Disney and Beyond News - Pop Culture Edition 18/10/17

Today in the news, we take a look at all the biggest Film,TV and gaming announcements to come out in the last couple of weeks including some more news from the Avatar sequel, some superhero film news and the Battlefield 1 Turning Tides announcement.

Star Wars and feminism: A Critical Evaluation from a Feminist Theory Standpoint.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...A man named George Lucas created one of pop culture’s most beloved franchises; Star Wars.  The original trilogy comprising of ‘A New Hope’ (1977), ‘Empire Strikes Back’ (1980) and ‘Return of The Jedi’ (1983) (Also known as episodes IV to VI), is an epic space opera charting the struggles between the good guys, aka The Rebellion, against the bad guys, aka The Empire.  This was followed up by a prequel trilogy including, ‘The Phantom Menace’ (1999). ‘Attack of the Clones’ (2002) and ‘Revenge of the Sith’ (2005), (Known as episodes I-III) charting the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd in episode I and Hayden Christensen in episodes II and III).  Now we have a whole host of new Star Wars movies on the cards with a new sequel trilogy, which began with 'Force Awakens' (2015), and the first of the standalone films, 'Rogue One' (2016).  Loved for its characters, epic plot and cutting edge special effects, Star Wars changed the face, not only of the space opera sub-genre, but of Sci-Fi as a whole.  But it’s not all lightsaber duels, blowing up Death Stars and Jawa Juice keggers.  Some would argue that the Star Wars universe is misogynistic and male dominated, where the females are greatly overshadowed and outnumbered by their male counterparts.  Hmmm.  Let’s take a look?

Looking at the original trilogy and the prequels through the lens of Feminist Theory, it’s clear why some people would certainly feel that women are under-represented.  What is Feminist Theory you might ask?  Well, in a nut shell, it’s a theoretical and philosophical discourse on subjects such as the rejection of traditional roles for women, the rejection of traditional modes of female beauty and undermining patriarchal establishments.  Already, you can see why feminists might reject Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) as a strong female role model.  Sure, on the surface she’s a tough talking, laser gun toting political activist who appears to keep the men folk in check.  But, by Episode VI she’s relegated to a bikini clad sex slave, chained to the universe’s most wanted gangster, Jabba The Hut, and is in desperate need of rescue from none other than...the men.  Not particularly a role women should aspire to.  But is it a product of its time?  One theory known as ‘the male gaze’ (Laura Mulvey, 1975), popular around the time Star Wars was created would suggest so.  It concerns itself with the fact that women exist largely to be looked at by men.  They’re passive, a spectacle; they’re punished rather than the punisher.  There’s no denying that in ‘Return of The Jedi’, Princess Leia falls dangerously in to this cliché.  There’s no other reason for her to be in a bikini, other than to be leered at as a sex symbol.  After all, the main demographic for the genre is the 15-30 year old males.  So, you can forgive the originals for being sexist to some extent, but what about the prequel trilogy?

Again, in Episode I, II and III, there’s only one female character in the core group; Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), the soon to be mother of Luke and Leia.  Unlike her future daughter, Padmé does appear to be a stronger female character; she’s the queen that takes centre stage in an active role in the liberation of her planet.  After becoming a leading political figure in the galactic senate and kidnapped by the enemy in Episode II, she doesn’t wait for a man to save her, but defends herself and fights for her own freedom, wielding a blaster as well as any man.  But then everything falls down.  Padmé’s sole purpose in the film is for Anakin to fall in love with her and to subsequently die in childbirth, thus pushing him over the edge into the abyss of the dark side.  She’s basically used as a plot point, albeit one that gets dragged out over the course of three films.  She doesn’t even get a heroic death, instead dying from a lack of a will to live.  A broken heart.  Cliché anyone?  And it’s the same across all six films; the female characters, both leading and supporting, are there to serve the purpose of a male, usually the lead.  None of them go out in a blaze of glory, lightsabre held high.  They don’t even get a decent story arc. 

