Film

Deconstruct and draw parallels between the representation of the labyrinth in Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth (2006) and Jim Henson's The Labyrinth (1986). What is the labyrinth an allegory for? What does the journey imply for the time periods that the films are set in? What do the creatures represent that the main character encounters?

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (or MCU) has proven over the past 7 years to be a strong, viable, profitable, and well-beloved series of films, which plan to continue forward with at least two films every year with no end in sight. But now, Star Wars is looking to break out into its own Cinematic Universe, and spawn an ongoing series of both episodic and stand-alone films. So what could this mean?

With the Marvel films, each film is gathering plot points, characters, and events from decades of material that all must be accounted for in order to make sure that certain elements that have been established for decades are stay consistent. With Star Wars, the new execs at Lucas Film and Disney have decided to throw out the majority of its expanded universe in order to allow the most creative freedom and a clean slate going forward, hopefully with the result that the newly expanding universe will be more coherent and consistent between all previous and future installments. On the Marvel side the mandate requires that each screenplay include Easter-eggs or plot details from future Marvel properties within the story, so that a large interconnected web can be constructed between every film. This has resulted in many artistic and creative arguments. On the Star Wars side, Lucas Film and producer Kathleen Kennedy seem less interested in mandating any particular rules for the writers and directors, in favor of letting everyone work freely as they please, in order to get the best possible stories and films out of them.

For Marvel, “The Avengers” was an enormous step forward not just for legitimizing a more cartoonish comic-book universe on film, but it was the first ensemble super-hero movie that was actually helmed by a talented director who could handle the task, and it proved a huge success. But with the release of pre-order tickets for “The Force Awakens,” Star Wars seems more than capable of breaking every record at an unbelievable margin not only because of the brand, but because the right people are running the show, and making this film an event no one should miss. So what does that mean for the Star Wars films that come afterwards? Is it possible that the Star Wars Cinematic Universe could surpass the MCU in terms of filmmaking quality, world-building, and drawing power; or is all of this just hopeful speculation, and it could just as easily run into all of the same problems that Marvel has, and an eventual over-saturation of its own brand?

There is a lot of chatter online (social media and news sites) about relationships and orientations in Star Wars The Force Awakens, and the later upcoming films. For example there is talk of chemistry between Finn and Poe, the more obvious heterosexual pairing of Finn and Rey, or even a poly relationship between the three. Is there a possibility for a gay/poly relationship, or are these options merely being dangled over hopeful fans? It is not the first time this has been done, if only considering the indulgent hints at Sherlock/Watson in BBC Sherlock.

An article can look at opinions online about possible pairings, and exploring other examples of dangling certain non-canon couples over the fans without committing to the relationship could provide interesting context. As can looking at the trend for fanfiction with non-canon couples. Also good to think what effects certain relationship choices could have over viewers, plot and social progression.

Due to J.J. Abrams's recent involvement in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, he was unable to direct the third new Star Trek, leaving it to Justin Lin (Fast and Furious) to direct. Will the signature mark that Abrams's left on the series lose its aura that was present in Star Trek and Star Trek: Into Darkness? Abrams's is producing Star Trek: Beyond, however, so perhaps his creativity will find its way into the new one as well.

If the successes of films like Jurassic World and Star Wars: The Force Awakens have proven anything, it's that nostalgia is very appealing to movie fans.

The Force Awakens is actually the exact opposite of the prequels — where the prequels had a creative story (with a goal) and largely poor acting, Force Awakens has a largely derivative story (with no ending in sight beyond Episode IX) and good acting. The upcoming Ninja Turtles sequel is receiving anticipation from fans who have accepted the lack of story in the new bunch of films and just want to see Rocksteady and Bebop on the screen. Guardians of the Galaxy also relies heavily on nostalgia, albeit that of society rather than cinematic. Regardless of shortcomings, audiences continue to see these movies and these movies continue to get made.

So what will ultimately be more financially successful in the long term for the already extremely perilous and risky film industry: appealing ever more to certain fanbases' nostalgia (until that fanbase ages out and a new fanbase comes in), or appealing to everyone's imagination through more originality and creativity?

"Take off that mask," Solo said to Ren, venturing further onto the bridge. "You don't need it."*

But what would Star Wars be without them? An analysis of The Force Awakens centred around this symbol offers the viewer many windows into aspects of character and theme, particularly when contrasted to A New Hope, which Episode Seven so blatantly sets itself in juxtaposition to. What roles do masks in Star Wars create, and how are these challenged and manipulated by characters? How does Finn's acting before he takes off his helmet – effectively mime – create his character? How is Ren's mask, aesthetically and symbolically, different from Vader's, and what is significant about Vader's memorial being his mask (which he discarded at the end of Episode 6)? Comparing the use and implications of masks in the film and franchise to the historical purposes of masks that are also echoed in the movies – for instance, the samurai helmets of the Sith – could yield further insights, though there are many other options for enquiry.

The second focus of the article would be on machines, another key symbolic feature of the Star Wars series. The Force Awakens introduced us to new droids, from scrap to practically sentient. Comparing major characters like BB-8 to the junk droids we see on Jakku (and maybe comparing that comparison to a comparison of R2-D2/C-3PO against the junk droids on Tatooine) is just one path into the topic. Investigating the nature of the technology used by the 'goodies' and 'baddies' of the movie also promises a lot of depth of discussion – why does the Dark Side always go for massive industrial weapons, contrasting to how the Light Side is saved by small, humble droids and the small pieces of data they carry – and why should those tiny things be threats against these massive feats of power?

A strong conclusion would find an insightful way to bring these two together; this can, and perhaps should, govern the entire focus of the article. The writer could use research into the traditions and developments of the theatre to discuss masks and machines (while the former's link to theatre is obvious, one could consider how the latter were used in, say, Victorian melodrama, which Star Wars could be seen to parallel).

The article could consider just one of these symbols, but a controlled comparison should be more exciting.

edit: now considering writing this myself, unless anyone else gets a burning desire to (in which case I can offer

With the continuous success of Marvel movies popularizing the live-action comic book adaptation since the 2002 "Spider-Man" starring Tobey Maguire, and the re-vitalization of DC's Batman franchise in the 2005 reboot by Christopher Nolan, superheroes has become a feature of mainstream Hollywood blockbuster. 2016 marks the beginning of phase 3 of the Marvel cinematic universe with "Captain Amercia: Civil War" and DC's first attempt upon expansion with "Dawn of Justice", the age-long rivalry between the two comic book juggernaut take each other head on for the first time on the silver-screen. Who will win box office in 2016 and which will be more well-received by the critics?

A historical analysis of the Star Wars/Star Trek "rivalry." Is/Was it really as big as some people make it out to be? Can one be a fan of both franchises? It seems like a silly thing to say today that you have to choose one or the other, but I'd be interested to read about the histories of both franchises and how the so-called "rivalry" came about.