Why Star Wars Episode VII will be Series Best

Return of the Plot 

George Lucas made Star Wars a long time ago in a very different movie landscape. When it was released, the opening sequence in which a Star Destroyer roars overhead was one of the most breathtaking scenes in modern film. People had never experienced such spectacular sound and visuals. And the movie had a decent plot! There's no need to expand on what Star Wars has become- an empire of toys, TV shows, video games, books, and of course, the 6-movie-long saga.
I am a huge Star Wars. I've read many novels, saw Revenge of the Sith about 5 times in theaters, and I can name the lightsaber style of Samuel L. Jackson's character Mace Windu. (it's Vapaad by the way) And despite being a die-hard fan, I'm willing to admit this little tidbit: the movies (mostly) suck. Let's talk about the series past and how different it's future will be in the hands of a new generation of filmmakers. Let's talk about a galaxy far far away, right after the jump!

1. You're no fan! You just said the movies suck!

"But wait, have you even seen the Empire Strikes Back?" you're probably asking yourself. Of course I have. That movie is fantastic, and it's predecessor, A New Hope was good. The sequel, Return of the Jedi was unbelievably wonky and poorly directed in comparison, and essentially an early glimpse of the travesty that the prequels would be. (Many people hold this film in high regard and this is easily explained by the fact that they saw it as a child and can't separate the nostalgia from the film. I'll save you the trouble, it's terrible)

I grew up with the Star Wars prequels. I was at that prime age to be infected by these films that have this ability to electrify the imagination. While one generation of Star Wars fans were cursing The Phantom Menace in 1999, an entirely new generation of Star Wars fans was being created- one just as fervent and one just as passionate about the movies. The unfortunate thing was, the movies that made us huge fans were poorly made. I don't think it's necessary to go into detail, but the plots were convoluted and the acting was hardly bearable- while the special effects took center-stage. Why were they terrible? In a twist of irony, they were terrible because of George Lucas, the same guy who was responsible for the whole thing in the first place!

When the prequels were made, George Lucas demanded "full creative control" of all 3 movies. He wrote and directed them in their entirety- and didn't have anyone there to correct his mistakes, or to make any suggestions for improvement whatsoever. If you've ever watched Episode II: Attack of the Clones and heard the dialogue that Hayden Christensen was forced to spew out, you'll recognize this truth. He appeared to pull off an acceptable movie with Revenge of the Sith, my personal favorite, but it's only a good movie in comparison to the rest of the prequel trilogy. The overwhelming special effects really detracted from what could have been a moving and dark film depicting Anakin Skywalker as he falls to the Dark Side and becomes the evil Darth Vader. The novelization of Revenge of the Sith does an unbelievable job of saving this film for me and if it weren't for it, I probably wouldn't be half the fan I am. I'd be that jaded Star Wars fan that most people are.

1. A New Hope

But those films are over and done with. Let's discuss the future. A new hope for a good Star Wars movie. Why will this one be the best? Well, George won't be able to sabotage these as he did Episodes VI, I, II, and III as there will be a group of people collaborating on them. That's what made the first one and Empire Strikes Back such great movies.

But not only will we have new people working on them, these new people are talented. Michael Arndt is an Academy-Award winning writer and will be writing Episode VII. And just recently, it's been confirmed that J.J. Abrams of Lost, Star Trek, and Super 8, will be directing the new film. All of the films they've been a part of have been spectacular, and I couldn't imagine a more appropriate director for Star Wars than J.J. Abrams. He managed to get the Star Trek franchise- something many people knew nothing about, and he made it modern and badass. If you can make Star Trek badass, imagine what this guy will do with Star Wars.

For the first time, we may see a situation where there are 2 generations of Star Wars fans entering a new era of the saga, and both of these groups will will be thrilled with the fact that it's actually... good. And needless to say, as the fans like myself are thrilled beyond belief at the HFR 3D IMAX midnight release of Episode VII, we'll be ushering in yet another generation of fans whose imaginations will run wild in the brilliant universe that Lucas created a long, long, time ago.