Movie Analysis: “Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens” — Themes
Another in our bi-weekly series in which we analyze movies currently in release. Why? To quote the writing mantra I coined over 5 years ago: Watch movies. Read scripts. Write pages. You will note which one comes first. Here are my reflections from that post about the importance of watching movies:
To be a good screenwriter, you need to have a broad exposure to the world of film. Every movie you see is a potential reference point for your writing, everything from story concepts you generate to characters you develop to scenes you construct. Moreover people who work in the movie business constantly reference existing movies when discussing stories you write; it’s a shorthand way of getting across what they mean or envision.
But most importantly, you need to watch movies in order to ‘get’ how movie stories work. If you immerse yourself in the world of film, it’s like a Gestalt experience where you begin to grasp intuitively scene composition, story structure, character functions, dialogue and subtext, transitions and pacing, and so on.
Let me add this: It’s important to see movies as they get released so that you stay on top of the business. Decisions get made in Hollywood in large part depending upon how movies perform, so watching movies as they come out puts you in the same head space as reps, producers, execs, and buyers.
This week’s movie: Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens, screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan & J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt, based on characters by George Lucas.
Our schedule for discussion this week:
Monday: General Comments
Tuesday: Plot
Wednesday: Characters
Thursday: Themes
Friday: Dialogue
Saturday: Takeaways
For those of you who have not seen the movie, do not click MORE as we will be trafficking in major spoilers. If you have seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I invite you to join me in breaking down and analyzing the movie.
Themes. The most obvious one: Awakens. It’s right there in the title. Just consider Rey and her Protagonist journey.
She begins on Jakku having lived there in a virtual state of hibernation for years, waiting for her parents to return. Then the Call To Adventure: Her intersection with BB-8, then Finn, and off she goes on her journey.
Although there is debate about the degree of proficiency of Rey’s piloting skills, as she takes the helm of the Millennium Falcon, those abilities emerge from dormancy.
The two big ticket awakening items:
- The Force: Lying unknown and untapped, as Rey’s adventure continues, she gets in touch with, embraces, and begins to manipulate her innate abilities with the Force.
- Memories: When she touches Luke’s lightsaber, moments from her past and, indeed, other characters emerge into her consciousness, albeit in fleeting fashion.
The movie’s final image suggests another awakening which could happen: When Rey offers Luke his lightsaber. Perhaps… probably he’s going to extract himself from his own ‘sleep’ state and reengage current events.
Of course, this awakening process has FATE written all over it.
What other themes do you see at play in SW:TFA? Head to comments to share your thoughts.
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