J.J. Abrams Looking To Make STAR WARS: EPISODE VII Feel “Authentic”

Say what you will about director J.J. Abrams, but you can’t deny that he cares about Star Wars. In an interview with EW, Abrams assured fans of the franchise that he is working hard to get the tone of “Star Wars: Episode VII” just right, although when asked which film he looks toward for inspiration, he declined to give a direct answer.

Impossible for me to say because it’s going to be an evolving thing. I would say we are working really hard to make a movie that feels as emotional and authentic and exciting as possible. Whatever your favorite Star Wars movie is and how to compare it is really sort of subjective.

Still, it seems Abrams knows that the fans are placing very high expectations on him. When asked how he handles unsolicited advice from both fans and the media, he said:

It’s been nice see that how important it is and to be reminded how important it is to so many people. We all know that [creator George Lucas’] dream has become almost a religion to some people. I remember reading a thing somewhere, someone wrote about just wanting [the new film] to feel real; to feel authentic. I remember I felt that way when I was 11 years old when I saw the first one. As much of a fairy tale as it was, it felt real. And to me, that is exactly right.

I know there are a lot of people who still have doubts about Abrams directing Episode VII, but I have faith he’ll turn out a great Star Wars film. We already know that he’s emphasizing story content over special effects; something that the prequel films never quite accomplished. The fact that he’s trying to recreate that feeling of seeing a Star Wars for the first time and having it feel real means that he understands what the fans want.

Personally, I want to have the same feeling I had when I saw the Original Trilogy for the first time when I was 5. Even though the prequel trilogy only came out several years later and I was still at a young enough age that I thought Episode I was cool (I know, I hate myself for thinking that), I never got that feeling that I felt with the Original Trilogy. I want that authenticity back again, and I think Abrams is up to the challenge of delivering it.

In many ways, Abrams is the Star Wars franchise’s “New Hope.”

SOURCE: Entertainment Weekly