With the Force hitting theaters again the soundtrack is still leading the march and inspiring all movie goers.
A long time ago… | You may have heard…there’s a new Star Wars movie opening in theaters across the country (and all-around the world) this week. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens is the next chapter in a series of new films, the first part of a new trilogy, and the first film under the new regime move under Disney. George Lucas very lucrative sale of his franchise to Disney has guaranteed that the “House the Mouse built” is now the most powerfully funded film studio in Hollywood.
John Williams the legendary composer behind the music of all the preceding Star Wars films returns to the saga of a galaxy far, far away with the original score for Episode VII – The Force Awakens.
Undoubtedly The Force Awakens will break all expectations at the box office, and the reviews have been more than favorable for J.J. Abrams relaunch of one of the most beloved film series in cinematic history. Under new Lucasfilms head Kathleen Kennedy it has been promised that this is only the beginning in an imperial-sized onslaught on entertainment, that includes spin-off series starring Rogue Squadron, Boba Fett and even a young Han Solo.
For the moment, film fans are focused — all of their attention is laser-sighted on Episode VII. The much anticipated sequel that takes place 30 years after the events of Episode VI – The Return of the Jedi reunites the heroes from the original trilogy and introduces a new generation of characters that will now propel the story forward as a new threat faces a galaxy far, far away.
No Spoilers Ahead (Really) | Though they claim that George Lucas is only peripherally associated with the (re)launch and the continuation of the saga, one returning creative that has also left an indelible mark on the legacy of Star Wars is film composer John Williams. The relationship between Williams and the major blockbusters of the last four decades is one of mutual symbiosis. There are some that might suggest that without John Williams there could be no Star Wars.
For Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens the composer was once again enlisted to recreate the iconic symphonies that instantly transport movie-goers to the Outer Rim and back. Although this chapter of the saga will no longer open with the support of the characteristic 20th Century Fox films fanfare, it nonetheless begins with the familiar high octave notes as the title appears on screen.
As the title crawl begins to introduce the prologue for this adventure it instantly moves into the establishing shot as “The Attack on the Jakku Village” begins. The story begins on a planet, not unlike Tatooine in Episode III a mostly desert planet where a bold, young Resistance pilot named Poe Dameron is on an important mission. Sent by the General of the Resistance forces, Dameron has been entrusted to find the missing piece of a map that will lead to Luke Skywalker, the Jedi Knight and hero of the battle against the tyrannical Empire.
To introduce the new heroes of this exciting new chapter, Williams has taken notes from the original trilogy to give much deserved weight to a new generation of rebels. When “Rey Meets BB-8” the droid carrying the missing map piece, the symphony runs in many parallels to the theme that establishes Luke as the hero of the first trilogy. “I Can Fly Anything” has the same excitement that was often in the background of the daring escapes made infamous by the space smuggler Han Solo.
With The Force Awakens now preparing to carve its own legacy thanks to John Williams it resonates with the power that gave the original series of films the gravitas to become the cinemas greatest space opera.