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

“The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is a fantastic journey through the galaxy far, far away, along with its characters, creatures, vehicles, weapons, and planets. There are quite a few books about Star Wars: The Force Awakens being released - and this is the best of them if you are interested in the artistic side of Star Wars (or movies in general).

I won’t spoil anything specific - I’ll just say that you’ll probably want to save this book until after you’ve seen the film, because the book includes designs (both conceptual and finished) for certain characters and locations that are better kept a mystery until you’ve experienced the movie.

If you enjoyed the film, you will be pleased to know that this book offers the reader insight into the detailed art direction and production design that went into creating “The Force Awakens”. Star Wars has always used the image to convey thematic ideas; and the level of imagination and creativity that goes into them is arguably greater than any other film franchise.

Among the imagery in the book are early and unused concept sketches, storyboards, paintings, and even blueprints.  The images are printed in high resolution so you can inspect every detail.  Although this is primarily a book of art, the author has done a nice job writing text that compliments the imagery and enhances the experience of the book. Included are quotes from key creatives that worked on the project.

On the whole, the book has a nice layout; while most books group the artwork by character or the film chronology, this book does things a bit differently.  The art is instead published essentially in the order it was created, beginning with the earliest concept ideas in late 2012 and ending with some post-production design changes in January 2015.  So as the reader flips through the book they can see the evolution of the film's designs take place.

This has instantly become one of my favorite movie art books. If you liked the movie and want to know more about the designs from concept to completion, you will enjoy the book. This would make a great gift for the Star Wars fan.

Book available now on Amazon.

*Republished from partner site MovieArtBook.com