movies/tv If you directed "The Force Awakens", how would it be different?

[HorsesandMOARGaloar 300]

Some people found that this Star Wars film by J. J. Abrams was a re-hash of Episode IV; the movie was too influenced by progressive beliefs; and that the main character Rey seems too successful to be consistent with her skills and circumstances, that she might be a "Mary Sue".

I wonder, if you directed that Star Wars film instead of J. J. Abrams, how would you improve it? What are some ways in which you can make any parts of the film better than it currently is?

Edited March 29, 2016 by HorsesandMOARGaloar

[Summer Breeze 2,522]

I would make it an anime and add more magic XD just kidding, don't kill me.

 

Okay, serious now. I think rey is a good character. Her background makes it logical that she is a brave and strong character but I would give her more little flaws like being afraid of the dark or something XD and I would like a little bit more romance between her and finn, or having finn chrush on rey a little harder throughout the movie

[Castle Bleck 19,163]

I'd do it in a way that didn't practically scream, "LOL, the Battle Of Endor was all for nothing, LOL!"

[Leave a Whisper 703]

I'd have Kylo Ren quit acting like a toddler, also instead of being Kylo Ren, he would have been Anakin Solo, because lets face it, thats who he is based off of and Anakin Solo was a much more cunning and intriguing Sith. Rey was okay, but too cliché, heh that ryhmes. I would have made it it's own story, instead of A New Hope 1.5

Edited April 29, 2016 by Leave a Whisper

[Castle Bleck 19,163]

On 2016-04-29 at 11:51 AM, Leave a Whisper said:

I'd have Kylo Ren quit acting like a toddler, also instead of being Kylo Ren, he would have been Anakin Solo, because lets face it, thats who he is based off of and Anakin Solo was a much more cunning and intriguing Sith. Rey was okay, but too cliché, heh that ryhmes. I would have made it it's own story, instead of A New Hope 1.5

Don't you mean Jacen Solo? Anakin Solo was the one who sacrificed himself to help stop the Yuuzhan Vong.

Edited November 15, 2021 by Anti-Villain

[Leave a Whisper 703]

Don't you mean Jacen Solo?

 

Anakin Solo was the one who sacrificed himself to help stop the Yuuzhan Vong.

Yeah I think I do. Sorry it's been forever since I read the books. ^^'

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,298]

I would implement far less lens flare, and Mark Hamill would provide a voice over for the film as The Joker.

[Zyrael 1,471]

More cowbell.

 

 

And hayden christensen. Also more gci. 

[Eiwly 77]

more original plot less throwback references / pandering just to please long-time fans of the OT (◕‿◕ )

 

character wise, I actually LOOOVED the new trio. in my opinion, they're well balanced, each with strengths and weakness, and I like the whole positive vibe the give. and if people think rey's a mary sue, if she's a skywalker (protip: she totally is) then please just look at luke & anakin. being talented from the get go is basically a family trait. rey is a literal ray of sunshine, nothing to change with her.

 

one change I would have liked is more force ghost!vader & anakin!! I actually stumbled across these really interesting pics of concept art for the film, which showed a version of anakin / vader as a force ghost, where he would shift between each form. well they're always hope for ep. VIII

 

also padme. I want a padme mention. if rey's a skywalker she is I wanna see a connection drawn between her and leia and padme.

[Dreambiscuit 8,021]

First of all, I wouldn't kick George out of his own universe in the egotistical thinking that I alone am the future of a franchise I know nothing about. 

To start off, rather than making Jakku a ripoff of Tattooine, I'd um, you know, make it Tattooine. Or at least call it what it is: Jakkooine.

I would not assume anyone such as Kylo Ren would have the resources to simply shake another vast Empire out of his pant leg just because he had a little tiff with his parents and teacher. What did he do, put out a galactic want ad? As director or writer, I would enjoy the opportunity to show the genesis of this new military force and how it came to be, rather than just having it ready-formed so as to avoid having to think it out.

For example, I would have an independent civilian (commercial) force, enlisted by the New Republic to rebuild the galaxy after the battle of Endor, and have its leaders become corrupted by Kylo Ren. They would stage a struggle with a scapegoat faction (such as a pirate group) and use it as an excuse to militarize their forces (for their own protection) and gain the Republic's blessing in doing so. Hence, you have a ready made force that's already integrated, equipped and ready to turn on the Republic at any time.

I would clarify why the New Republic is called the Resistance when it was clearly there before the First Order, and thus should have had the power and control to prevent its inception and growth, rather than act as a guerrilla-fighting redux Rebellion against some new upstart Empire. Better yet, it wouldn't be called the Resistance at all. Lame.

