Star Wars: The Force Awakens' critical and commercial success at thebox officeis almost unparalleled. The long-awaited sequel has pulled in a domestic record of $933.6 million and $2.06 billion worldwide, while raking in an impressive 92% “Fresh” rating with the nation’s critics on Rotten Tomatoes. However, even many fans who thoroughly enjoy the movie have criticized one aspect, that it borrows too much from the 1977 classic that started it all,Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.VimeouserZachary Antelltook it upon himself to put together a side-by-side video showing just how similar scenes from both movies really are.
The video breaks down a number of scenes from the original theatrical version ofStar Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, a.k.a. the “De-Specialized Edition,” andStar Wars: The Force Awakens. Some of these scenes that are uncannily similar arePoe DameronandBB-8’s scene on Jakku, which is practically identical to a scene betweenPrincess LeiaandR2-D2. The arrival of both Darth Vader and Kylo Ren are also strikingly similar, and Finn’s rescue of Poe Dameron is almost identical to Luke Skywalker disguising himself as a Stormtrooper to rescue Princess Leia.
While it’s easy to see how many scenes are visually similar to the originalStar Warsmovie, the new heroes do share some similarities with the original heroes as well. Like Luke Skywalker before her, Rey was abandoned by her parents, left to fend for herself on Jakku. The snarky Poe Dameron most certainly has shades of Han Solo, but Finn is perhaps the most “original” of all these characters, a former Stormtrooper who turns to the light side of the Force.
Star Wars: The Force Awakenssaw the eagerly anticipated reteaming of originalStar WarsstarsHarrison Ford,Carrie FisherandMark Hamill, along withAnthony Daniels, the only actor to have been in all sevenStar Warsfilms, andPeter Mayhew. The returning cast was joined by newcomerDaisy Ridley, who beat out fierce competition to take the principal role of Rey; BAFTA Rising Star Award winnerJohn Boyega(Attack the Block, Imperial Dreams) as reluctant stormtrooper Finn; Emmy nomineeAdam Driver(Lincoln,Girls) as the villainous Kylo Ren, and Golden Globe winnerOscar Isaac(Inside Llewyn Davis,The Bourne Legacy) as Resistance pilot Poe Dameron.
Of course, this video surely won’t be on the upcoming Digital HD, Blu-ray and DVD release ofStar Wars: The Force Awakens, but now that fans can watch this adventure over and over again in the next few days, we could get even more videos breaking down the similarities ofStar Wars: The Force AwakensandStar Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. Do these similarities bother you, or are you glad they referencedStar Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope? Chime in with your thoughts below, and stay tuned for more onStar Wars: The Force Awakens.
[EMBED_VIMEO]https://player.vimeo.com/video/160263943[/EMBED_VIMEO]
