I was getting on Amazon to pre-order “The Force Awakens” and simply had to click on the 1 star reviews just to see what inane babble people who think it’s a bad movie were regurgitating. Low and behold most of them are complaining that it is simply a “retelling” of the original Star Wars. To that criticism I have two things to say… 1) “Not really!” and 2) “Do you think Star Wars was original?!” Even our 4 and 5 year old girls notice things in Star Wars that are obviously rip-offs from traditional classic stories.
Mark Twain had it right. I think this quote relates especially to Star Wars… and not to Star Wars The Force Awakens only but to the original Star Wars as well!
Don’t believe me? Read this excerpt from Roger Ebert’s review of the original Star Wars: January 1st, 1977…
“Star Wars” is a fairy tale, a fantasy, a legend, finding its roots in some of our most popular fictions. The golden robot, lion-faced space pilot, and insecure little computer on wheels must have been suggested by the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz.” The journey from one end of the galaxy to another is out of countless thousands of space operas. The hardware is from “Flash Gordon” out of “2001: A Space Odyssey,” the chivalry is from Robin Hood, the heroes are from Westerns and the villains are a cross between Nazis and sorcerers. “Star Wars” taps the pulp fantasies buried in our memories, and because it’s done so brilliantly, it reactivates old thrills, fears, and exhilarations we thought we’d abandoned when we read our last copy of Amazing Stories.
You can read the full review here.
I also suggest you read “5 questions for anyone who calls ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ a ‘remake'”
