Samuel L. Jackson Thinks Force Awakens Actors Need “Lightsaber Fight School”

Samuel L. Jackson was less than impressed with the lightsaber fights in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
While Star Wars: The Force Awakens has proven to be both a critical hit and a box office juggernaut, there are many out there who harbor (arguably valid) criticisms of the film. Standing among them it would seem, is none other than Jedi Master Mace Windu himself, actor Samuel L. Jackson.

Speaking in an interview on a recent segment of ABC’s Popcorn With Peter Travers, Jackson was asked his impressions of The Force Awakens. Initially, Jackson was relatively complimentary, stating that the new movie succeeded in capturing “the spirit” of the franchise. After some nudging from Travers however, he admitted to being a tad less than impressed with the film’s lightsaber duels. “I think the kids need to go to lightsaber fight school,” he said. He then added, “They’ve got time to get better.”

Jackson, of course, isn’t the first to offer up this particular piece of criticism. He’s also not wrong. The saber duels in the movie are markedly slower and less acrobatic than the ones featured in the prequel films and other recent Star Wars media. Speaking personally though, I kind of prefer it that way. While there’s no denying that the fight choreography from the sequels was impressive, it also frequently looked like something practiced. The fights were too dance-like, often lasted way too long and just didn’t feel like the people involved were actually trying to kill each other. The fights in The Force Awakens were perhaps less dynamic but were, in my opinion, more visceral and closer in tone to the ones featured in the original trilogy. What did you guys think when you saw the film? Were you left feeling like they were lackluster or were you on board for more stripped down saber duels?

Source: Popcorn With Peter Travers