EDITORIAL: The Pros & Cons of J.J. Abrams Directing STAR WARS EPISODE VII

EDITORIAL: The Pros & Cons of J.J. Abrams Directing STAR WARS EPISODE VII

We are all excited about the new movies but what of the director? What are the positives and negatives of J.J. Abrams helming the next Star Wars flick? In this editorial I run through them. Read on for my take.

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By herofreak15 - 3/13/2013
Everyone was taken by surprise that another Star Wars (SWEVII to be exact) was indeed happening after all these years and doubt to see more Jedi kicking Sith ass in space on the big screen again, but it’s happening. Seeing as how Abrams landing the gig has caused some hot debate amongst the CBM community I’ve decided to throw in my two cents on the pros and cons of Abrams directing, so let’s begins shall we?


Pros:
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*Great Director: Not only is J.J. an extremely clever guy at handling ambitious projects of epic proportions, but Abrams is a brilliant director and in my book the perfect director to bring Star Wars back to the big screen because he’s capable of handling something of this magnitude and grasps a perfect balance of emotional storytelling and lightheartedness. Also, not forgetting to mention that he actually CARES about this as much as the fans and isn’t in it for the money.



*Ensemble Casts: Abrams has worked with ensemble casts before (Super 8, MI: III, Star Trek), so this should be an easy feat for him as he has that experience of working with a large cast, which we know Episode VII will probably have. This pro isn’t that much of a big deal, though as Matthew Vaughn was apparently also in talks and directed an ensemble cast in X-Men: FC.



*Star Trek & Beyond: Handling Star Trek is one thing and Star Wars another and while I see why some folks are worried the same man is involved in both worlds (more on that later) it is also a good thing because we can kind of get a basic idea of what J.J. will do and Abrams can take that Trek experience along with him.




*Star Wars Made J.J. Abrams: OK, maybe not literally, but you get what I’m trying to say. Not long ago someone (can’t remember who, though… maybe Bryan Burk?) said that Abrams grew up watching the original trilogy and the movies are what eventually got him into the film industry, so this proves Abrams’ love for them and as mentioned earlier he CARES about this as much as we do, so not only will he be present as a director, but as a fan as well.





Cons:
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*Too Much Power: I think most of you will agree with me when I say giving a director keys to both well-known franchises is a bit too much. Nuff said.



*Star Trek: Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to see Abrams got the gig, but at the same time I fear the worst for both franchises because it could end up being another X-Men: The Last Stand-situation and I don’t want that to happen to either sides of the pond. Also, as I stated earlier I can see both sides of the coin and know that some fans worry that since Abrams is at the helm it may confuse people, who aren’t geeks or familiar with these properties, and lead them to think Star Trek and Star Wars are the same thing or exist in the same universe. So just as much as Star Trek is a pro it is also a con.



Familiar VS New Faces: For Star Wars Episode VII I want new faces, new talent, basically unknown actors as Han and Leia’s kids, but I also wouldn’t mind seeing a familiar face from one of Abrams’ films in this new chapter. I just prefer new more than familiar though, so this is more opinion than con.



Studio Puppet: Abrams himself recently said that Paramount Pictures pushed him into making Into Darkness in 3D and that scares me just a weeny (teehee) tiny bit because if you think about it Disney could pressure J.J. into doing something and he’ll most likely comply depending on what it is, it’s nothing too big, bit just wanted to throw in this thought.




I, for one am REALLY excited and simply can’t wait come 2015 to see the real deal just get Sam Witwer, Elizabeth Gillies, and Anthony Ingruber as Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin Solo and I’ll be happy. Who would you guys like to see in the roles and feel free to throw in your own two cents down in the comment section below!
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19 Comments
SotoJuiceMan - 3/13/2013, 6:57 PM
Till the movie comes out, we know if he did a great job. I'm saying this because the past three prequels really did a bad job in storytelling. For all we know, this could be the next Phantom Menace.
bazinga85 - 3/13/2013, 7:11 PM
@SotoJuiceMan
Well, Lucas isn't involved so I doubt it'll be another phantom menace. Plus they've got michael ardnt writing it so I have high hopes that it'll be a great story
herofreak15 - 3/13/2013, 7:50 PM
@Bazinga85- I agree. I' am extremely excited and feel that Disney hired the right people to handle this, so I'm confident it could be a good movie and not the prequels all over again.
LEEE777 - 3/14/2013, 3:46 AM
Cant wait!!!

Gonna beback to the STAR WARS magic we want and expect!

Also what Freaking said lol.

