackman star in the first trailer for the movie.
EDDIE THE EAGLE follows the realisation of the childhood dream of Michael Edwards (a.k.a Eddie), and his unflinching determination to become Great Britain’s first Olympic ski-jumper. Reluctantly aided by former ski-jumper Bronson Peary as his coach, Eddie is unwavering in his quest to reach the 1988 Calgary Winter Games. EDDIE THE EAGLE is an uplifting, inspirational story that celebrates human spirit, passion, and one man’s refusal to accept defeat.
Taron Egerton (Kingsman: The Secret Service) stars as Eddie and Hugh Jackman (Wolverine) as coach Bronson Peary. The film is directed by Dexter Fletcher (Sunshine on Leith) and produced by Matthew Vaughn (Kingsman: The Secret Service) alongside Adam Bohling, David Reid, Valerie Van Galder and Rupert Maconick.
EDDIE THE EAGLE is joined by a supporting cast that includes Jo Hartley (‘This Is England’), Tim McInnerny (‘Blackadder’), Keith Allen (‘Robin Hood’), Iris Berban (‘Rosa Roth’) and Rune Temte (‘The Last Kingdom’), Christopher Walken (‘Catch Me If You Can’) and Jim Broadbent (‘Bridget Jones’ Diary’).
EDDIE THE EAGLE will be released in the UK & Ireland by Lionsgate Films April 1st.
On Monday fans across the galaxy joined the Force for the world premiere of STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, the highly anticipated next film in the iconic Star Wars saga, picking up 30 years after Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.
The stars came out for the premiere at the Dolby, El Capitan and TCL Theatres in Hollywood, CA.
Lucasfilm and visionary director J.J. Abrams join forces to take you back again to a galaxy far, far away as Star Wars returns to the big screen with STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS.
The cast and crew of Star Wars(L-R) Actors Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie FisherActress Daisy RidleyThe cast and crew speak onstage during the World PremiereDirector J.J. Abrams, producer Kathleen Kennedy, chairman, The Walt Disney Studios, Alan Horn and president, The Walt Disney Studios, Alan Bergman speak onstage during the World Premiere
Actors Adam Driver (L) and Oscar IsaacJohn Boyega and Lupita Nyong’oSphero BB8 attends the after party for the World Premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens on Hollywood Blvd (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
Actress Gwendoline Christie
The film stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Max Von Sydow. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk are producing with Tommy Harper and Jason McGatlin serving as executive producers. The screenplay is written by Lawrence Kasdan & J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt.
Lucasfilm’s STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENSopens in U.S. theaters on December 18, 2015, and is rated PG-13. For more information on the film, visit: www.theforceawakens.com
LAIKA, the award-winning animation studio nestled in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, celebrates 10 years of bold and memorable filmmaking this month. For a company whose name means “little barker” in Russian, Portland, Oregon-based LAIKA has made quite a noise in the global film industry over a relatively short time.
With its world-class filmmaking team, LAIKA pushes the boundaries of family entertainment and animated movies, redefining what stories can and should be told through the art form.
“When LAIKA began we had a simple goal: to make movies that matter,” says Travis Knight, LAIKA’s President and CEO, who also is lead animator and a producer on its films. “LAIKA is devoted to telling new and original stories in new and original ways.”
“We aspire to make films that are bold, distinctive, and enduring,” Knight continues. “We are committed to telling stories that are thematically challenging, aesthetically beautiful, emotionally resonant, and a wee bit subversive. By combining stop-motion animation with cutting-edge creative approaches, we’ve embraced the fusion of art and craft and technology, honoring tradition while looking toward the future. We invented new systems and technologies for liberating the camera, to make our films more cinematic. We created new techniques for building and animating our puppets, to make our characters more lifelike and to connect more immediately and intimately with audiences. We discovered new processes for integrating practical and digital visual effects, to make our worlds more authentic. But we’re never satisfied. There’s an inherent restlessness at LAIKA. We always want to challenge ourselves.”
