It’s finally here! Ever since the Disney buyout of Lucasfilm in
2012, it was only a matter of time before a potential Episode VII of Star Wars was in the
works. To everyone’s delight, that’s exactly what came to be. But the question
was never “Would it be a financial success?” It was, “Can it live up to the
standards the prequels failed to deliver on?”
Ever since the fallout starting with The Phantom Menace and
ending with “The good one”, Revenge of the Sith, many of the most die-hard fans
of Star Wars felt badly burnt by the underwhelming, overly digitized quality of
George Lucas’ expansion to the Star Wars universe. Fans waited impatiently for
a proper expansion and follow-up to the films they fell in love with, but maybe
that same lightning in a bottle was impossible to capture.
Whatever fears there were, they were pacified by the
decision to enlist JJ Abrams as the film’s director, as the former Lost creator
had already delivered on spectacular sci-fi adventure with his reboot to the
Star Trek film series. Coupled with key members of the original trilogy being
brought onboard, and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan making his first return to
the saga since 1983, and we were even more excited than before. Once again, we
asked, “Can it live up to the hype?” Long answer is all below, but the short
answer… ABSOLUTELY!
Also, as a fair word of warning, while I will steer clear of
major spoilers, my review will likely contain smaller ones, so if you’ve not
yet seen the film, do so at your own discretion. With that addressed, let’s
begin.
Picking up thirty years after the destruction of the Death
Star over Endor, the oppressive First Order have risen out of the ashes of the
Empire, and Luke Skywalker has been in hiding for a long time. After an assault
on a small village on Jakku, a traumatized stromtrooper named Finn (John
Boyega) decides to turn his back on the First Order, even helping a pilot in
the Resistance, Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) escape from capture. Finn eventually
lands back on Jakku, crossing paths with a young scavenger named Rey (Daisy
Ridley), and the two band together to find the Resistance, all the while the
First Order’s ruthless and enigmatic commander Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) hunts
them down, aiming to eliminate the Resistance once and for all.
Not since the release of The Phantom Menace has a movie’s
release been so eagerly anticipated, and that was mainly thanks to The Force
Awakens having the best marketing campaign in a number of years. With each new
trailer, the marketing heightened anticipation without giving away major plot
twists that viewers would like to discover on their own (take note, Terminator
Genisys). It appears that all the waiting paid off, as the film has garnered
near universal praise from critics, and is expected to break countless box
office records. As for my own opinion, I would consider this as easily the best
Star Wars movie since The Empire Strikes Back, and arguably superior to A New
Hope.
From the minute the film begins, it’s hard not to feel a
rush of euphoria as the signature text crawl appears, seeming to take the
series back to its Flash Gordon meets Joseph Campbell roots, and not a single
mention of trade route taxations in sight. From the opening action sequence
onward, Abrams’ love and understanding of what makes a Star Wars film tick are
evident all throughout. Working with original trilogy icon Lawrence Kasdan to
rework Michael Arndt’s original story, Abrams is quick to set up the various
new characters, establish necessary but brief exposition to get the viewer up
to speed, and from then on, the movie kicks into high gear, yet at no point
does the screenplay ever skimp out on character development or necessary breaks
in between the epic set pieces.
Just like the original trilogy, that’s where the heart and
soul of The Force Awakens lies: in its characters. Each of them feels
unmistakably like something that belongs in the Star Wars universe, with the
film making effective use out of both new and old faces. In a clever move, the
movie tends to place much more emphasis on the newcomers to set this trilogy up
as its own thing, and each of these new faces are as memorable as their older
ancestors.
Out of the whole list of returning cast members, Harrison
Ford’s scruffy and sarcastic Han Solo receives the most prominence of them.
Keeping true to the lovably cocky and bitter attitude of the character three
decades prior, Ford is a remarkable presence anytime he’s on screen, showing a
clear love and nostalgia to be back in the saddle of the universe, and also
adding powerful world-weariness and touches of remorse that give his character
further depth, and it’s hard not to get caught up in laughs with Chewie back by
his side, with the two bantering back and forth like it was just yesterday. It’s
also wonderful to see him back opposite Carrie Fisher’s Leia Organa, with the
history between the two visibly filled with regret.
The first new character we meet in The Force Awakens is
Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron, who instantly becomes one of the film’s most likable
characters with his selfless determination to his cause, his endearing and
energized ability behind the controls of a starfighter, and his unwavering
loyalty to his allies. This is to say nothing of his adorable BB-unit droid,
BB-8. BB-8 is a rare breed of kid-appealing sidekick that, rather than alienate
the adults in the crowd, is just as endearing and hilarious to older viewers as
to children, with some of the biggest laughs coming from his simple body language,
contributing effectively to the plot, and never outstaying his welcome.
