Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
J.J. Abrams is back in the theatre director ’s chairwoman forStar state of war : Episode IX , and he needs to take one big lesson from his work onStar state of war : The Force Awakens : it ca n’t be another mystery box film . Abrams was a pop picking when he was announce asColin Trevorrow ’s replacement back in 2017 . Not only had he proven he could make aStar Warsfilm that people mostly agreed was salutary , if derivative , but he ’s long since point himself as a megahit film producer of real accomplishment .
For all his ocular genius ( and lens flare ) , though , Abrams is perhaps most well - known for set thing up and then moving on to a raw projection . This has been his way of working sinceLOST , which he helped make - admit directing its pilot episode - and then fall into an executive producer role . He ’s a headmaster of founding , but what about when he has to follow it through?Star Trek Into Darknesswas a rare juncture on that front .
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One of the commoncomplaints against theStar Warssequel trilogyis its lack of coherency . WithStar Wars : Episode IX , Abrams has a luck to tie everything together , but he ca n’t recapitulate what he did withStar Wars : The Force Awakens . That move for not simply rhyming with the originalStar Warstrilogy , but perhaps even more so goes for his mystery story box mode of filmmaking and making audiences ask questions without have got the answers .
J.J. Abrams Made The Force Awakens A Mystery Box
Abrams revealed his approach to storytelling at a TED lecture back in 2007 . stick in audiences to a box seat bought from a magic shop , he said he take aim intake from this “ enigma boxwood ” . He articulate : “ secret is more important than knowledge . ” Looking at his entire career , audience can see how it ’s been applied ; the mystifying questions raise byLOST , the secrecy aroundStar Trek Into Darkness , the unknowns of theCloverfieldfranchise , and he fetch it toStar Warsas well .
The merchandising forStar Wars : The Force Awakensgave little away , and actors were depose to secrecy . “ informal lips sink starship , ” after all . That continued into the movie itself , though , as a numeral of new characters and sect were introduce , for the most part without any explanation . There was Supreme Leader Snoke , the new Emperor - esque figure whoruled the First Orderand turned Ben Solo to the Dark Side . A mention of theKnights of Ren , whom Kylo is the master of . There ’s Rey , a Force - sensible untried woman from a desert planet who dreams of being reunited with her kinsfolk .
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The First Order , an Empire redux that was carry out of royal leftover . Maz Kanata , who seems connected to the Force and somehowhas the Skywalker lightsaber . And then there’sLuke Skywalkerhimself , far removed from the action and hide away from everyone he know , for … reasons . All of these things are created by Abrams , but with small real nitty-gritty . They ’re box left unopened , riddle to be solved , and interrogative sentence to be unrequited . In myopic , Abrams take one of the biggest releases of the decade and turned it into a mystery box .
Why This Worked For Episode 7, But Not The Sequel Trilogy
In the context ofThe Force Awakens , Abrams ' mystery story boxes in reality play well . This was the first movie in a trilogy , but , more importantly , the onus here was on bringingStar Warsback . The franchise had been dormant for 10 years , so it was imperative to create something that really feel likeStar Wars . That we got such terrific new characters was the icing the puck on the bar , in no pocket-size part thanks to the performances of the new casting , but they were shrouded in the aforementioned mysteries .
It keptThe Force Awakensexciting , and for a devotee base who ’d been famish , gave them something to ghost over . From Snoke ’s identicalness toRey ’s bloodline , the internet had a full couple of years to run wild with surmise and theory . That ’s fun , but it also does n’t lead to much of a trilogy , and it created problems going forrader .
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Rian Johnson came intoStar state of war : The Last Jedi , gifted with new characters but also a lot of questions lover wanted answer . Luke , Kylo , Rey , and Snoke had to be major players inThe Last Jedi , butThe Force Awakenshad maintain so much of their story hidden that it was going to be impossible to answer everything . Abrams had thrown a whole bunch of ideas into the galaxy;Johnson had to then open up all the boxes , sift through the contents , and visualize out what was actually deserving keep for his movie ( andStar war : Episode IX , for that matter ) and what could be thrown out .
Page 2 of 2:Star Wars 9 Needs to Give Answers After Last Jedi Broke The Mystery Box
How The Last Jedi Broke The Mystery Box
When the rein were being pass from Abrams to Johnson , the latter was plainly hand a cluster of boxes . They might ’ve contained great toys , designed to help capture the imagery . They could just have well as hold back snakes . Johnson did n’t need to toy the enigma box game , so he transgress the boxes and distinguish his own report . Supreme Leader Snoke was n’t Darth Plagueis ; he was n’t really important at all . Johnson recognized that what count most washis connection to Kylo Ren- less the part he play in make him , but more the part he was playing in apply him back from his full potential .
Likewise , Reycouldhave been a Skywalker , or a Kenobi , or even a Palpatine . But that would ’ve been just another herculean Force - user of a lineage audiences had already seen plenty of , which spoke to the power of a name more than the Force itself and the core idea that anyone could be a hero ( which is settle inGeorge Lucas’Star Wars ) . It ’s more interesting , unique , and challenging tohave Rey be no one . Finding a grounds for Luke to be on Ahch - To was even more difficult . What could have made one of the greatest Jedi of all time go into exile at a time of conflict ? To delay hidden as one of his adept supporter is pour down , and his sister urgently need him ?
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Abrams take the job because of thequestion “ Who is Luke Skywalker?”get pass up the luck of an answer ( aka knowledge ) in favor of add together to the question ( mystery story ) . And so , Snoke buy the farm . Rey learns the devastating truth . And Luke has trim himself off from the Force . The characters who matter most are pushed forward in bold novel counselling . The characters and plots that did n’t were left behind . Rather than mysteries , audience had fully fleshed - out , complex characters that they could in truth understand , and that ’s a great affair forStar Wars : Episode IX .
J.J. Abrams Needs To Give Answers In Star Wars 9
Abrams was n’t supposed to directStar Wars : Episode IX . Had matter worked out as Lucasfilm intended , then Trevorrow would be helming the concluding installment . This is a position he ’s never really been in before throughout his career . The moments he arguably has had to give answer -Star Trek Into DarknessandThe Cloverfield Paradox , for illustration - have been dissatisfactory , but this is on another grade with regards to wrap up a story . How he handles it is cardinal toStar war : Episode IX ’s success , and toending both the sequel trilogy and the Skywalker Saga .
Abrams hasplenty to build upon forStar war : Episode IX . There ’s the net act of thebattle between the Resistance and the First Orderand the rise of Kylo Ren as Supreme Leader , which is the closest thing interview have seen to aSith in theStar Warssequels . Rey has the prick to make a new Jedi Order . There are still questions to be answered around things like the Knights of Ren . But mostly , there needs to be a real ending . To allow for some affair equivocal is fine - good , even , when done rightfield - but , for the most part , Abrams needs to wrap things up .
It ’s no near , then , for Abrams to fall back on his favorite storytelling crutch . He ca n’t simply provide up a new crew of question . He needs to give response . He involve to have a existent resolve and finish . InStar Wars : Episode IX , he needs to choose knowledge . Abrams must at last open up the closed book boxes for the coreStar Warssaga to successfully end .
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