Will 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Emerge As Oscar Winner?

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” we know for sure will turn out to be one of the biggest blockbuster of the year and revive the slightly tattered Star Wars franchise. 

It is sure going to be another star on J J Abrams shoulder.

The makers of the movie have maintained a perfect balance to lure both the old and the young generation, with some of the familiar faces being brought back from the original trilogy along with the introduction of new generation of foes and heroes, not to forget about the abundance of non-stop action and emotion.

But, hold on, attracting a large group of audience is one thing, and winning an Oscar is slightly different. Has “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” got all the ingredients to be a blockbuster along with being able grab Oscars?

Unfortunately, when we take a look back, we will not be able garner much hope for the upcoming movie from the franchise. For Star Wars, the force has not been strong enough to shake the minds of Hollywood’s biggest award show.

Let’s begin with the first movie from the franchise, A New Hope. With six wins in technical categories from a total of 10 Oscar nominations, the first movie did set the bar high enough, something which no other movie from the franchise has been able to match.

Back in 1977, when the movie was released as Star Wars, it was something that was never seen before on the big screen, and indeed a history was made. Unfortunately, with all the praises won, the Oscar for best picture went to Annie Hall, a romantic comedy from Woody Allen.

The Empire Strikes Back

The fate of the second installment from the franchise, The Empire Strikes Back, was not much different. Reviews were stronger than the predecessor, but were not strong enough to impress the Academy Awards. The movie was only able to bag two wins, for sound design and visual effect, from a total of only three nominations.

Return of Jedi marched on the same footprints almost, with four nominations in same categories and an extra win for effects. For the remaining of the prequels, the award judges did not even took a note of them, it seems.

Does Academy Awards Hate Star Wars?

With all this story, it gives us an impression that Academy Awards considers Star Wars like a cousin brother or as if it is averse to high grossing, mainstream entertainment.

When we take a look at Avatar, Inception and Gravity, who all were nominated for best pictures, with director Alfonso Cuaron’ Gravity bagging a major win, it seems nothing is wrong with Oscars.

The Return of the King, the last movie from Lord of the Rings, were both honored for Best Director and Best Pictures, and the same goes for 1997 Titanic.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is not like the aforementioned movies, for it does not take the cinema in any new direction. Abrams movies are emotionally satisfying and are technical accomplishments, but they go only on the path set by the franchise.

One of the first objectives of The Force Awakens is to revive the slightly ailing Star Wars franchise. The movie has got enough content to dominate the technical category. We do wish that it can pull a victory to the size of Titanic.

Source: The Guardian