The announcement that Disney was going to acquire the Star Wars franchise was a surprising one. Further announcements provided information of a plan to release 6 new movies which got the general public understandably excited; an opportunity to be thrust back into a world that now spans 40 years provides ample opportunity for nostalgic attacks. With that being said, along with the excitement came a concern for the proper upholding of a series of films that many hold very close to their hearts. There was concern that all of the new movies would wind up in the same realm as the largely disliked prequel trilogy produced in the early 2000s.
So now that we find ourselves in the midst of this new incarnation of Star Wars lore, how has it turned out? Will it be remembered as a flop like episodes 1, 2, and 3? Or will it be recognized as a return to form? I think it is far more likely that Disney will turn the franchise into something else entirely: the new (but kind of old) version of a blockbuster.
The summer blockbuster is a type of film that came to fame with the release of Steven Spielberg's Jaws. In more recent years, blockbusters have seemed to have taken a turn for movies without much heart or story. Five years ago, if you asked someone to name a summer blockbuster they would probably say something like Transformers or another action movie. If you were to ask the same question now, you'd be more likely to hear Star Wars or a Marvel film (both Disney properties).
In an interview with Nick Bilton for the Vanity Fair show "Inside the Hive", CEO of Disney spoke of plans for new Star Wars films that would stretch the series to continue releasing new movies 10 to 15 years into the future. As we recover from the initial shockwave of experiencing new things in the galaxy far far away, we might just find that the new blockbuster is the new Star Wars movie that will be coming out, or the new Marvel movie that is set to be released.
Although there may be concerns that franchises like these could have the potential to reduce the number of original films that are put out, at least the blockbuster will hopefully continue to improve in quality as Star Wars potentially follows the trajectory of the Marvel franchise with the likes of Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther proving to be almost unanimously agreed to be great films. We will have to wait and see what the future holds for the movie industry as a whole, but I am optimistic that the bar will continue to be raised for the quality of movies to come.
