The seventh episode of Star Wars and constant delight

Last week, the seventh episode “Star Wars”, “Awakening of Power” - a movie that had been waiting for several years and the interest in which Disney warmed the whole of 2015 has been released; In the literal sense, there was nowhere to go. In the audience and critics, the film caused a unanimous delight, he is already hitting the cash fees. Grisha Prophetov explains why we all should slow down and catch our breath.

Attention: there are small spoilers in this text
by the content of "awakening of force"

“There is God, and He made this film. And all those who ... (they are digging. - Approx. Ed.) Before that miracle - ... (Come away. - Approx. Ed.) With the speed of a millennial falcon. " This is the end of the post in the public Clique, their review on the seventh episode of Star Wars. Clique-public culture public,
Where they write about TV shows, films, games and other language of memes and force (that is, Forced Meme, artificial memes that are created and spread intentionally). Clique
They talk about a lot with enthusiastic intonations, and, of course, there is a considerable share of irony in this, but their reactions
For some reason, you believe in the “Awakening of Power”. It also seems
that she believes 4 thousand people who put likes like.
So the culture of delight works.

And the “knife” site, on the contrary, writes about “why you are forced to love the Star Wars and what to contrast with fascinated sectarians”. Many people proudly write
that they have never watched "Star Wars"
And now they certainly will not. Similar polar reactions arose around the Interstellar last year,
But for 2015, we learned to react more sharply
And merciless. Outside of the hype around the Star Wars, one cannot stay, even remaining silent - this is a gesture.

“Awakening of Power” is the first film in a series that George Lucas has nothing to do with it: it was shot by Jay Abrams. The seventh episode is an attempt to return love and confidence in a franchise with a complex history. The action of the seventh episode takes place 30 years after the "return of the Jedi": the empire is defeated,
But the first order came to her place, and the rebels replaced resistance. The plot is spinning around three new heroes: girls named Rei living
On the deserted planet, the finn attack aircraft, who does not want to serve the first order anymore, and the resistance pilot according to Dameron. The old heroes of Star Wars, however, also appear and play important roles. There is no doubt in the total success of the film: he is already hitting the fees and has become one of the main pop cultural events of the suitable by the end of 2015.

This is a very calculated, accurate and effective movie. It hits the target and presses all the necessary buttons. There is a moderate fan service, pressing on nostalgia.
There is a new story and new heroes, slyly rhyming with the old parts,
But at the same time, still quite original. There are frightening scenes
(with the villain Kylo Renom), cute scenes (the BB-8 robot is responsible for them), funny scenes (with the finn-storm) and scenes that cause delight. At the same time, the “awakening of force” is, as it were, collected from those and plot moves of the original “star wars”: there is a story of growing up, related ties, a hero’s journey, magical assistants, and so on; But these are not direct references and copies,
And something more poetic like rhymes. On Twitter, immediately after the premiere, they wrote that these are exactly those “star wars” that everyone hoped for (Afisha.ru users, for example, count exactly the opposite) . This movie is a reaction machine.

The reaction appeared right away: at first the audience gathering for the film was very afraid of spoilers. The Internet for a short time turned into a real battlefield: people asked not to tell anything about the plot and threatened a friend
Friend by reprisal. All media that published reviews of the “awakening of power” necessarily marked that there were no spoilers. Other people, on the contrary, used it as weakness and laid spoilers in a public space, like bombs to spoil others. Not one
Another film recently, it seems, has not caused such caution
In relation to the plot. Everyone wanted to get a pure, uncomplicated experience. Why?

Perhaps because it was in the case of Star Wars that everyone hoped that they would finally feel something.

From the day of the premiere, the film managed to collect $ 517 million

4 thoughts to the side
About "Awakening of Power"

If it is very important for you to take out from this text whether I think this film is good or not: yes, it is good.

The criticism of “awakening of force” so far resembles the game for the most part: they write a lot about external qualities, few
About the essence. Open Rotten Tomatoes (where the film, of course, is 95%)
And read a few reviews at random: everyone discusses how well the film is made from a technological point of view
And how much he fulfills his functions - pleases the old fans of the Star Wars and attracts new ones. The best text of Richard Brody in The New Yorker.

"Awakening of power" has to be part of the franchise,
Therefore, here many things are done with thoughts about the future. Some lines remain unresolved, the development of heroes breaks off
In an unexpected place, everything is placed in a general context.
But perhaps such a movie is the best that you can do now.

It seems that the “awakening of power” only suffers from the fan service. The first 20 minutes, while only new characters are shown to us - the best that is here. They have clear motivations
And a clear story. As soon as old heroes appear (primarily Khan Solo), the film loses all surprise.