I would have avoided ridiculous plot conveniences like Han and Chewie just being in the neighborhood when the Falcon left Jakku. It would be more feasible for Han and Chewie to be in the system on a shady deal with the shady dealers already there on Jakku. It may be convenient, but better than Han and Chewie catching the Falcon on a random 'fishing trip' in space. 

Rey's powers and abilities should not have just suddenly blinked into existence to the extent that she could take on a trained Sith and hold her own. Since she already showed her prowess with a staff, she would have been more convincing using that and just struggling by, they way Luke struggled with his burgeoning powers in ESB. It would even be more humorous and fun to see her faltering through it; it would have endeared her as a character.

Finn with a lightsaber?! I think not! One of the first things a Jedi is taught is how to avoid cutting their own legs off with one. But here he is, sanitation trooper 2187, going at it like he's been doing it all his life. And what's the deal going saber-fighting against another stormtrooper? First off, it's just a little interesting that the one trooper that recognized Finn on sight (out of thousands, no less) just happened to have a saber-proof weapon of his own. Clearly it should have been Phasma there. At least it would have given her character something interesting to do, and she wouldn't feel like such an overlooked character. Better yet, I would have cut the scene altogether. It's only there to establish Finn's use of the saber. I would have cut all the subsequent scenes as well.

As far as Finn and Rey's romance. Okay, I'm good with that. I like both characters and think they have good chemistry. But I can't help feel like it's another attempt by Disney to stick in a PC interracial thing. I have nothing against it myself, but it seems gratuitous if it's being used strictly as bid by Disney to make money off a broader demographic. 

I would go into more detail about Poe on Jakku and his eventual return to the Resistence. That would have fleshed out his character and given us someone to root for.

Ah yes, and let's not forget the big one; Han Solo's pointless death. If I was going to kill off a major character that fans have been waiting 32 years to see again, I'd make it actually mean something. I'd have waited until episode 8 to give Kylo Ren more time to develop and give some gravity to his motivations. This would have also given fans time to see Han, Luke and Leia together before waxing Han. And I wouldn't make Han and Leia so estranged just because Lawrence Kasdan thinks its cute to mirror certain trends on planet earth (cuz in Hollywood everyone's divorced. Duh). Star Wars is an escape from earth, let's keep it that way and give Han and Leia their old playful back-and-forth barbs and leave the divorce crap to People's Court.

Now for Luke (you know, the star of Star Wars last seen back in the '80s?) J.J. Abrams delayed production for 6 months for a script rewrite supposedly meant to increase the size of the roles for the original 'Big 3'. But here we see Luke in a dialog-free cameo at the end in a long overdrawn closing shot. I would have put Luke in the movie from the beginning. It would have helped to flesh out Kylo Ren's motivations without seeming forced, and given us more tantalizing clues as to Rey's lineage. 

The battle at the end against the new and improved Death Star-y thing, was just lame. Besides having all the air let out of the movie with Han's death during the battle, it's just redundant. That would be the time I would have had the First Order showing itself to the Republic for the first time. It would have been more climactic, intense and realistic than having it just spring out of nowhere at the beginning of the movie. With a series like Star Wars there's plenty of time to tell your story without having to rush it. The First Order (in my version) would not have directly confronted the Republic until then. 

Finally, I'd have a lot less of Abrams' zoom-in-zoom-out camera. If he's supposedly trying to recapture the feel of the original trilogy, he should try watching them. They didn't have that kind of crappy directing style back then. And using film stock instead of digital is another mistake. Grainy film does not make me feel all nostalgic for the old films, it makes me glad that George pioneered a digital age to get away from that look. (Another thing Abrams doesn't seem to know.)

Okay, that's about it for now. *medals to all who stuck with me to the end here* I hate to rant, but I get a little passionate about Star Wars.  

Edited May 1, 2016 by Dreambiscuit

[Satsuki Kiryuin 1,154]

Without a doubt :

 

1. Thrawn trilogy
2. Phasma would replace FN-2199 (TR-8R). Phasma was meant to have more roles, but they got changed due to circumstances. I would make her as powerful as her lore states. I would also highlight moreso how she's different to Hux and Kylo Ren and not just a sideshow.
3. Chewbacca dies. In the EU, Chewbacca dies for a Solo kin. I would've made it so that the death of Chewbacca would create the anger and pain within Kylo Ren to turn him to the dark side.
4. I would make Rey less techy. She's a scavenger, so obviously she's good at improvisation, but her knowledge was overkill.
5. I would emphasize the skill of the First Order's troops, to showcase the differences between the First Order and the former Empire.
6. I would have kept the Leia politics scene, in order for lore building.

