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J.J. Abrams ’ latest ambitious TV labor , Demimonde , wasrecently cancel by HBO . The project had been in ontogenesis for a while , but it was call off due to concerns over the rocket budget . Abrams ’ production fellowship , Bad Robot , reportedly take for around $ 200 million to produce the show . It ’s a shame that Abrams ’ television serial wo n’t follow to fruition , but it might release him up to exercise on more motion picture .
Since making his directorial unveiling withMission : Impossible III , Abrams has only directed five more features . He ’s since helmed twoStar Trekmovies and twoStar Warsmovies , with one original story in the middle . Some of these movies , likeSuper 8andTrek‘09 , warrant more rewatches than others , like the massively underwhelmingThe lift of Skywalker .
Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)
Abrams returned to theStar Warsuniverse forThe Rise of Skywalker , the messy conclusion to the Skywalker saga . The raise of Skywalkersets out to be theEndgameofStar Wars , but its bloated script introduce too many Modern characters and elements to feel like a last . Rey turns out to be the granddaughter of Darth Sidious , and Kylo Ren sustain a completely unearned redemption spark .
The Rise of Skywalkerraces through incongruous plot points like Emperor Palpatine coming back from the dead with a craze surveil and a Star Destroyer fleet out of nowhere , and the scoring of an ancient Sith dagger delineate up perfectly with the 30 - year - old wreckage of the 2d Death Star . The underwhelmingStar Warsfinalelacks the thematic substance of its Greco-Roman predecessors . It culminates in a big , flashy final battle in which Rey and Palpatine bombard each other with Force powers until the hero kills the baddie .
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
After rebootingStar Trekin 2009 , Abrams return to the director ’s chair for the 2013 continuation , Star Trek Into Darkness , then jumped ship before the third movieto joint theStar Warsuniverse . The second “ Kelvin Timeline ” movie is nowhere near as strong as its herald . The dark tone is refreshing at first , but ultimately does n’t suit the pulpy fashion of the universe that was fondly crafted by Gene Roddenberry as “ Wagon Trainto the headliner . ”
The narrative hinges on a plait reveal that requires background signal knowledge of theTrekuniverse . The revelation that John Harrison is really Khan has no impact if the consultation does n’t already know who Khan is . As a outcome , Star Trek Into Darknessdoesn’t really work on its own terms .
Mission: Impossible III (2006)
Not every directorial debut has a nine - figure budget , but an ambitious J.J. Abrams took on a $ 150 million tentpole as his first movie . TheMission : Impossiblefranchise did n’t become a must - see blockbuster extravaganza untilTom Cruise scale the Burj KhalifainGhost Protocol , butMission : unimaginable IIIis still a firm entry in the series .
TheM : Ithreequel is a immense improvement over its exhilarating yet jumbled John Woo - helmed predecessor . The script has fast - pace MacGuffin - drive storytelling to grant for mint of action sequences , from penetrate Vatican City to sliding down a sloping rooftop in Shanghai . Philip Seymour Hoffman ’s sinister arms principal Owen Davian is by far the most memorable scoundrel from the entire dealership .
Super 8 (2011)
Abrams ’ only original movie to escort , Super 8 , is a nostalgic homage to Amblin classic likeE.T.andThe Goonies , but with a much darker note . A mixture of sci - fi thriller and coming - of - age dramatic event , Super 8was essentiallyStranger ThingsbeforeStranger Things . A bunch of kids induce a Super 8 zombie movie in 1979 stumble upon a politics conspiracy covering up the arrival of foreign visitors .
Anchored by a well - matched Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning ’s perceptive carrying into action , Super 8is a promising house that Abrams should focus on distinguish more personal , non - I.P. stories .
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Abrams first put his stamp on theStar Warssaga withThe Force Awakens , easily the most entertaining entry in the continuation trilogy . The Force Awakensdoesn’t have the misanthropical subversions ofThe Last Jedior the bizarre fanfic storytelling ofThe Rise of Skywalker . In his firstStar Warsouting , Abrams focus on evoking the intimate feel of a galaxy far , far by .
The Force Awakens ’ derivative scriptrehashes the original movie ’s Death Star plot line , but it ’s still a lot of fun . From the dizzying Millennium Falcon pursuit on Jakku to the climactic lightsaber duel , The Force Awakenshas more than enough blinding set - spell to make the movie worth revisiting a bunch of time .
Star Trek (2009)
2009’sStar Trekis one of the great reboots ever made . Abrams and co. invigorate the franchise with warmness , wit , and spectacle . The flick does n’t efface the classical telly show ; it establishes a multiverse bear both version of the story in parallel timelines , tie together by Leonard Nimoy ’s tremendously satisfying cameo as the original Spock .
In his reimagining of the iconic iconography , Abrams inject theTrekuniverse with a much - needed dosage of natural action . The reboot is still full of the traditional opinion - provoking wondering storytelling , but it also has sight of eye - popping space battles .
NEXT : Every Judd Apatow Movie , Ranked By Rewatchability