“Star Wars”, of course, is a special case. In a sense, they cannot be seen with a clear look, because behind them stretches a heavy load of context. On the other hand, it is they-the last large franchise in pop culture,
From which you can expect something good. Many have bright children's memories. For many, this is the only franchise that
They managed to really love: she tells a simple, almost fabulous story. Even despite a difficult relationship with the series (after all, Lucas greatly spoiled her blood in the 2000s), it was the “Awakening of Power” that was supposed to become a new beginning for which you can forget about everything bad and remember only the good.

We found ourselves in a culture in which there is nothing clean. There are no good big films or just beautiful stories in blockbusters. Everything is tied
On money, on nostalgia, on marketing. Each new big film is either an attempt to earn on an existing story (such as the “Jurassic World”), or part of a large franchise that paves the way for the next films to make money on them (like Marvel films). These homunculi, created for the sake of record boxing offices, almost do not cause emotions.

There cannot be new "star wars". In the 1970s it was a fresh, original story, while so huge that it became the phenomenon of the world
and historical scale. No producer will now give such a new history of money - because it is too much risk. Why, if you can earn on what exactly works? Therefore, the last hope remained
On the old Star Wars.

A month before the film was released on the Internet, a fan theory began to walk that Ja-ja binx from the new Lucas trilogy was Lord Siths

Pop culture of recent years (that is, the culture of delight) taught us not to feel, but to react. The Internet reduced the reaction to a second: you need to react to everything
And make up your opinion. People write down their reactions
In the video, for example, when the trailers are watched (with the trailer of the Star Wars, by the way, it was so). After viewing
Everyone reports on their impressions - usually so
So that the meaning can be reduced to "wow!" or "sucks." We are used to thinking with extreme, sharp categories. Films also bring acute and fast - one that can be quickly recognized.

But the movie should work wrong. The main thing is not to go out
From the audience and say to their friends: “Yes, it was perfect!”; A good film remains with you for days, weeks, months. The instant reward to which we are accustomed to almost leave no traces. Microskuka, the moments of lull have always been part of human life, but now they have practically disappeared due to the fact that we always have
How to entertain yourself: a film, a series, a smartphone. A reward in the form of dopamine is always at the distance of an outstretched arm.

In the "Awakening of Power" there is both. There are full elements of the culture of delight: bright, quick, impressive moments. Simple plot turns. Nostalgia, to which fans of the series obviously react. The main characterizing her phrase
You heard in the trailer: "Chui, we are at home." Seems,
Without all this, a modern pop movie simply cannot exist: if the viewer does not receive instant delight from the movie and will not count on him, the film
Will not bring money.

On the other hand, there is a space for understanding. We just weaned from him. Completion does not go well
With extreme degrees.

A good understanding tool is criticism. When you analyze the shortcomings of the work (and they are almost everywhere), you understand it better. You may even begin to love him more if it is worth it. But now, due to the fact that everyone is so holding on to fragile impressions, criticism is perceived not as an attempt to analyze and an attempt to turn on critical thinking, but as a spit in the face. It seems that if someone sees the shortcomings that you love, he wants to ruin your impression.

Hollywood screenwriter Max Landis wrote on his Twitter that Ray
From the "Awakening of Power" - the classic Mary Sue. This is a classic character of fan fiction, which usually becomes a projection of the author; The main thing in it is
This is impeccability, such a character turns out everything, and everyone likes him. Landis then began to explain in detail why this is so, but he was already torn to pieces. They accused sexism. Or that he himself
The films are bad. They just called stupid. Only one person wrote:
"I liked the film, but not to argue with your criticism."

When I left the hall after the “Awakening of Power”, I was a little stunned.
Not with delight, no, I was just in a stupid state, because I could not understand what I was thinking about the film. I took me a few hours to thaw
And start making some conclusions. And the point is not that I have not received any important experience. It was just not perfect. And that's good. I immediately saw the flaws. But I am so used to the extreme degrees, to maximalism and delight,
that I just could not remember-how is it when you like something, but you are ready
It is criticized. Almost a week passed, and the seventh episode was still left
with me.

The “Awakening of Power” has all the possibilities to become this shy bomb - stay with you and make you think about it. It is laid there.
Important topics are affected in it, difficult characters are shown, he, in the end, was removed better than an ordinary blockbuster. But pop culture of the 21st century accustomed
We are to another: we need to have fun faster and leave for something next. I would like around this film-and its context-some conversation turned around.

But so far this is not. While there are screams, indignation, joy, delight, anger
And fireworks.

At the request of Star Wars Awesome, 334,000 results are issued on Twitter

“Awakening of power”: why everyone needs to exhale and calm down