Star Wars: The Force Awakens was a huge success. Anyone who says otherwise is flat-out wrong. It managed to recapture the essence of the original film and make boatloads of money in the process. However, one pervasive criticism among harsher fans is that it was too much like the original film.
Going into Star Wars: Episode 9, the last thing a lot of fans want to see is another retread of another one of the films of the original trilogy. It’s because of this that some were disappointed when director J.J. Abrams was invited back into the franchise for that final entry in this trilogy. Speaking with BBC, Abrams was more than understanding of this perspective, and seemed to realize the need to change things up.
“Well, it’s certainly something that I’m aware of now working on Episode IX – coming back into this world after having done Episode VII. I feel like we need to approach this with the same excitement that we had when we were kids, loving what these movies were. And at the same time, we have to take them places that they haven’t gone, and that’s sort of our responsibility. It’s a strange thing – Michael’s worked on things like Planet of the Apes and Star Trek and Star Wars, and these are the things of dreams. Yet we can’t just revel in that; we have to go elsewhere.”
Indeed Star Wars: The Force Awakens spent a lot of time reveling in it. With this next one, perhaps he can ascend new heights. Hopefully, this attitude will bring about some change that audiences can get behind. While many fans want change, what they really want are incremental changes, all while maintaining the spirit of the original. Let’s hope J.J. Abrams is able to find that balance in Star Wars: Episode 9.
What do you think? Are Abrams’ words encouraging? Let us know your thoughts down below!