Russell Bell: Star Wars a good business decision

Russell Bell PHOTO/FILE

GIVEN this will be my last article for 2015, I thought that I would write something a little lighter than usual but keep with the theme of business.
Last week, I went to catch a showing of the new Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens.
It was everything I had hoped it would be as a Star Wars fan from way back (by the way, if Star Trek fans are called "Trekkies", what do you call a Star Wars devotee?), and it left me admiring Disney's decision to buy the franchise for $billions and hand it over to a fan to resurrect.
That fan, JJ Abrams, had worked a similar kind of magic with Star Trek but, in this case, I think he has outdone himself with the latest Star Wars offering. It's not often that I sit through a movie and smile from start to finish but that is exactly what happened as a unique blending of nostalgia and new excitement for the characters and storylines took over.
And, believe me, there was a lot of work to do after the disastrous (I could use other words but they would not be fit for print) prequels of the late 1990s. They were not as dull and deadly boring as their then competition The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but they squandered an opportunity to tell an important story and ended up drowning the audience in CGI and horrible dialogue.
They also spawned probably the most hated character in film since Howard the Duck - Jar Jar Binks (shudder). As a result, many fans abandoned Star Wars and its creator, George Lucas.
The impact on the new trilogy was interesting to watch in the lead-up to this latest release because as the fan base tentatively returned, along with it came expectations and trepidation. I can imagine some nervous board members at Disney wondering how all this would turn out after handing the keys of their billion-dollar vehicle over to their Gen X film-making team.
Well, they needn't have worried - the film is outstanding, perfectly weighted and, from a business context, works for both new viewers and old, meaning that merchandise will be flying off the shelves returning margin to the executives who made the decision and took the risk to invest in the franchise.
But the main reason why this has worked so well is that the customer base was listened to, and this was combined with going back and critically assessing not only what customers wanted but what worked so well in the first place.
The result was pitch perfect. Sure, there will be a few naysayers - most critics citing that the film is too much like its late 1970s predecessors - but my feeling is that had the producers tried to go in a different direction they wouldn't have delivered a product which would appeal to so many.
So, on that note, I am now off to see The Force Awakens again (and probably again after that) as the 10-year-old in me has truly been awakened.
Merry Christmas and I hope that your 2016 is as successful as Star Wars!
¦Russell Bell's Zenith Strategic Solutions is a specialist Wanganui business advice and consultancy practice - if you want more information on how they can help your business call Russell or Stephanie on 06 347 9997.