'SPECTRE', 'The Force Awakens' and the expectations game

The Force Awakens

Like most movie nerds I am beyond excited about the upcoming installments of the James Bond and Star Wars sagas. Both films boast phenomenal trailers and will likely be bulletproof at the box office. But I am also concerned that neither film can ever live up the hype that has preceded them.

This seems incredibly unfair. Both films -- SPECTRE and The Force Awakens -- deserve to be judged on their own terms, but considering the legacy of which they are a part of, that's nearly impossible.

Take a look at the early reviews of SPECTRE, and a backlash against that film has already begun. The reviews are solid, most critics consider the film to be a good, if not great, Bond film. And yet nearly every one, including the positive notices, feel the need to compare SPECTRE unfavorably to Skyfall.

This is frustrating because, as something of a Bond aficionado, I can attest to the fact that not every entry in the series can and should be a game changer. In fact, only once in the series' entire history did two virtually flawless entries come back-to-back (that would be From Russia With Love and Goldfinger at the height of Sean Connery's reign).

Skyfall was not just the most commercially successful 007 movie ever, it was also arguably the most critically acclaimed as well, with legitimate Oscar buzz. The film not only established a new M, Q and Moneypenny, but it also provided more depth and gravitas for the Bond character than any of the previous 20-something films. Another movie can't do that, because it's been done.

I'm hopeful that SPECTRE doesn't detract from what Skyfall accomplishes, and early indications are it doesn't. But if it takes a more escapist, or in other words traditional 007 turn, which the early reviews suggest it does, that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's not like Bond was broken and needed fixing, it just benefited for some new elements, which Daniel Craig and company have provided.

Now it's time for another adventure, it's just not going to be Skyfall Part II.

SPECTRE

Each trailer for the J.J. Abrams-directed Star Wars: Episode VII has been better than the last. The most recent clip (with the exception of the frustrating absence of Mark Hamill) is undeniably spectacular. There is tantalizing footage of the new leads and old favorites like Harrison Ford as Han Solo and Carrie Fisher and Princess Leia.

More of the plot appears to be emerging but not too much for there to be any real spoilers. In fact, the filmmakers have done an incredible job of keeping the entire story under wraps.

What remains promising is that the emphasis of the film clearly appears to be more on the characters than the effects, which was something that all of George Lucas' prequel films got wrong. And what CGI there is in the film seems to minimal and not the least bit distracting.


Abrams, not unlike what he did with his Star Trek reboot, has done what he can with practical sets and effects, and the look of this film bring back real memories of the original classic trilogy, which made us all fall in love with Star Wars in the first place.

But I do have one concern -- kind of a big one actually. The original trilogy was many things. and among those qualities were a terrific sense of humor. There were a lot of great running gags, off the cuff humor and even a few laugh out loud moments. That levity is entirely missing from the early footage from The Force Awakens.

Don't get me wrong, after the hapless attempts at humor in the prequels, I am excited for a more serious, adult take on the Star Wars universe, but I also don't want a brooding Dark Knight-esque version of the story. My favorite entry in the entire canon -- The Empire Strikes Back -- was the darkest but it also included this scene.

Here's hoping that The Force Awakens doesn't collapse under the weight of its own importance.