The Empire Strikes Back vs The Last Jedi
Continuing the comparison of Luke’s and Rey’s respective journeys, I should preface that I’m not a fan of the new trilogy (or any of the existing new movies). They’re endemic of today’s blockbuster: lots of action, and the protagonist is usually brilliant just because the story needs them to be. There’s no character development. There’s no relatability. There’s no journey. People might point at other characters to suggest they can be the same, e.g. Superman is perfect. He’s not. In Superman (1978), Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) outsmarts him and puts a big kryptonite necklace on him. Does Superman (Christopher Reeve) just shrug it off? No. Miss Teschmacher (Valerie Perrine) has…
A New Hope vs The Force Awakens
Okay, this isn’t exactly Old vs New – The Force Awakens (2015) isn’t a remake of A New Hope (1977). It’s more of a rehash. There are similarities. Lots of similarities. Look at the basic premise: an unsuspecting nobody becomes ensnared in a galactic struggle and learns they have the biggest part to play. Which movie is that? Both, of course. Because of that, I’m going to compare the two as if The Force Awakens is a remake of A New Hope, given both stories incorporate the same key beats. Beat #1 The protagonist’s life is disrupted when they come in possession of a droid. People believe A New Hope…