[Concerned Bystander 2,901]

I would have let Kylo Ren win the fight between him and Rey before they were separated by the massive rift.  As it is, for somebody that is supposed to the master of the Knights of Ren (or whatever) he just looks like an incompetent wuss who lost a sword fight with somebody that had never even held a lightsaber before that clash.

 

I'm not sure If I'd go so far as to call Rey a Mary-Sue but she has definitely found her powers far too fast, and far too easily, and with her beating Kylo she is already in the position of being superior to the primary antagonist by the end of the first of three films, so where do they take that from here on in?

 

Then Captain Phasma, what the heck was she even for?  Either have her do something, or get rid of her altogether.  The fact that they didn't even make a point of letting us know whether or not she survived the destruction of the Starkiller base (I'm guessing she did) just underwrites the fact that she is, at this point, completely surplus to requirements.

 

I did like the film, it was immeasurably better than any of the prequel trilogy, of course, not having Hayden Christensen in it pretty much assured that would be the case.

[Luminance 2,181]

I would make it not a near rehash of episode IV, instead create something new and original. Kylo Ren would have never had "anger issues" because it shows that he's weak and childlish. Last but not least, give Mark Hamill some lines or something because the last scene left a sour taste in my mouth.

[Castle Bleck 19,163]

On 2016-05-01 at 3:58 PM, Captain Phasma said:

Thrawn trilogy

It would've been so artistically done.

Edited November 15, 2021 by Anti-Villain

[Concerned Bystander 2,901]

Spoiler alert!

 

Episode VIII 'The First Order strikes back'

 

The first order locate the resistance base on the ice planet of Doth, which they assault, causing the resistance to flee to their emergency rendezvous.  The film ends with Han Solo Finn being captured by the bounty hunter, Bongo Fett.

[Castle Bleck 19,163]

On 2016-05-01 at 4:49 PM, Concerned Bystander said:

Bongo Fett.

A.k.a. a long-lost Clone, currently addicted to Spice and/or Death Sticks.

Edited November 15, 2021 by Anti-Villain

[El Duderino 878]

I am one of those people who think JJ Abrams did a fantastic job with The Force Awakens. I like how they are trying to go back to the feel of the original trilogy. Now, keep in mind that directing a film is not the same as writing a film. You guys are all mostly talking about how you would change characters and story. That is not the same thing as directing (JJ did help write it, so he didn't just direct it), even if the director does have some say in that. If I were to direct it, I don't think I would change much. I love his directing style. Now, if I were to change anything about the story, I would have add a little more to explain how the First Order came to power. I'm enough of a nerd to know that stuff, but I'm tired of having to explain that to more casual fans who are like "I thought the empire was defeated".

[Satsuki Kiryuin 1,154]

 

 

It would've been so artistically done, too.

 

I agree fully. Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogy was so artfully made. The crew wouldn't even need to add any extra romance plot, or some dumb subplot, because the Thrawn Trilogy in itself is entertaining and perfect.

[EpicEnergy 22,065]

Just please scrap the idea of Snoke, Kylo Ren is a much better villain.

[Megas 27,050]

Make Finn the main character instead of Rey

[Pastel Heart 6,463]

Totally different. Expand on the empire remnants that Rogue Squadron touched on, continue the Skywalker legacy as it was supposed to be with Mara Jade and Ben Skywalker, don't destroy the EU. I'd really like to expand on the premise Lucas made before Disney scrapped it.

[TBD 17,228]

I will have the bad guy win at the end of the movie for once- it's gonna be a trilogy anyways!

[Miss 6,211]

without deviating too much from like the character story, because I actually love the movie, 

I would make it more subdued. No 3RD DEATH STAR! Which was easily the worst part of the movie. 

They wanted to get rid of the New Republic Worlds which is fucking lame. 

Something more secret going on that has the New Republic Worlds disorganized and not able to respond to a new sith threat. Evil Espionage. 

Bam, bam, still get everything at the end which was good Rey and Kylo have their battle, Han Solo dies with his heart to heart, etc. Also make Captain Phasma actually do something. 

Edited November 16, 2021 by Miss

[Sonic Shimmer 4,116]

It wouldn't have been made.

[Fluttershutter 2,114]

Well I'm not much of a writer but I could at least do better that JarJar Abrams. I really would have loved if there was a good writer who would have used the EU even if Disney didn't want to bother with it.

First of all I wouldn't call it The Force Awakens because that title still makes no sense. All these sequel titles are just throwing Star Warsy words together.

I'd make a movie called Sword of the Jedi about Jaina Solo. There would also be Lowbacca, Zekk, Tahiri, Tenel Ka, etc. And of course Luke, Leia, and Han, but they would just be the old mentors since the actors didn't want to be involved that much. The crawl would give a brief catchup of the forty years of galactic history then we're off to the story.