Book Review: 'The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens'

© 2015 Henry N. Abrams Books and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL)

On December 18, 2015, Henry N. Abrams (aka Abrams) Books published image archivist Phil Szostak's The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the seventh book in The Art of Star Wars series of books devoted to the concept art used by Lucasfilm Ltd. to create the Star Wars live-action movies. Following the traditions established by Carol Titleman in her 1979 book The Art of Star Wars, Szostak curates an impressive array of pre-visualization paintings, costume and set designs, concepts for Resistance and First Order starships and secret weapons such as Starkiller Base, and sketches and photos for such now-iconic props as Kylo Ren's "crossguard lightsaber" and Rey's handy fighting stave.

Released on the same day of Star Wars: The Force Awakens' theatrical release, The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens features artwork contributed by renowned production designer Rick Baker (who wrote the book's foreword) and a platoon's worth of artists from Lucasfilm's Art Department. The list of illustrators and set designers (which can be found in the book's Who's Who page) include Rick Carter, Matt Allsopp, Luis Carrasco, Doug Chiang, Ryan Church, Neal Scanlan, Erik Tiemens, and Sam Williams. 
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"Bolt Attack" production painting by James Clyne. © 2015 Lucasfilm Ltd.

Lavishly illustrated and sprinkled with commentary by Szostak and some of the featured artists, The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens reveals many of the striking designs - many of which were not used but found themselves recycled in other Lucasfilm productions such as Star Wars Rebels - that helped the film's director, J.J. Abrams, and executive producer Kathleen Kennedy bring the first new installment of the Skywalker Saga since George Lucas's retirement in 2012.

Step inside the Lucasfilm art departments for the creation of fantastical worlds, unforgettable characters, and unimaginable creatures. The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens will take you there, from the earliest gathering of artists and production designers at Lucasfilm headquarters in San Francisco to the fever pitch of production at Pinewood Studios to the conclusion of post-production at Industrial Light & Magic—all with unprecedented access. Exclusive interviews with the entire creative team impart fascinating insights in bringing director J.J. Abrams’s vision to life; unused “blue sky” concept art offers glimpses into roads not traveled.

Bursting with hundreds of stunning works of art, including production paintings, concept sketches, storyboards, blueprints, and matte paintings, this visual feast will delight Star Wars fans and cineastes for decades to come. The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the definitive expression of how the latest chapter in the Star Wars saga was dreamed into being. - Publisher's promotional blurb, Abrams Books. 

The 256-page hardcover book contains 600 illustrations and is divided per the film's production chronology:

• Foreword
• Introduction
• Who's Who
• "Guided Imagery" Concept Phase
• Pre-Production
• Production
• Post-Production
• "Who's Luke Skywalker"

My Take

The book that started it all, 1979's The Art of Star Wars/ © 1979 Ballantine Books and 20th Century Fox Film Corporation 

Phil Szostak, an image archivist who has worked for Disney and Lucasfilm for many years, was embedded with the Lucasfilm Art Department almost as soon as the House of the Mouse announced that work was underway to create a Sequel Trilogy that was intended to introduce Star Wars to a new generation of fans. As a result of this assignment, Szostak has been strategically placed to create a series of new The Art of Star Wars books that build on the foundation laid down 40 years ago by Carol Titleman in her best-selling book, The Art of Star Wars.

As in all of the volumes in the long-running series. Szostak's works - which also encompass Gareth Edwards' Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Ron Howard's Solo: A Star Wars Story - serve as a visual record of the contributions of Lucasfilm's Art Department to the making of the post-George Lucas Star Wars films.

In The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I can tell how challenging it must have been for director J.J. Abrams to step into the shoes of the legendary Lucas, the creator of the Star Wars franchise. Considering that the artists had to submit designs and concept art that was original but not too divergent from the "Star Wars Style" created in the 1970s and early 1980s by Ralph McQuarrie and Joe Johnston, everyone - from Abrams down to concept artist Sam Williams  - had a huge responsibility to "get things right."

This book shows the evolution of Rick Carter and Doug Chiang's teams' creative process, beginning with preliminary sketches and paintings derived from George Lucas's own story outline for Episode VII (concepts that were abandoned before J.J. Abrams was hired in 2013) and concluding with illustrations intended to set up the next "Saga" film, The Last Jedi. 

Because The Walt Disney Company was zealous in its efforts to avoid "spoilers" before the film's premiere, Abrams Books was not allowed to release the book until Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Opening Day (December 18, 2015)  Furthermore, an important plot thread was deliberately not covered in this otherwise complete record of the artistic endeavor that helped bting Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, BB-8, Supreme Leader Snoke, Kylo Ren, and General Hux join the cast of Classic Star Wars characters that includes General Leia Organa, Han Solo, Chewbacca, See-Threepio, and Artoo Detoo.

If you are a fan of the space-fantasy saga set "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away," The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a must-have addition to your Star Wars library.