By the time you read this article, you have probably seen the new Star Wars already. The movie was the fastest to reach $1 billion at the box office, according to the IMdB, and has already passed the North American record of James Cameron’s Avatar, the highest grossing film of all time.
Star Wars is one of the largest movie franchises of all time, with the original trilogy and the prequels earning a total revenue about $20 billion, according to the Statistic Brain Research Institute. So it was inevitable after Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm that another trilogy was in the works. Sophomore Sampson Miller, a huge Star Wars fan, said, “The Force Awakens was spectacular. I think Star Wars is so popular because it’s so good. Star Wars has expanded its universe through the sequels following the original, various books, and comics. Now we have The Force Awakens from Disney and it has brought back the magic of the originals, and Star Wars is bigger than ever”.
The Force Awakens was, overall, a very enjoyable film, and it can enjoyed by practically everyone. J.J. Abrams was able to reflect the original trilogy consisting of A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi. George Lucas has received countless criticism from mass media for his creation of the original trilogy, which precede the prequels, and chronicle the rise of Darth Vader, the prominent villain of Star Wars. However, despite the heavy criticism, The Force Awakens has been able to please fans and has brought Star Wars back to the public limelight. The new movie has introduced audiences to new, exciting characters along with the characters from the original trilogy. The movie closely resembles the plot of the first movie, but that does not detract from the enjoyment of the film overall. The Force Awakens is a fresh look at the series and brings in new fans that are sure to appreciate the series and the legacy it holds.
One of the best aspects that arose from the release of The Force Awakens is the trailers. Trailers have been criticized for revealing too much of the plot and spoiling the movie for audiences, however, the marketing team for The Force Awakens has managed to conceal major plot points that were only revealed once people had gone out and had seen the movie. The trailers have also done well in sparking large amounts of interest and intrigue, so the trailers themselves have contributed to the overall success of the movie and the entire franchise. The people behind the creation of the trailers have done an excellent job at keeping the entire movie a surprise for audiences, and received well-deserved praise.
However, despite the movie itself well-marketed, products with the Star Wars label have been criticized for being over-marketed. Everything from apples, water and makeup have been sold with the Star Wars label. This is one of the issues with Star Wars being such a large industry. Although the Star Wars product has been over marketed, it still had a very good marketing campaign.
Star Wars is back, and whether people enjoy the series or not, it can be agreed that the franchise is huge. With a successful movie and marketing, and several related films in the works, Star Wars will be in the mind of the public for a long time to come.
By Mairo Kuntze
The Claw 