The official movie poster of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. (Photo from starwars.com).Jackson Hyde - Features Editorfeatures@insideuab.com
It’s been almost eleven years since the last of the Star Wars prequel was released. Since then, our ways of shooting movies have changed.
On-screen aliens and fantastic creatures use computer generated imagery and motion capture rather than rubbery costumes and cheesy animatronics, and key scenes transition with help from illusionary animations rather than simply fading to the next clip of video. This change is apparent in every major film released in 2015 - except Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The movie starts like any other Star Wars, with a shot of the stars obscured by flying yellow background information, and with booming, orchestral space music. Eventually, we are brought to the usual barren desert planet to be introduced to our new protagonist, a scavenger named Rey. She looks so much like a young Luke Skywalker that you’d be hard-pressed to convince me J. J. Abrams didn’t plan it that way.
After being introduced to Rey’s hard desert life, the classic Star Wars transition of an expanding, feathered circle introduces the next scene and it was at this point that I realized one of the greatest things about this movie. The visual effects are surprisingly dated, given the advancements we’ve made and the budget of the film. Alien lifeforms are represented through animatronics and (spoiler) Chewbacca is still a guy in a furry suit.
Some have accused Abrams of being lazy by holding on to these old practices, but remaining consistent allows fans from the future and a long, long time ago to enjoy this entire series without distraction. In short: the antique aesthetic of this movie is consumer design.
