'Primitive' lightsaber duels will make The Force Awakens more like original Star Wars, says director

If the Star Wars prequels could do anything competently, they at least could funnel an incomprehensible story into a prolonged, eye-popping lightsaber throwdown that, like the latest disposable razor, featured a gratuitous number of blades. Don't expect Star Wars: The Force Awakens to follow that model, director J.J. Abrams says.

In an interview with Empire, Abrams makes another subtle attempt to distance this movie from the sad disappointments of the prequel trilogy. A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back had "very different lightsaber battles," Abrams says. "For me, they felt more powerful because they were not quite as slick."

Abrams says he wanted a more "primitive" style to his duels, which recall "the kind of heart-stopping lightsaber fights I remembered being so enthralled by as a kid."

That's good news, considering the askance glances most threw at Kylo Ren's saber, which added that weird and also gratuitous crossguard back in the very first trailer. But if Ren isn't backflipping or growing two more arms to turn into a Sith landscaping service, then there should be less chance he injures himself with that souped-up saber.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres Dec. 18.