Great read @ Hero, thumbs
pepe - 3/14/2013, 3:56 AM
Bring Jar-jar back!!!!!!!
elib - 3/14/2013, 4:26 AM
He's the right guy for the job and even though I'm a much bigger Star Wars fan I still don't want to see Star Trek crash and burn, but I doubt he'll let that happen. Disney is really getting the right people involved with Episode 7 but I'm starting to get nervous about the casting.
mikefont - 3/14/2013, 5:39 AM
Cons: FRIGGIN Lens Flare!
Hey J.J., enough lens flare already!!!! Jeez.....
imadick - 3/14/2013, 6:23 AM
i don't see what the drama is about. jj can direct.

and no, as much as it has become a cute little meme to say that the prequels ruined star wars forever, it isn't true.

no damaged film series is irreparable.



in case anyone's forgotten, batman delivered two billion dollar grossers in the post-batman & robin era.
Natetrix79 - 3/14/2013, 7:24 AM
This will be great!!! Star Wars & Star Trek are 2 different monsters & J.J. can handle both! Star Trek is like a war movie, you've got epic battles in space with giant ships, & this race of aliens vs. another race of aliens where as Star Wars is like a action thriller sort of like The Bourne Identity you've got the Sente with shady Sentors making deals with the Sith & Jedi's disobeying the Council, assassins & bounty hunters & awesome fights!!! So I think J.J. Can make two really good movies that won't be similar & that stays true to the essence of both franchises. He proved he could make a great Star Trek film & he proved he can make a great action thriller (Mission Impossible) he truly is the best man for the job & I can't wait for this movie!!!!
Buckar00 - 3/14/2013, 7:25 AM
I'm gonna say lens flare will be a con
jnk6980 - 3/14/2013, 7:33 AM
Pros and Cons of JJ Abrams directing Star Wars Episode VII.

Pros: It's JJ Abrams.
Cons: It's star Wars.

I kid, I kid. But seriously, While I'm not huge on Star Wars (I'm a fan but just casuel). However I'm very high oN Abrams. And feel that He should do a fine job here.

And in terms of "studio "interference". This is nothing new as with any film (especially one with a substancial budget as this one will obviously have) the studio gets the ultimate say in the end. But given Abrams track record and the fact the he was chosen out of probably countless top directors shows that the studio wants him and to a reasonable degree will give him the creative freedom he requests

I mean imagine if you gave someone $150 -$300 million to make a movie. Clearly you're going to want some form of say or input for your investment.
SotoJuiceMan - 3/14/2013, 8:01 AM
@bazinga85- Yea, and we are getting new directors, new writers too to be in Star Wars yet it is continuing a story that ended in the 80's. I have hopes, but they are not big enough.

I guess I'll know when 2015 comes by.
imadick - 3/14/2013, 8:34 AM
@LEVITIKUZ

Dredd's home media sales would like to have a word with you actually. As would any Dredd reboot/sequel in the future which has been helped tremendously by it.
imadick - 3/14/2013, 8:35 AM
@LEVITIKUZ

Also, Judge Dredd now has been repaired in terms of quality and reputation. Which is what most of the bitching regarding the Star Wars prequels is about.
Morbius - 3/14/2013, 11:36 AM
I am excited to see him direct but it is a little weird that he will have control of the two biggest science fiction franchises in history.
beane2099 - 3/14/2013, 12:23 PM
I have to disagree on Judge Dredd. Movies can make money and get sequels, but that don't make 'em good nor does it mean a reputation is repaired. Transformers 2 & 3 are proof of this. The reviews for Dredd (2013) were by and far better than the reviews for Judge Dredd (1995). If they never make another Dredd film again, at least the franchise (such as it is) went out on a creative high note. The question is, what do you consider successful: critical acclaim or profitability? Second, do you see these as a combined criteria for success or as two separate criteria; and if they are separate, which one is the more salient? We know which one is more salient for the studios, but what about those of us in the audience? Just food for thought. For the record, I liked the Stallone Dredd, but the Karl Urban Dredd was a much better film.
herofreak15 - 3/14/2013, 1:57 PM
Whoa! I never ever expected my editorial would make it on main! Thanks guys for taking your time to read my article. It means so much and I thank whoever made a few edits to it :)


@LEEE777- Thanks so much, man.
@Pepe- lol.

Again, everyone thank you SO much.
herofreak15 - 3/14/2013, 2:26 PM
@jnk6980- I understand where you're coming from, but I didn't really mean the studio interference con as anything major just a little worry thrown in there, but nothing major. I'm sure J.J. will have a certain amount of input.
GAH - 3/16/2013, 12:15 AM
I hope JJ doesn't completely
[frick] up

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