One of the more interesting inclusions is that of reformed
stormtrooper Finn, whose traumatic experiences have opened his eyes to the
horrors at the hands of the First Order, understandably rendering him frightened
of fighting against them, but growing into a much stronger person as he learns
to control those fears to protect his friends and allies. It’s a great,
subversive tactic to be able to put us into the mindset of a stormtrooper
turning his back on what was essentially his whole life, but still retains the
signature fun of the Star Wars movies by giving Finn a lot of genuinely
hilarious material, all of which John Boyega nails.
Kylo Ren is easily the best main Star Wars villain since
Vader in the original trilogy, and like Finn’s role as a stormtrooper, Ren’s role
effectively translates to us the traumatic mindset of a young and confused man torn apart by the Dark Side. Modeling himself after Darth Vader, the character is
so intriguing with how much silent back story is given to him, shrouded in
enigma and obvious emotional scarring, and torn between both the Light and Dark
Sides of the Force, with the character’s torturous abilities building up his
ruthless presence, and Adam Driver’s vocals and body language selling the
powerful intimidation.
Best of all, however, is newcomer Daisy Ridley as the
mysterious scavenger Rey, and this character fascinates me. She’s such an
infectiously curious and enthusiastic young character, tinged with layered
longing and almost desperate desire to uncover the secrets of her own past. In
fact, much of the time, she feels like a character right out of a Miyazaki
film. She even manages to best Leia as the strongest, most individually capable
female character in the Star Wars saga. Of course, so much of that impact really
does come from Daisy Ridley’s performance. She slips into this character so
smoothly and without a single false note, and the amount of charm and emotional
response she brings to Rey is immeasurable.
As far as the actual story of the film goes, many have been
quick to point out several notable elements of the film that share in a direct
strand of DNA of 1977’s A New Hope, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t notice
them while watching it as well. That said, such a thing never really bothered
me, as Abrams manages to pay homage and honor those classic Star Wars tropes, while
also balancing such things out by his own personal stamps and differentiation,
managing to put clever spins on those old elements, and give it greater depth
by its deeper psychological examination, looking at each of the relationships
between characters with great detail, providing them with welcome humor that
doesn’t upset the intense stakes at play, setting up for future installments, providing well placed fan service and callbacks that don't detract from the main story, and diving deeper into the
allegorical themes of the older trilogy, right down to the First Order’s cold
and merciless General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) placing pressure on the Resistance
with the destructive force of Starkiller base, even giving speeches drawing
comparison to those of Adolf Hitler.
The writing is all terrific, but it’s Abrams’ direction of
the film that winds up being its most important aspect. While giving his characters
necessary breathing room for growth, he also adapts his quality and quantity
way with action sequences into a perfect fit for Star Wars. It’s in these
scenes where the man is at his most enthusiastic, oftentimes staging each
sequence with a welcome sense of anything goes, and building them up with high
emotional investment. It’s also quite impressive that, despite clocking in at 2
hours and fifteen minutes long, the movie feels like it’s over in only half the
time, packing a lot of story and characterization without it feeling stuffed,
and keeps it momentum high for the entirety of its runtime. Abrams also gets
the most out of the impressive batch of technicians, with the production design
going back to the classic grunginess and lived in atmosphere of the original
trilogy, the costumes matching perfectly to the various characters, Ben Burtt’s
sound design proving just as varied and efficient as ever, the photography
moving swiftly and allowing us to absorb every rich detail onscreen, and John
Williams returning to contribute fantastic new additions to his legendary collection of music.
But most impressive of all the technical elements are the
visual effects. One of the most common complaints of the prequel films were how
much they relied upon CGI in favor of on-set practicality, and here, Abrams remedies
all of that by returning to heavy reliance on practical effects. Yes, there is
a number of instances where CGI is being used, but it’s always done very
tastefully, with a lot of weight and detail being put into the movement of it,
and making great use out of two new motion-capture characters, such as Andy
Serkis’ mysterious and horrifying Sith lord Supreme Leader Snoke, and Lupita
Nyong’o in a small, but crucial appearance as space pirate Maz Kanata. But
generally, it’s real effects that we’re looking at. They include models and
miniatures, men in suits, puppetry, trick photography, elaborate creature
designs, on-set effects and explosions, stuntwork, makeup effects,
animatronics, there’s even some stop-motion! Honest to god stop-motion! It’s
the perfect balance between the effects artistry of both previous trilogies,
using the effects to enhance the story rather than to *be* the story.
When all is said and done, The Force Awakens lived up to all
the hype it had behind it, being by far one of the best movies I’ve seen all
year. As both a deep and engaging character journey and a refreshing piece of
popcorn entertainment, it’s a great time to be had both for nostalgic, die-hard
fans of Star Wars, and a welcome introduction to the younger generation that
will discover the franchise thanks to it. It’s a spectacular bridging between
the old and the new of the universe, continuing the saga and expanding on the
lore with total confidence, and stands comfortably alongside the other great Star Wars films.
And to think that this is only the beginning, with an even
bigger universe and new characters yet to be discovered, it’s safe to say that
Star Wars won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. If the quality is anywhere near
this good, then I’m with it to the end. Bring on Rogue One and Episode VIII…
***** / *****
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