Why I Love Star Wars

Don't know if you guys know this, but there's a new Star Wars film coming out next week...

Now I am super excited for this film, so excited in fact that the only other film that came close to the amount of excitement and anticipation I feel right now was when the first Avengers film came out. On this blog you have seen me rave about a lot of things and probably consider me a bit of a Marvel fanboy, which I am, but today I wanted to talk about my first cinematic love, Star Wars.

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was the first live action film I remember seeing at the cinema. It was a big deal to me, I was 5 and I had mainly watched animated films, going to see a live action film felt very grown up to me. I wasn't aware of Star Wars before that, I wasn't aware how much anticipation had been building up for the film I was going to see, and then the let down that people had afterwards. I obviously didn't have that let down when I first saw Episode 1 because if I did I wouldn't be writing a blog post called 'Why I Love Star Wars'. However stick with me, this isn't a post trying to convince you that the prequels are amazing, because they are far from it, but they do hold a special place in my heart.

Having loved Episode 1, the obsessive side of me began to come out, I wanted everything Star Wars. And this was when I came across Star Wars: A New Hope at a video rental store. My amazement that there was another Star Wars film only increased when finding out there were three more out there! I rented Episode 4 and yet again fell completely in love with the world of Star Wars. The world building in the film is unlike anything else we've seen in film before and with every character featured in the film we have a rich and vibrant backstory. Being able to explore these as a child was something special because it made you feel as if you knew more about each character than anybody else.

I had everything Star Wars related, costumes, toys, books and games. I still have a lot of these things, including a massive box up in my attic full of action figures and vehicles that I had played with many times. In my young mind I have made Epidode 7 already, and 8, and 9, and 10... It was at these times that the seeds for a dream job in film were laid and subliminally making these stories lead me to screenwriting. Yet again another reason to love Star Wars.

I remember every time I went to the cinema I was waiting for a new Star Wars trailer to arrive, I was completely hooked during the era of the prequels. After Episode 3 came out my obsession began to slowly dwindle. I still bought all the games but there wasn't a constant bombardment of new content to digest, I have never been one to watch the shows (though I am giving Rebels a go!), my obsession then turned to Marvel, reading comics and falling for the character of Spider-Man. Even with the annoucment of Disney buying Star Wars and making new films, I was excited but it didn't start the obsession again. If anything I was just happy to know I would see more Star Wars in the cinema and now maybe even one day be able to experience it with my own children, another reason I have kept all my toys! When the obsession kicked back in it was with the first teaser trailer JJ Abrams released, all of sudden I was brought back into realisiation that I was A LOT more excited for Star Wars then I had been letting on!

Now I'm at breaking point, days to go, midnight tickets booked and costumes sorted. I work part time in a toy store and nearly every week I keep spending my wages on The Force Awakens figures. My personal favourite a BB-8 Funko Pop! I've rewatched the Star Wars saga in anticipation, even with my girlfriend who I am lovingly dragging along to the midnight showing, I'm sure she can't wait either...

A photo posted by Alex Hunt (@superalexman) on Dec 5, 2015 at 12:42am PST

I don't think we'll be dissapointed in The Force Awakens. This is the first time the fans have been allowed to make a Star Wars film and that is being proven with every interview or behind the scenes footage we have seen with JJ Abrams, or any person involved with the making of the film on or off the screen. The problem with the prequels is the fact that George Lucas thought he knew what audiences wanted from more Star Wars films but unfortunatley he was wrong. I have enjoyed and fallen in love with the films, I have studied them and broken them down and watched every bit of material I can find involved in the behind the scenes of the film, I like to think that everybody involved with making the film has done the same things, we are the fans and we know why we love Star Wars. Also, three of my favourite actors of the last five years, Adam Driver, Oscar Issac and Domhnall Gleeson are in this film! The one thing George Lucas should have done before making the prequels, which I assume he hasn't, is attend a lecture on his own series of films, to watch the endless amount of fan videos and breakdowns on YouTube that go into depth and detail about why Star Wars is so popular and the staple of pop culture that it is today.

We've been warned though, it is difficult to make a good Star Wars movie, the prequels proved that. But I think The Force Awakens is going to be good. I can feel it.

Star Wars, the prequels, the originals, they are inspiring, they inspired me to go into the proffesion that I am still striving to break into today. Even if you are still on the fence about the new Star Wars films just remember, these films are going to inspire a whole new generation of filmmakers, storytellers and dreamers.

And that is why I love Star Wars.

Thanks for reading!

Ex Machina

It's been a while since I've been to the cinema, hence why it's been a while since I've posted here! Happy new year! Worry no more, I have a review for the new British sci-fi film Ex Machina. This is the first film from 2015 I have seen and it was a pretty decent way to kick off a new year of cinema.

Ex Machina is the directorial debut of Alex Garland, a man whose written great sci-fi films such as Sunshine, 28 Days Later and Dredd. The film follows a young programmer named Caleb who is selected to participate in a breakthrough experiment in artificial intelligence, by billionaire genius, Nathan, to evaluate the human qualities of a breathtaking female A.I. named Ava.

First things first, the acting in this film is superb. I am a big fan of both Domhnall Gleeson and Oscar Issac who are brilliant as Caleb and Nathan. They are great actors who are deservedly going up in the world and will next be seen together in the new Star Wars film. Ava is played by Alicia Vikander who is new to me but I expect big things for her career after her stunning performance as the A.I persona. The film is held up by these three and they really make the film something special with their performances. All three had great chemistry together, truly becoming their intersting characters.

The film also looks great, the cinematography is bright and crisp and full of colour. The aesthetic of Nathan's house/research facility is really well captured as well as bringing a grounded futuristic feel to the film.

The writing is good and the film is very philosophical with its themes and ideas, asking what it means to be a human and play god and the sacrifice that makes on your own humanity, there are some interesting themes at play here. These themes however are ones we have seen before in most films about A.I; this is my biggest problem with the film. I cannot remember the last A.I film I watched that felt like a different story was being played out then ones before it. This film is lucky that it pulls the genre off well enough to make us forget that other A.I films have pretty much  tread the same ground over and over again.

It would be great to see a new and original take on Artificial Intelligence and unfortunately this film doesn't provide that. Fortunately it does provide great performances and stunning visuals, and a intriguing enough plot, elevating it to one of the better A.I films around. I am rating Ex Machina a 4/5.

What did you think of the film? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!