"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and Predictability

Star Wars!

Am I allowed to write a reaction to this movie? Is a bounty hunter going to come after me? Everyone's so nervous about spoilers that I feel like I'm doing something terrible. But I can't help myself. I saw it as soon as I could and that means most of the in-depth, nerd-tastic analysis I'm craving at the moment has yet to appear online, meaning I'm stuck with me. So let me preface this with a very clear

First I should say that I'm no expert on Star Wars. You want my brother for that. I've seen all the movies several times and followed the animated shows: Genndy's non-canonical but awesome mini-series, most of The Clone Wars, and Season 1 of Rebels so far. I even wrote George asking to play Anakin when I was a teenager. But I didn't exactly grow up on it. Its Lucas sibling Willow was my jam.

We had a recorded copy of Return of the Jedi that I thought was pretty cool. Even after seeing Episodes IV and V I still liked it the most. Between that and Caravan of Courage, I thought Star Wars = Ewoks. I know, blasphemy.

So let's say I'm initiated, if not as fully obsessed as some fans. I had expectations like anyone. Some were met in a good way and some were met in a less good way, leaving me with thoughts about predictability. When do you want to be right? When do you hope you're wrong? I think everyone's mileage will differ on that one.

Regardless, it's obvious that The Force Awakens mirrors the original Star Wars. I mean, we knew it was going to because a) duh and b) this franchise has always been about mirrors. (And if you have a bad feeling about that, give a Wilhelm Scream as you set off on your hero's journey.) However, plot "reflection" was basically J. J. Abram's lens flare in this movie, and was glaring enough that it's what I'm most eager to shine a light on. (Wow, so many puns. I apologize.)

I threw together the following comparison pretty quickly, so if you see something I missed, let me know in the comments!

"Jurassic World" Review

I thought Jurassic Park: The Game by Telltale Games (2011) was a worthy sequel to the first film, whether or not it's considered canon. (Does it really matter in this series?) Not only did it feature all the same dinosaurs and settings, but also puzzle-solving game-play clearly inspired by all the technological challenges in the movie - even an explanation why "Push to Close" is the button for restoring electrical power. It fleshed out the character Harding (albeit a younger version), whose story deviated from his role in the book but explained what he was doing during the events of the movie following his brief appearance with the sick triceratops. Setting it during and immediately following the movie was a great way to capitalize on its urgency and the audience's nostalgia. What's more, it beat the new movie Jurassic World to introducing a Mosasaurus threat and the first on-screen death of a female character (by the mosasaur in both cases, oddly enough).

Despite all that, the game was criticized for being more a movie than a game, and not many are likely to "see" it as a result of that hybrid nature. Fortunately, Jurassic World is a nostalgic sequel in its own right, featuring a more impressive hybrid in the Indominus rex. (See what I did there?)

I loved the first movie and went on to read the book much younger than I probably should have. My copy is so used it fits my hands like a well worn baseball mitt. I must have reread Dennis Nedry's death scene the most, since that page is so exhausted it's falling out. Prior and after this, I was known for an obsession with dinosaurs and often bragged that one of the first words I could spell was "paleontologist." My point is, I went to Jurassic World fully expecting a nostalgic experience, but I also walked out wondering where the line is between "nostalgic" and "predictable."

I wrote my own sequel to Jurassic Park when I was eleven or twelve. Like Crichton's actual sequel, Lewis Dodgson was the villain, but I also contrived a way to get the entire original (surviving) cast back on the exact same island for pretty much the exact same tour. The kids ended up stranded with Grant again, and when he played another playful prank on them (as in the movie), Tim said, "That was another good one!" Fan fiction at its least creative.

Jurassic World does a much better job than me or either of the other movie sequels at recreating the original. (Spoilers follow.)