LAIKA began its unconventional cinematic journey with Coraline in 2009, continuing with ParaNorman in 2012 and The Boxtrolls in 2014. All three films featured LAIKA’s unique and innovative 3D stop-motion and CG hybrid technique. LAIKA’s original distribution partners, Focus Features and Universal Pictures International, remain the studio’s collaborators to this day. “We have the bravest distributors in the world,” says Knight. “They are lionhearted souls who took a chance on a ragged band of misfits from Oregon. Together, we share an abiding love for original stories and inventive storytelling.”
In addition to numerous critics’ awards and multiple Annie Awards (the animation community’s Oscars equivalent), all three of LAIKA’s feature films have been nominated for Academy Awards, BAFTA, and PGA Awards. The Boxtrolls also received a Golden Globe nomination; ParaNorman was cited as the year’s best animated feature by more critics’ groups than any other film in 2012, and Coraline was named one of the American Film Institute’s Top 10 Films of the year. “These last ten years have been magical,” says Knight. “But as I look forward, I’m more excited for what the future holds. We’re just getting warmed up.”
Knight, who makes his directorial debut with LAIKA’s next film, Kubo and the Two Strings (release date: August 19, 2016) adds, “Stripping everything else away, we’re simple storytellers. We’re the heirs of flamboyant stage magicians, plainspoken raconteurs spinning yarns around a campfire, and knuckle-dragging troglodytes scrawling stick figures on a cave wall. We believe telling stories is one of the prime functions of the human mind and spirit. A good story can elicit empathy, opening us up to new possibilities, to new ways of thinking, to recognizing the shared humanity in which we all participate. And, in the end, that’s ultimately LAIKA’s reason for being.”
LAIKA FILMOGRAPHY
Coraline (Release Date: February 6, 2009) Combining the visionary imaginations of two premier fantasists, director Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas) and author Neil Gaiman (Sandman), Coraline is a wondrous and thrilling, fun and suspenseful adventure and the first stop motion film ever to be conceived and photographed in stereoscopic 3-D, unlike anything moviegoers had ever experienced before. In Coraline, a young girl walks through a secret door in her new home and discovers an alternate version of her life. On the surface, this parallel reality is eerily similar to her real life – only much better. But when this wondrously off-kilter, fantastical adventure turns dangerous and her counterfeit parents try to keep her forever, Coraline must count on her resourcefulness, determination, and bravery to get back home and save her family.
Voice Cast: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Keith David, John Hodgman, Robert Bailey Jr., and Ian McShane. Produced by Bill Mechanic, Claire Jennings, Henry Selick, Mary Sandell. Based on the book by Neil Gaiman. Written for the Screen and Directed by Henry Selick.
ParaNorman (Release Date: August 17, 2012)
In the comedy thriller, a small town comes under siege by zombies. Who can it call? Only misunderstood local boy Norman, who is able to speak with the dead. In addition to the zombies, he’ll have to take on ghosts, witches and, worst of all, grown-ups, to save his town from a centuries-old curse. But this young ghoul-whisperer bravely summons up all that makes a hero – courage and compassion – as he finds his paranormal activities pushed to their otherworldly limits.
Voice Cast:Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, Elaine Stritch, Bernard Hill, Jodelle Ferland, Tempestt Bledsoe, Alex Borstein, and John Goodman. Produced by Arianne Sutner, Travis Knight. Written by Chris Butler. Directed by Sam Fell, Chris Butler.
The Boxtrolls (Release Date: September 26, 2014)
This comedic fable unfolds in Cheesebridge, a posh Victorian-era town obsessed with wealth, class, and the stinkiest of fine cheeses. Beneath its charming cobblestone streets dwell the Boxtrolls, foul monsters who crawl out of the sewers at night and steal what the townspeople hold most dear: their children and their cheeses. At least, that’s the legend residents have always believed. In truth, the Boxtrolls are an underground cavern-dwelling community of quirky and lovable oddballs who wear recycled cardboard boxes the way turtles wear their shells. The Boxtrolls have raised an orphaned human boy, Eggs since infancy as one of their dumpster-diving and mechanical junk-collecting own. When the Boxtrolls are targeted by villainous pest exterminator Archibald Snatcher, who is bent on eradicating them as his ticket to Cheesebridge society, the kindhearted band of tinkerers must turn to their adopted charge and adventurous rich girl Winnie to bridge two worlds amidst the winds of change – and cheese.
