Five modern sci-fi movies that shame the ‘Star Wars’ franchise
Although the franchise remains as big as it’s ever been, it’s starting to feel like Star Wars is becoming stuck in a little bit of a creative rut, with Disney and Lucasfilm happy to coast along without trying anything too daring or different.
For anyone preparing to state the Andor defence, one of the reasons Tony Gilroy’s series felt so refreshing is that it was the antithesis of what a galaxy far, far away had become. The sequel trilogy, The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett were happy spoon-feeding memberberries to their audience that something feeling so unlike Star Wars was treated as the much-needed breath of fresh air it was.
That’s not to say it’s time to sound the death knell, but Star Wars used to be all about ambition, imagination, and pushing the boundaries of what’s technologically possible in cinema. To illustrate the dearth of creativity on display in Lucasfilm’s corridors of power, the next movie out of the gate – and first in seven years – is The Mandalorian & Grogu, the feature-length spinoff to a nostalgia-heavy TV show that’s placed its most marketable asset and most lucrative merchandising machine in the title.
George Lucas’ creation used to be the single most dominant IP in the pop culture sphere, but it’s debatable if that’s even the case. Not only that, but several sci-fi movies have come along in recent years to not only do the very things that made Star Wars so beloved but do them better than Star Wars has been doing them.
Five incredible modern sci-fi movies:
5. Avengers: Endgame (Joe and Anthony Russo, 2019)
The plan behind The Rise of Skywalker was to stick the landing, successfully tie up a nine-movie arc that spanned more than 40 years, do justice to the myriad of iconic characters found along the way, and send everybody home with a grin plastered from ear-to-ear. Unsurprisingly, that did not happen.
J.J. Abrams did admittedly go nostalgia-crazy in trying to atone for the perceived sins of The Last Jedi, but Episode IX was defined by its wasted potential, blatant pandering, and desperation for approval. For proof that it’s possible to accomplish everything The Rise of Skywalker sought to do without pissing off the fanbase, look no further than Avengers: Endgame.
The conclusion to Marvel’s ‘Infinity Saga’ was the culmination of 21 previous movies released over the past 11 years, which weaved multiple standalone stories into a fan-baiting web of action, character beats, and action sequences that paid tribute to everything that had come before while still taking its own story forward. Disney owns them both, but the difference in approach was stark, to say the least.
4. Avatar (James Cameron, 2009)
One of the most exciting things about the first two Star Wars film trilogies was visiting new planets, each of which was painstakingly detailed, filled with their own distinct populations, and very much felt like living, breathing extensions of the same universe.
In the Disney era, though, there’s been far too much Tatooine. Way too much. Swapping out one sand planet for another, the sequels favoured the similarly beige surroundings of Jakku. Hosnian Prime? Basically Coruscant. Starkiller Base? Another Death Star. Ahch-To? Grey and rocky. Crait? Grey and rocky. Pasaana? Grey and rocky. Kef Bir? Grey and rocky. Exegol? Yep, both grey and rocky.
The vibrant thrill of exploring new worlds has been sorely missing, but at least James Cameron’s Avatar came along to fill the void. It’s obvious in every frame that the filmmaker spent years crafting the culture, language, and ecosystems of Pandora before he shot a single frame, something that was only expanded upon in the sequel The Way of Water. Visiting new planets in Star Wars has lost its lustre, while on the other hand, there’s a genuine medical condition for people who suffer from Avatar withdrawal symptoms.
3. The Host (Bong Joon-ho, 2006)
George Lucas partially devised Star Wars as a means to comment on the political landscape of the time it was created, with the filmmaker openly admitting the lingering shadow of Vietnam was key to the development of the intergalactic conflict between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance.
Other than Andor, such underlying social commentary hasn’t been a concern in the slightest during the Disney era. On the other hand, Bong Joon-ho’s spectacular host leans into the very sentiments that birthed Star Wars in the first place to shine a light on the very real issues that plagued the filmmaker’s native South Korea at the time it was released.
Inspired by a true story albeit with a monstrous spin, Host shines a light on the callous nature those in power can often have of those lower than them on the ladder, the way chemical and societal pollutants can trickle down to cause devastations on the working classes, and how they can often end up alone, isolated, and fighting an unwinnable battle as a result. Much the same can be said of 1977’s Star Wars when peeling back the layers, but not the majority of the 21st century’s films of TV shows.
2. Dune (Denis Villeneuve, 2021)
When the early buzz touted Denis Villeneuve’s Dune as Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings for a new generation, it sounded heavily hyperbolic. And yet, in the aftermath of the staggering Part Two, it’s those two franchises that need to catch up.
Sweeping in scale, grandiose in execution, and the unfiltered vision of a filmmaker given free rein to tell an epic sci-fi saga on whatever scale they saw fit, Dune is evocative of everything Star Wars used to be. A galaxy far, far away is a well-oiled machine that’s always going to be popular, but a lot of the imagination and invention have been drummed out in favour of studio approval.
Rian Johnson was vilified for doing something different, Gareth Edwards was replaced for reshoots on Rogue One, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were fired from Solo, and J.J. Abrams played it about as safe as possible. The ability to inspire awe has been sorely lacking from Star Wars, whereas Dune has it in spades.
1. Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller, 2015)
Decades after an acclaimed and revolutionary original trilogy, a legacy sequel emerges from the Hollywood production line that breathes new life into a stagnant franchise, enraptures audiences all over the world and goes down in the history books as one of the very best blockbusters of the modern era.
They may have made more money, but that adulation does not apply to The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, or The Rise of Skywalker. Instead, George Miller ended a 30-year sabbatical from the Wasteland to rev Mad Max: Fury Road into life, and anyone with even a passing interest in cinema was forever grateful.
A box office success, awards season contender, and riveting reinvention of an established mythos, Fury Road proved beyond all doubt that deciding to double down on batshit craziness, expanding the lore of a decades-old saga, and injecting it with a fresh coat of dazzling, bone-crunching, and pyrotechnic paint wasn’t just capable of pleasing old fans, but creating a whole bunch of new ones, too.
Star Wars has been too scared to rock the boat for too long, while Miller created a classic by tipping the boat over, setting it on fire, and pissing all over its smouldering wreckage to put out the flames.