ST The Impact of The Force Awakens on non and casual Star Wars fans

If there is a thread similar to this already going, please merge. There is a lot of discussion and dissection of The Force Awakens, both good and bad, by us hardcore Star Wars fans here. I'm interested in what people have noticed and seen from the non Star Wars and casual Star Wars fans you may have talked to or have in your life. Love it or hate it, this movie has turned into something of a cultural phenomenon. I have noticed people talking about Star Wars that never would have before.

For example, my MOTHER has seen it and enjoyed it. She is a senior citizen who has never understand my passion for Star Wars, really had no idea what a Skywalker, Wookiee or lightsaber is. I find it a bit mind blowing to say the least.

 

Yes this movie seems to be drawing in new fans. Thats good for the longevity of the franchise.

 

My parents (pushing 60) enjoyed it. My wife likes Star Wars but she's not an Uberfan like me, and she's said she wants to go back to the theater and see it again. My "tween-aged" sister absolutely loved it.

 

I had a really unique experience this weekend. I was at my hometown for Christmas, it's a small rural Canadian town of 8000 people. I saw TFA twice there, on boxing day and the following Sunday. Now I have gone to several movies over the past couple of years there when I am home visiting, some of them big ones on opening day like X-Men: Days of Future Past, the first Hobbit and the first Hunger Games. There was maybe 20 people max at them? I've often wondered how they even keep the movie theatre open there, it's always really dead. But for TFA, both shows were just packed completely, almost nowhere to sit. It was really unexpected. People were buzzing and giggling throughout the movie.

 

I actually tend to think of myself as a casual fan personally. I'm the sort that just watches and reads things that come out about Star Wars that sound or look interesting to me, regardless of who made them, how they were made or why they were made. If I like what I see or read, I keep them, if I don't like them, I discard them (see signature quote for details).

I was, of course, very excited to hear that a new film was being made. I went into it spoiler free, and with an open mind as I do with any new SW material and have to say I've really enjoyed. It's going to be one of those things i file away into my personal SW universe.

It's pleasing to me to see it getting as much coverage as it is and I do get the impression that it's drawing in new generations of fans, for many of whom this will be their first exposure to SW. This is a good thing because, much though us older people may hate to admit it, time marches on, and we will be replaced in time, presuming we haven't been already. I think if they can keep it going SW will be alive and well long after most of us here are dead and dust, and this movie is another good addition to the lineup.

I also think it's a good opportunity to try and get some of the old schoolers back as long as they have an open mind. I have a friend of mine who gave up on the films after EpII and didn't see EpIII at all until we sat down one new years eve a few years ago and watched it on Blu-Ray. I was able to rekindle some of his interest already at that point with TCW which he described overall as an awesome series, and I've got him into Rebels now too. I think with TFA, this is a good chance to get him back into the films. Hopefully I'll be able to get him 'round to seeing it this weekend or next.

 

That's so true about people talking about Star Wars who never did before. People at work who never talked about SW, are now talking about it every day. And as an example: this Christmas, I had relatives who as soon as I saw them, the first thing they asked me after saying hi was what I thought about TFA, and wanted to know about the characters (Luke, Han, etc.) from the OT. My sister, who only watched ANH and nothing else, went to see it with us on the 18th, and really liked it.

 

I had pretty much the same experience at my Grandmother's Xmas gathering, there were 20+ of us and I'd say at least half of my relatives immediately asked me "Did you see the new Star Wars movie/did you like it". My sister also went to see it with me on boxing day, I think the last one she had seen was Jedi when we were kids. She also enjoyed it and expressed interest in watching all of them now.

I guess i am feeling a bit vindicated. THE GEEKS HAVE WON! haha

 

I don't know how anyone could be a "casual" fan. Star Wars is awesome. Its all or nothing, baby.

 

Fanboys can hate or love this film but one thing it's done is get people talking about Star Wars again, and in a positive way. For the longevity and credibility of the franchise going forward this can only be a good thing.

 

This is why Disney hired JJ Abrams. JJ is the greatest brand ambassador in show business.

Take Star Trek. I'm no fan of Star Trek, but JJ made both films flat but exciting. Once I was interested, I couldn't really get into the cerebral nature of ST and the constant scenes of talking with no action or real solid plot, but Abrams' films were great for the casual fan.

In some ways, this is the same. The fact is, TFA is a JJ Abrams film which has enough Star Wars to be taken seriously as both. For that reason, I love the film, but at the same time I'm glad JJ isn't getting the reins again.

 

It's only 12 days into its release, and it already feels like a cultural phenomenon. Amazing achievement on the part of Abrams.

And despite not having been a fan of Abrams before TFA (didn't really enjoy any of his films and found most of them unmemorable), I now hope he is heavily involved in the execution of the next two films. Clearly, the "clay" of Star Wars is made for his hands, and I don't want to lose that.

He understands Star Wars on a much deeper level than I could have ever imagined.

 

Couldn't agree more I don't see JJ as the guy to take the franchise forward and evolve it he's great at starting things, evidenced in most of his films and shows pre TFA, he really struggles to finish them in a satisying and conclusive way. He really knows how to get that ball rolling though, TFA is further evidence to that but I would still say it's his best and most accomplished film to date.

That said I would probably still keep him involved on a producing level, his eye for casting is second to none and he really does "get" what Star Wars is. He could still have some worthwhile input. I just didn't want to see him in the directors chair again. I like the choices we've got for 8 and 9.