Voice Cast: Ben Kingsley, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Elle Fanning, Dee Bradley Baker, Steve Blum, Toni Collette, Jared Harris, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade, Tracy Morgan, and Simon Pegg. Produced by David Bleiman Ichioka, Travis Knight. Screenplay by Irena Brignull, Adam Pava. Based on the book Here Be Monsters by Alan Snow. Directed by Anthony Stacchi, Graham Annable.
Kubo and the Two Strings (Release date: August 19, 2016)
Kubo and the Two Strings is an epic action-adventure set in a fantastical Japan from acclaimed animation studio LAIKA, the film follows clever, kindhearted Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson of Game of Thrones) ekes out a humble living, telling stories to the people of his seaside town including Hosato (George Takei), Hashi (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) and Kamekichi (Academy Award nominee Brenda Vaccaro). But his relatively quiet existence is shattered when he accidentally summons a spirit from his past which storms down from the heavens to enforce an age-old vendetta. Now on the run, Kubo joins forces with Monkey (Academy Award winner Charlize Theron) and Beetle (Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey), and sets out on a thrilling quest to save his family and solve the mystery of his fallen father, the greatest samurai warrior the world has ever known. With the help of his shamisen – a magical musical instrument – Kubo must battle gods and monsters, including the vengeful Moon King (Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes) and the evil twin Sisters (Academy Award nominee Rooney Mara) to unlock the secret of his legacy, reunite his family and fulfill his heroic destiny.
Voice Cast: Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey, Rooney Mara, Ralph Fiennes, Art Parkinson, George Takei, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Brenda Vaccaro. Screenplay by Marc Haimes and Chris Butler. Produced by Arianne Sutner, Travis Knight. Directed by Travis Knight.
Warner Bros. Pictures has unveiled the new trailer and poster for the much-anticipated adventure FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM. The trailer gives audiences the first glimpse at a never-before-seen part of the wizarding world created by J.K. Rowling.
Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”) stars in the central role of wizarding world magizoologist Newt Scamander, under the direction of David Yates, who helmed the last four “Harry Potter” blockbusters.
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM opens in 1926 as Newt Scamander has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident…were it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt’s fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM also stars Katherine Waterston (“Steve Jobs,” “Inherent Vice”) as Tina; Tony Award winner Dan Fogler (“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”) as Jacob; Alison Sudol (“Dig,” “Transparent”) as Tina’s sister, Queenie; Ezra Miller (“Trainwreck”) as Credence; two-time Oscar nominee Samantha Morton (“In America,” “Sweet and Lowdown”) as Mary Lou; Oscar winner Jon Voight (“Coming Home,” TV’s “Ray Donovan”) as Henry Shaw, Sr.; Ron Perlman (the “Hellboy” films) as Gnarlack; Carmen Ejogo (“Selma”) as Seraphina; Jenn Murray (“Brooklyn”) as Chastity; young newcomer Faith Wood-Blagrove as Modesty; and Colin Farrell (“True Detective”) as Percival Graves.
The film marks the screenwriting debut of J.K. Rowling, whose beloved Harry Potter books were adapted into the top-grossing film franchise of all time. Her script was inspired by the Hogwarts textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, written by her character Newt Scamander.
The film reunites a number of people from the “Harry Potter” features, including producers David Heyman, J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves and Lionel Wigram.
Collaborating with Yates behind the scenes are: Oscar-winning director of photography Philippe Rousselot (“A River Runs Through It,” the “Sherlock Holmes” movies), three-time Oscar-winning production designer Stuart Craig (“The English Patient,” “Dangerous Liaisons,” “Gandhi,” the “Harry Potter” films), three-time Oscar-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood (“Chicago,” “Memoirs of a Geisha,” “Alice in Wonderland”), Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor Tim Burke (“Gladiator,” the “Harry Potter” films), Oscar-nominated visual effects supervisor Christian Manz (“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1”), and Yates’ longtime editor Mark Day (the last four “Harry Potter” films).
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM is being filmed at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, which was home to the “Harry Potter” films for a decade. Some scenes were also shot on location in Liverpool, England.