However, jump to today and it appears that Star Wars is finally catching up with the times.  In both of the new films female characters take centre stage; the force wielding orphan, Rey, in Episode VII, and Jyn Erso, the rebellious lead in 'Rogue One'.  Both of these women are strong leaders, surviving by their wits and determination under trying circumstances.  They don't wait around for the men to come and save them because they're quite capable of doing it themselves.  They're active, not passive, dealing with situations as they arrive and taking charge.  It's a massive step-up for the franchise. 

So, the prequels are an improvement, but it's the sequels that really change the way in which female characters are used.  There’s no denying, Star Wars is an awesome piece of cinema history, one that will forever hold a prominent place in my heart.  Its innovative use of special effects, its epic plot, the memorable characters, all come together to create movie magic.  But like anything, it does have its faults.  Women are greatly under-represented and given, some would argue, sexist roles.  The originals can be excused to some degree, but not the prequels.  On the other hand, Star Wars wasn’t created to be a politically correct treatise on Affirmative Action.  It’s entertainment, plain and simple.  Let’s hope LucasFilm and Disney can find a happy medium, as they've done a great job so far.  I, for one, cannot wait to see what they have cooking up for us next.

Until next time...To infinity and beyond. 

Disney and Beyond News - Disney D23 Expo 2017 Special (Part Three)

Here's the final of our D23 Expo specials. This time I take a look at all the Disney films from D23 Expo 2017.

This is the third of three parts, so don't forget to check out the first two parts which cover the Disney Parks announcements and the Disney Gaming announcements respectively.

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Disney and Beyond News - Disney D23 Expo 2017 Special (Part Two)

Hey everyone, here's part two of the Disney and Beyond D23expo news roundup. This time I take a look at the three major game titles coming out over the next year. Enjoy!

Don't forget to like and subscribe so that you don't miss any Disney and Beyond content.

Disney and Beyond News - Disney D23 Expo 2017 Special (Part One)

Here is the latest video over on the Disney and Beyond Youtube Channel. Today in the news, we take a look at all the Disney Parks and Resorts announcements that came out of D23 Expo 2017.

Disney D23 Expo 2017 Special - Star Wars Land Model

Hello and welcome to Disney and Beyond. Here's a quick look at the  Star Wars Land Model being showcased at D23 Expo in Anaheim right now.

Welcome to Disney and Beyond

Hello and welcome to Disney and Beyond, your one-stop-shop for all things Disney and Pop Culture.  Now, this isn't the first time that I've had a blog, nor is it the first time that I've written for a blog.  So, why another one?  I just had a think about it, realised that I'd matured a lot as a writer and a person, and that I have a whole lot of love for everything Disney to share with you all.  In essence, it's time for a new blog.  So, on that note, I thought we could kick things off with a little bit about me.

I’ve been a Walt Disney fanatic for as long as I can remember.  One of the first films that I saw at the cinema was The Little Mermaid, all the way back in 1989.  But my first memory of Disney was Walt Disney World when my parents took me in 1988.  I fell in love then and haven’t looked back since.  And with the acquisition of my biggest passions, Marvel and Lucas Film, my love of all things Disney is as strong now as it was when I was four-year-old boy, brimming with joy at my first glimpse of the Magic Kingdom.

So, to that end, Disney and Beyond is my way of sharing that love and passion with the whole wide world.  I want to build a community that can enjoy our shared love and passion for everything Disney.  We’ll be posting film reviews, a fortnightly news roundup, event coverage and a monthly feature article covering a whole host of topics.  And if you prefer to to watch rather than read, there’ll be a Disney and Beyond Youtube channel with even more content.  I would love to have you as a subscriber.

Although the focus will be on Disney, this is Disney AND Beyond.  I’m a massive geek, hugely into Pop Culture and everything associated with that, so I’ll be covering Anime, gaming, tv and a whole lot more not connected to Disney.  With your help, it’s going to be massive.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by and if you like the sound of what I'm doing it would be great if you could like and share the blog.  Also, you can follow on…

• Twitter (@disneybeyond1)
• Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwYU73Pzf-2Pipu0_Bh2Hxw?view_as=subscriber).  

All the Likes, Shares and Followers really do help a lot and will help to grow Disney and Beyond into something awesome.  I really do appreciate it so much, so thank you. 

So, peeps, I hope to see you all again very soon.  Stay tuned and don’t forget… To Infinity and Beyond!