Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the Nostalgia Trap

While Star Wars: The Force Awakens made a whopping $2.07 billion in theaters worldwide! A huge moment, this made the franchise successful but looking back in time, there were so many errors! It looks like a bad foundation can lead to something really terrible!

The Force Awakens’ Biggest Mistake:

Back in 2012 when Disney bought Star Wars. There was this huge push to make sure the series could become something memorable. The plan included both trilogies and anthology movies but things weren’t that simple.

At this point in time, Star Wars had not created many plans to put out more films, and some of the initial sequel movie scripts might not have gotten a great response like "The Prequels". That said, the studio was on a huge mission to get things moving as soon as possible!

After an incredible and epic, nostalgic release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens back in 2015, we see this incredible moment for the series, coming back to life for its fanbase and with huge cultural significance.

This massive release made people realize how important Star Wars still was!

This iconic Star Wars series had this feeling of universality. It seemed to resonate with every fan from older generations to those just getting a glimpse!

However, when we look at the film there are things to notice. The original ideas weren't all bad. What happened with this new release. The "Nostalgia" aspects in the movie!

The Nostalgia Card

George Lucas holding up his hands with a red-tinted Force Awakens poster in the left background and a green-tinted Rogue One poster in the right background. Image

Disney's decision wasn't an accident or even a happy coincidence. This was carefully crafted.

They focused on bringing a generation that was missing some elements back to a great, thrilling, unforgettable era that's known and loved!

However, The Force Awakens went back to familiar territories.

But in that approach The Force Awakens missed what was really needed - some sense of evolution!

George Lucas would have felt disappointed. In a truly meaningful moment. Disney created a story with all kinds of those nostalgia elements that might be enjoyable!

J.J. Abrams & Mystery Boxes:

Star Wars the Force Awakens Poster Image

Disney had an amazing opportunity and there were lots of talented filmmakers in the world, so choosing the director to bring to life The Force Awakens wasn't so difficult.

They chose a brilliant director J.J. Abrams and it appears that, for those who don't know! This director is super known for something very distinct in how he makes movies, and "Mystery Box" style storytelling! If you look back at his previous projects that have included the TV series "Lost", this was an amazing show that generated tons of questions!

And as it seems The Force Awakens went down a very similar road with a massive set of mysteries that went unanswered.

Where did The First Order Come from?
What was the real origin story of Snoke?
How did he influence Ben Solo, turning him to the dark side?
What really was Ben Solo's connection with Darth Vader?
What was Luke Skywalker doing?
Why was Luke Skywalker in exile?
How did Anakin Skywalker miss all of this?
What made Rey so powerful?
How did the Millennium Falcon make it to "Jakku?

In total. The Force Awakens gave the viewers more to wonder about! The problem? These movies weren't ever going to fully give a proper conclusion. Even with those stories. These huge questions had some impact on Star Wars as it expanded its franchise through different platforms!

A Rush For The Franchise

It was in this ambitious timeframe that The Force Awakens took shape.

There was an immense desire for Disney to make "Star Wars".

That's part of the reason the trilogy really took shape in an expedited way, so we didn't really get a chance to appreciate these stories in the right context, giving viewers just so much.

As it turns out. Disney and its creative team. Had just one objective - they just had to make sure "The Force Awakens", was ready for release. Even in 2015. We were able to see this come together so quickly as some elements were released earlier and those details might have made the overall story better!

A Movie That Broke All the Rules (and a Big Disappointment)

When you see the incredible response of this movie. We really had a sense of that Star Wars would return as the power it once had.

There was excitement with these characters!
These iconic characters had amazing storylines and an exciting series!

The Force Awakens wasn't all that bad.

Disney's big moment did create lots of problems.

They failed to grasp just what made this "Star Wars" universe a triumph!

It was the desire for this trilogy to go in a different direction!

They even added some things to the story and took these big characters, like Luke Skywalker to places they didn't seem to want to go! Fans wanted the series to follow what Disney brought forth.

Disney Failed To Learn from Lucas:

The Force Awakens, is an incredible release that shows a strong moment in Hollywood and Star Wars. These characters are well loved but it's a movie that wasn't crafted correctly!

The big moment in Star Wars and the sequel trilogy just showed that Disney, was so anxious to achieve success. They even put more weight behind those decisions. These decisions really turned out to bring lots of negative attention to a much-loved series. There were some things that made the studio and Lucasfilm miss out on! They never wanted to hear any negativity, as they worked hard to make something that felt so nostalgic!

It seems this had the exact opposite impact that was desired.

We were not able to see these epic moments like with The Force Awakens unfold in a natural progression. It would have really been cool if Lucas was a bit more active. As he had experience as a visionary with the franchise and even got to change some of his big moments with Star Wars: Episode I by getting rid of "midi-chlorians,". These characters were always part of a special story for those watching the film. It appears the directors never understood that.

Fans still don't seem to have been won over, so they are continuing to show just what was missing in those previous releases. With all those things. It appears they never really made it all work. Maybe those that had to step in as successors had a difficult time trying to find out what Star Wars truly needs to stay iconic and something to be enjoyed, but perhaps if they had taken a step back to get those creative juices flowing.

It may not be just about adding nostalgia. It is possible for these film adaptations, those who take on a giant franchise. Need to think differently. A new version might be what is really needed. That said. A new story! We may get a glimpse. When Disney or a different studio gets another chance.

As you look to discover what the future holds for the series you will realize, that with these moments we are living a golden age in film with massive productions. The next adventure looks to take these exciting characters and worlds to some fascinating places, it is possible. But we must give creators the proper time and not force a huge, unrealistic, expectation for what the future might hold. The universe of "Star Wars" has plenty to offer and it's amazing how these moments all unfolded.

With all this happening with "Star Wars" what should be exciting is how studios may choose to tackle huge, global franchises that are well-loved in a more authentic manner and show what makes these films so popular!