Waxing nostalgic about movies

This archived article was written by: David Rawle

“The originals were way better.” This is a statement that all remakes and newer movies in a series must endure. Just recently the newest Star Wars movie, “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens,” took theatres by storm. The bar was set high for Disney when it came to reviving the franchise and they did not disappoint. There are always some who will either blindly defend or have reasons why they think the original trilogy was better, and no matter what movie it is there will always be this group.
The main reason behind this is due to the nostalgic feeling we have towards these old shows. Nostalgia is usually created from good memories you had pertaining to the subject. Whether it is watching the originals in theaters or watching it with your family, it reminds you of a time when you felt safe and happy, a better and simpler time.
The problem with this is people defend the originals without comparing the problems pertaining to each.
When it comes to “Star Wars,” the saga was an instant classic and touched the hearts of many, but it wasn’t without its faults. For example, in “Star Wars IV: A New Hope,” when Old Ben Kanobi (Obi-Wan Kanobi) first meets Luke, he is introduced to R2-D2 and C-3P0 for the first time and has no idea of who they are. When you consider the backstory behind them, Old Ben should have recognized them instantly.
That is just the beginning, when you look at “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back”. Luke is sent on a journey by his recently departed friend and mentor Kenobi to the planet Degobah to complete his training. When he arrives he unknowingly meets up with the legendary Master Yoda to truly begin his training. At the same time of his training, the Millennium Falcon is being chased to Lando Calrissian’s cloud city on the planet Bespin. It doesn’t take long for Luke’s friends to get into trouble sending Luke to their rescue. Now Yoda warns Luke that it would be very dangerous to leave without finishing his training. This doesn’t seem to be a problem when he returns in “Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi” to Degobah to complete his training, only to arrive to a dying Yoda telling him that there is nothing left for him to teach Luke and that he is ready to face Darth Vader. This is never explained and it is made clear that Luke hasn’t been back to Degobah since.
These are only a few examples that did not make sense in the world of “Star Wars” and, yes, the newer movies also have their flaws, which I will not be going into to prevent spoiling anything for those who haven’t seen the newest one.
A good question to ask before you start comparing is ask whether or not we hold these to the same standards to today’s movies. With the advancements in computer generated graphics, if you play any movie from two significant time periods, 1977 and 2015, the quality in graphics, acting, props, and CGI will be drastically different.
In order to do this, what first must be done is set ground rules and what these rules will be is truly up to the individual. A good place to start is considering what about the movie in its time made it great, the quality of the story and the acting. The reason why this is a good place to start, is these are qualities: A) in all movies, and B) help determine whether a movie was good or bad.