Star Wars VII - Disney's New Hope

Star Wars 7 - Disney's New Hope.

How can a company that released one of the biggest blockbusters (Avengers Assemble) of the 21st century top itself. The whole plan of getting six superheroes, three with separate franchises, and fuse them together to make one mega film. Not just pull it off but with large critical acclaim but with a huge box office success as well. Now Disney have pushed forward for the second stage of the Avengers however spending $4 billion on the rights to Star Wars is the smartest move on Disney's side of the deal. 

The timing, the legacy and also the past failure from the short comings of the 'second trilogy' has made this deal a win-win situation for Disney.  After failures from Lone Ranger (2013) and John Carter (2012) Star Wars is not a gamble, research suggests that Star Wars VII (2015) being released in December 2015 will hit the billion mark. I'll repeat it again just because of the Legacy, Timing and Past Failure.

Timing

 2015 is a year for film lovers and cinema-goers. Avengers Assemble 2, Batman Vs Superman and Star Wars VII is the three big hitter in 2015.  Although I don't think Batman Vs Superman will perform as good as the other two due to casting backlash but cannot be sure till the trailer is released. The timing to release the new Star Wars in 2015 is perfect due to the technology being perfect for the film. In the 70's/80's Star Wars film defined a new era of special effects but some could argue outdated as of 2014. The prequel trilogy was a huge improvement in the SFX arena however it wasn't at the stage of realism. The recent advancements in Mo-cap and ILM has set the stage for a Star Wars film to match the technology that it requires. Also with the increase in demand for IMAX and 3D, technology that goes hand in hand with Star Wars. Star Wars VII will be a treat visually due to finally technology, no budget restraints and the viewing experience being ready for a film of this scale. We just have to look at Gravity (2013), a pure space spectacle that was a visual delight. That was just Sandra Bullock floating in space! Think of the Millennium Falcon Mark II, gliding across space in IMAX. The technology is ready.

Legacy

Star Wars fan base is something that every writer/film maker dreams of. The fans are loyal and invest into the universe of the lore. Hundreds of novels, side stories and characters created unofficially. Parodies, songs, animations. The fan base is already there. Even the poor critical performance of the prequel didn't deter fans, all three films were successes at the box office. Just over 10 years since the last Star Wars film and technically 30 years since the last continuation of the Star Wars franchise. (As the last three were prequels and the story was already known to fans) The thirst of knowing what happened after Luke Skywalker defeated the Empire is a long waiting one. Critics will claim sequel overload, but Star Wars has a whole universe to explore and in the medium of film it has only scratched the surface.

Past Failures.

What is the last thing you do before you release a product into the market. You test it on a target audience. Star Wars VII has that luxury. The prequel trilogy was not the trilogy the majority of fans wanted and if Disney had any sense is to not replicate the prequel's style. The criticisms of past should be taken into account and fixed in the 'sequel trilogy'. Poor writing, childish style, slightly racist characters, wooden acting and Jar Jar Binks. Just some of the critiques. Disney being known for it's audience to be children, this may be there downfall but Avengers Assemble was a perfect balance between the two, so they can aim for a slightly older audience. 

Overall, Star Wars VII will be a sure fire hit, with the reliable JJ Abrams at the helm, with his past of Star Trek success, Star Wars VII looks like it's going in the right direction. The technology is ready for this film, the fan base crave for a continuation of the lore and past failures allow the film makers not to tread in the same footsteps. Star Wars is looking to be Disney's New Hope. 

By Jason Blight, 2014.