This song isn't actually about Thanksgiving.
I recently went to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens. To sum up my reaction briefly, it was the best Star Wars movie released in the last quarter century. Yes, there were plenty of reused plot elements. Yes, there were plenty of insider references that were included just to call back to the original trilogy. Yes, there was a Firefly reference. Yes, there were plot holes big enough to drive a truck through. Yes, actors like Max von Sydow and Gwendoline Christie were criminally underused.
And I don't care.
Because The Force Awakens got the one thing right that it had to get right: It felt more like a Star Wars movie than anything that has come out since Return of the Jedi was originally released in theaters. From the opening notes of the theme song, to the wind swept dunes of Jakku, to the ruffian-filled tables of Maz's cantina on Takodana, to the space battles between X-Wings and TIE Fighters, to the light saber duels, everything was exactly as it should be. Even with the older characters showing up in the story, the movie makes the universe feel bigger than any of the prequels did. The movie entirely avoids going back to Tattooine, or Coruscant, and any of the other planets we've been to before. When the characters talked to one another, it felt like people talking, and not automatons. Finn was a fun character. Poe was fun to follow around. Rey was a great character.
In short, it was entirely unlike anything that Lucas had done in any of the prequels, or even any of the revisions he made to the original series over the last couple of decades. It seems that the only way for Paul and Storm to get their Thanksgiving wish was for Lucas to sell Star Wars to Disney and let them take over running the franchise. So far, this seems to be working well. I hope it continues.
Previous Musical Monday: Overrated New Year by Sarah Donner
Subsequent Musical Monday: Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie
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