 

Taking my wife to see it on thursday. She's never seen a SW film before and has zero interest in my obsession with SW, therefore I'll be very interested indeed to see what she thinks.

 

Both my parents went to go see it last night. My brother and I had already seen it, but went again as my Dad wanted to see it, and we pitched in to treat them to the IMAX 3D.

When we walked out, all my Dad really said was that it was better than he thought it would be and that the last three (the prequels) were horrible.

My mom seemed to really enjoy it, which surprised me. I think the last Star Wars movie she saw in theaters was AOTC and she fell asleep through it. She voiced how great she thought Adam Driver and John Boyega were. I don't even think she was expecting to walk away from it having enjoyed it.

When I went the first time to see it with my girlfriend, best friend, and his wife. I think my girlfriend thought it was OK, while my friend's wife thought it was boring and preferred Abrams' Star Trek films, and my friend was just confused and asked me after the film was over if the guy at the end was Luke (neither he nor his wife had ever seen a Star Wars film).

 

It's definitely getting a non-typical SW audience. I think if they start using Rey with Lightsaber promo materials that could increase even more. I absolutely fell in love with her char and sought the 6" black series figure for my daughter(11 yrs old) for Christmas. She saw the movie last week and really enjoyed it. I saw one post about demographics saying this movie had successful scores from both men and women both under 25 and over 25. Called it a 4 quarters success or something.

Oh, and exhibit A for a non-typical audience: Smashing James Cameron's Box Office champions..

 

To be fair those TV shows he started he didn't stick around after starting them so the unsatisfying conclusions weren't HIS fault.
The truth of it is JJ is good at setting up mysteries and things to speculate on, he's definitely a good starter not because he can't finish but he's not the type of person that wants to finish a movie. He's a big believer in letting the viewers think about what it COULD mean and what it COULD be, and I think that's why he chooses a lot of times not to stick around beyond jump starting something up.

He knows half the enjoyment is the mystery. So while I think he'd be great continuing taking the reins I appreciate what he started and can't wait to see where the others take it.

As far as anecdotal things.. My brother isn't a huge fan of Star Wars, he has the movies but isn't crazy about them. He saw TFA and he was speculating and talking about where he thinks characters will go through the movies. He wants to see it again... He thinks it's one of the best in the series.

 

I think the fact that you're posting on a Star Wars discussion board is pretty solid evidence against you being a "casual" fan

 

I don't think it's really any much different that ever when a movie comes out.

When it comes out many people who don't ever bother with Star Wars in-between the movies watch the new one then mostly tune out again until the next new one. This is not even the casual fan level but the casual viewer.

The major difference here is that the next one is not 3 years away but 1 and the next one after that is 5 months later.

The release of a movie can also promote a renewed interest by a good number of those above people to add the previous movies to their library of movies if they have not already hence the PT, OT and Saga sets being at the top of Amazon sales of Movies and TV since TFA opened. That is more along the lines of the very casual fan.

http://www.amazon.com/best-sellers-movies-TV-DVD-Blu-ray/zgbs/movies-tv/ref=pd_dp_ts_mov_1

 

Here in my town the SW hype is really great at the moment, it's really nice see SW back for the midia around the world.

 

My father does not respond to anything fantasy or sci-fi. He's a realistic, meat and potatoes guy. And...he won't stop asking me about Star Wars after having seen TFA. Abrams tapped into something deep, IMO. A longing for forbidden seas, to paraphrase Melville and Sagan. It may not have the cultural significant of ANH in 1977, but it is capturing people's imagination in a very similar way.

 

I'm blessed with a lot of friends; most of them are casual fans, at best, that would never even think of posting on a message board. It's resonated very well with a lot of people I know, and a few of them have said they plan on seeing the film again in theaters.

Star Wars films always draw casual audiences and non-fans alike; that's just the power of the world George built. But something is happening with TFA which probably hasn't been reflected since the release of the OT. People aren't just going to see this because it's Star Wars, and therefore an almost compulsory pop cultural requirement, but it seems to be striking a genuine cord with a lot of people based off the film's own merits.

I enjoyed the PT, to various degrees, and will always cringe at the notion that they were universally panned failures that everyone hated. But the goodwill, the excitement, the enjoyment of The Force Awakens is something, in my cognizant life time, I've only experienced with other film franchises, but never Star Wars. I grew up with my generation loving the films on VHS, getting excited to see it for the "first" time with the SE in the late 90s, and the mixed bag reaction to the PT. This is the first time I feel like I'm getting a taste of what people describe when they talk about the embrace of the original Star Wars trilogy during it's theatrical run.

 

I think it's rather clear that JJ Abrams might end up being the George Lucas of the ST, depending on his level of involvement with IX..

 

All of my friends are casuals (both with SW and cinema goers in general) and they absolutely loved the film, infact I've yet to speak to someone in person that even remotely disliked it. I went for my second viewing last night and even now 11 days after release the cinema is still packed with people going to see it. It's struck a chord big time, in my living memory it's only really comparable to Titanic and Avatar, where people felt it was a movie they just had to see.g

 

I wonder if the marketing of the movie as Star Wars: The Force Awakens has the average person thinking it's a one shot kinda deal and therefore more of a must see event... The Prequels were always marketed as a trilogy with episode numbers in front of the title.

 

I wouldn't say so