Cinema hasn’t been the same since those two words flashed across movie theater screens around the country. “Star Wars” has been a pop-culture phenomenon for decades. “Star Wars” started something new. It’s great graphics, interesting story and ruthless villain were all something very different than what audiences were used to in 1977. It blows my mind that after 42 years some people think “Star Wars” is dead.
“Star Wars” is more alive now than it has ever been. People who believe “Star Wars” is dead base their argument on two points: the negative fan reaction from “The Last Jedi” and the box office failure of “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” While the critics liked “The Last Jedi,” giving it a certified fresh score of 91% on review website Rotten Tomatoes, the fans were not so nice, giving the film an audience score of 44%.
This backlash stems from the director, Rian Johnson, and the direction he took the film. One of the most hated parts by fans of “The Last Jedi” is Luke Skywalkers’ character arc. Even Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill, who has played Luke since 1977, disagreed with the arc of his character in the film. In an interview with SensaCine in 2017, Hamill said, “I almost had to think of Luke as another character. Maybe he’s Jake Skywalker. He’s not my Luke Skywalker.”
“The Last Jedi,” however, made a whopping 1.3 billion dollars at the box office and is the 13th highest-grossing movie of all time. Meanwhile, “Solo: A Star Wars Story” only grossed 392 million dollars at the box office. A big reason behind the box office failure of “Solo: A Star Wars Story” is thought to be the fan backlash to “The Last Jedi.”
It has been a year and a half now since “Solo: A Star Wars Story” was in theaters, and the “Star Wars” franchise has been relatively quiet. However, these next two months will show why “Star Wars” is alive and well, with “Star Wars” soon-to-be releasing a new TV show, movie and video game.
“The Mandalorian,” the new TV show, will focus on the period after “Return of the Jedi” and before “The Force Awakens.” It’s written and directed by Jon Favreau and stars Pedro Pascal as the title character.
The new movie, “The Rise of Skywalker,” will finally end the Skywalker Saga that started all the way back in 1977. It features Daisy Ridley as Rey, hoping to end the galaxy-wide conflict once and for all.
“Jedi Fallen Order” is the upcoming video game from Electronic Arts and features a young Jedi on his own after the events of “Revenge of the Sith.”
All that being said, “Star Wars” is bigger than movies, TV shows and video games. “Star Wars” is a lifestyle. It has inspired art, food and music for countless generations. Many parents show their kids “Star Wars” when they’re young because they want them to have the same memories they had growing up. This is the impact “Star Wars” has had on society, and if this impact remains, “Star Wars” will never die.
Max McAuliff is a contributing writer for The Bona Venture.
His email is mcaulimr18@bonaventure.