Warner Bros. Pictures has slated FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM for worldwide release in 3D and IMAX on November 18, 2016.
I can’t remember a time in my life that Star Wars was not a part of. As a child, I would endlessly watch my family’s VHS copies of the original trilogy that my parents recorded off TV and would frequently have lightsaber fights with my brother using sticks outside. Seeing the theatrical rerelease of the original trilogy for the Special Edition in 1997 are some of my earliest memories of going to a movie theater.
When the prequel trilogy came, I was immensely excited. This was going to be the Star Wars that I could call my own—one that I would get to experience just like my parents did with the original trilogy. However, this did not really end up being the case, and the prequel trilogy was not just a disappointment for me and other Star Wars fans in my generation, it was a painful loss of innocence around something that was very important to us.
The imminent release of The Force Awakens is a huge deal culturally across the board, and is set to break every conceivable box office record. Considering how dominant Star Wars is in terms of popularity, this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. For my generation, however, it carries an even bigger weight. My generation is old enough to remember the excitement leading up to The Phantom Menace, and the subsequent disappointment over the prequel trilogy in general. While older generations had the magical experience of seeing the original films on the big screen, the closest we came to that was the 1997 theatrical release of the special edition, which had its own share of disappointments for fans.
This is why The Force Awakens is not only exciting because, well, it’s Star Wars, it is also because it has the potential to serve as redemption for fans who haven’t gotten to partake in a good Star Wars movie release. We haven’t had the same opportunity to have our minds blown the way audiences were when the first movie opened in 1977. Just like the heavily CGI sets and effects of the prequel trilogy, our Star Wars experience felt artificial, like an imitation.
We were promised exciting new things, but all of these were at the expense of what continues to draw people to Star Wars. In the end, it is not lightsabers or explosions that made the original films so engaging. If it was, then the prequel films would have been incredibly well-loved, seeing as they upped the ante on these aspects in huge ways. In Episode II, we get to see more lightsabers in action than the rest of the films combined, but it is absolutely the worst movie in the entire franchise.
Finding redemption for Star Wars is especially important to my generation because the major issues with the prequels are all things that are frequently used to go after younger audiences, which we fell into when Episode I came out. At nine-years-old, I loved Episode I, and so did all of my friends. However, even then, the things I was most drawn to were those that most closely resembled the original trilogy and I thought Jar Jar Binks was really lame.
The crescendo of Episode I was especially something that I was drawn to, which makes sense considering it is not only reminiscent of familiar Star Wars territory, it is actually structured in the same way as that of Return of the Jedi (a four-pronged fight with a space battle, lightsaber fight, ground war between the antagonist forces and the native people of the planet, and the infiltration of an opposing stronghold).
Unfortunately, as the other two prequel films came out, it was clear that this kind of homage was not something we would see continue. Instead, Episodes II and III seemed to be entirely made up of new ways to disregard the best parts of the original trilogy while making obvious winks as fan service. Even recurring elements from the original trilogy, like epic space battles, felt strange and manufactured. Everything was shiny and CGI, but this was a poor replacement for the realism of the practical effects in the original trilogy. This is why I get excited to see things like air battles in trailers that resemble ones of our world more than purely science fiction.
This kind of pandering is a huge part of why The Force Awakens has this extra weight added to it for my generation of fan. It’s not just that George Lucas made some terrible decisions when making the prequels, it’s that these mistakes were widely considered to be things that people my age would grab onto. At times, I have felt a strange level of guilt over this.
Am I somehow responsible for practical effects and a simple, but compelling story arc being replaced by terrible CGI and lengthy plot devices that are only thrown in to add action scenes (looking at you, podracing)?
Was my childhood innocence to blame for Jar Jar Binks?
I know that this weird guilt is completely misplaced, and that George Lucas is the one who made these decisions. However, these feelings only serve as yet another reason that I, and so many other people my age, are counting down the days until December 17th with terrified excitement. For us, who are old enough to have felt the anticipation once before, only to have our fandom’s innocence dissolve as our own did, but not old enough to have experienced better days, Star Wars needs redemption.
Our fandom had its hand cut off by our father, George Lucas, and now we can only hope that The Force Awakens is the bionic replacement we need.
