Released: December 18, 2015
Director: J.J. Abrams
Rated PG-13
Run Time: 135 Minutes
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios
Cast:
Harrison Ford: Han Solo
Carrie Fisher: General Leia Organa
Mark Hamill: Luke Skywalker
John Boyega: Finn
Daisy Ridley: Rey
Adam Driver: Kylo Ren
Oscar Isaac: Poe Dameron
Peter Mayhew: Chewbacca
BEFORE I BEGIN: THIS WILL BE A MOSTLY SPOILER-FREE REVIEW FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN’T SEEN THE FILM YET
When the original Star Wars trilogy concluded with Return of the Jedi, there was a lot of speculation about what happened before the rise of the Empire and what happened after the destruction of the second Death Star. In the mid-90s, we saw George Lucas begin work on what would become the Prequel Trilogy. The purpose of this trilogy was to explain the fall of the Old Republic and Anakin Skywalker’s turn to the Dark Side of the Force. Truth be told, when I first saw each prequel film in the theaters, it was a blast. I was watching Star Wars on the big screen, as it was meant to be. I never got to see the original trilogy in theaters, and I hope they re-release them in theaters at some point so I can. I was enamored with the Prequel Trilogy, but like everybody else, I began to see the problems with each movie. The horrendous dialogue, piss-poor casting and overall humorless affair was awful. Yeah, great visuals, action and amazing light-saber duels, but there was no substance. No really memorable characters outside of Palpatine, Yoda and Obi-Wan. It was clear that George Lucas had lost touch with what made Star Wars what it is. It was also clear that after Revenge of the Sith, George Lucas would not do any more Star Wars movies. That really disappointed people, because people were clamoring for a 7th film that explained what happened after Episode VI. In 2012, Lucas sold his company and the Star Wars franchise to Disney for 4 billion dollars. Now, towards the end of 2015, we have what many people have been wanting for decades: Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Out of the ashes of the old Empire, comes a new sadistic First Order, whose aim is complete galactic dominance. In order to do that, they must first find and destroy Luke Skywalker, the Jedi who helped destroy the Empire. Skywalker, after a mysterious tragedy, has vanished from the face of the galaxy. The film begins as the First Order begins their search on the planet Jakku, with Dark Side user Kylo Ren at the forefront. That’s about as far into the story as I’m going to go because there is so much that’s going on. I was honestly not expecting The Force Awakens to be as packed full of story and character development as it was.
What draws me to Star Wars is its characters and story. Star Wars has some of the most interesting and varied characters I’ve seen in any franchise. The Force Awakens proudly carries on that tradition. We got a whole slate of new characters that are not only deep, but also very, very interesting. Finn is a former storm-trooper who witnesses something terrible at the hands of the Order. Rey is a scavenger on the desert planet of Jakku who gets caught up with Finn. We have a great new droid in BB-8. For a roaming ball, it’s surprisingly a great character. Kylo Ren is a Sith wannabe who desperately wants to be the second Darth Vader, but is nowhere near that level. I think it’s great that we have a villain that is currently in the process of becoming a potential Sith Lord. I think what a lot of people were expecting was the return of the old crew from the original trilogy and for the most part, they do show up. I’ll make a separate post that will go into detail about the movie, especially when it comes to Luke Skywalker. But the rest of the crew, Han Solo, Leia and Chewbacca, make a return and it is something to behold. In fact, some of the best scenes in the film involve Han and Chewy. The truth of the matter is, is that everybody does a fantastic job. John Boyega really gives his storm-trooper a humanity that you don’t see out of a storm-trooper. Adam Driver is fantastic as Kylo Ren. He plays the character that’s a human being. The character isn’t perfect and he makes mistakes, but he’s clearly unstable and that makes a serious threat. Oscar Isaac is great as the Resistance’s best pilot, Poe Dameron. The character doesn’t come across as cocky, but very sure of his skills as a pilot and it really shows. There’s not a whole lot of negatives when it comes to the characters, except for two: Supreme Leader Snoke and Captain Phasma. Snoke is clearly a CGI character, and to be honest, not really all that intimidating. I’m sure that will change when Episode VIII comes around, but for now, he’s kind of a background character. For all the hype and all the commercials, Captain Phasma, the chrome trooper, isn’t in the film a whole lot and isn’t given a whole lot to do.
The writing is definitely one of the movie’s strongest points. We’ve got a surprising amount of character development here. There’s development not just on the light side, but on the dark side as well, with Kylo Ren having issues trying to stay with the Dark Side. The movie also throws a whole lot of history at you, and it comes across quite well. That’s 30 years of history between Episode VI and VII that needs to be addressed, and The Force Awakens does it pretty well. There are a few things about the First Order that are still in the dark as far as I’m concerned, but I’m sure those questions will be answered with the upcoming Episodes VIII and IX. The Force Awakens is also a genuinely funny movie. The humor here comes across as very natural and spot on, and it is laugh out loud hilarious at times. We can thank Star Wars veteran Lawrence Kasdan and J.J. Abrams for that. The writing is incredibly sharp.
The action is second to none. From the opening escape from the Star Destroyer to the attack on Maz’s cantina, and the assault on the Starkiller Base, the film doesn’t let up. It’s action that you can see too. My personal favorite moments and this is a little bit of a spoiler, is when Rey and Finn get into the Millenium Falcon and fend off a couple of Tie Fighters. That was absolutely incredible. Seeing Han and Chewy take on storm-troopers never gets old. Han has his trusty old blaster that he’s not afraid to use. The aerial combat with the X-Wings and Tie Fighters is awesome. The light-saber duel towards the end of the film is one of the most brutal I’ve seen. It’s not the super-flashy nonsense of the prequel trilogy, either. This is down-to-earth hack and slash. It’s great. What also distinguishes this entry into Star Wars from the prequels is its equal use of CG and practical effects. I’m not just talking about explosions either, they actually use real sets, locations and real costumes. This is extremely apparent when Han, Finn and Rey go to visit Maz. There’s a great mix of new and old throughout the film.
The musical score by the legendary John Williams is ever present and very exciting. It’s one of the most incredible musical scores I’ve heard this year. My biggest issue is that the First Order doesn’t seem to have a theme of its own. That’s a bit of a misnomer at this point, as the Empire didn’t get its theme until The Empire Strikes Back. This is the first film in a brand new trilogy so I’m definitely forgiving in that regard. I had to listen to it a couple of times, but I really like Williams’ rendition of the main theme this time around. Overall, it’s top-notch.
J.J. Abrams and Disney have managed to do what George Lucas could not with the Prequel Trilogy, and that is bring Star Wars back. While I certainly have issues with the film, The Force Awakens reminds me of why I love Star Wars in the first place. It brings us back to that incredible sense of wonder and adventure that Star Wars is known for. Having seen the film for a second time, so I can really give you my actual thoughts on it, it’s a great movie and a damn good Star Wars film. There is so much more that I want to talk about, but I’m going to have to leave that for another post. Honestly, this one comes HIGHLY recommended. It’s not perfect, but it’s a hell of a lot better than the prequels ever were. As it stands right now, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has brought in a total of $813,451,329 world-wide. That’s just ONE week, and I would not be surprised if it breaks the billion dollar barrier by the end of December. I think it’s safe to say that Star Wars is back in a very big way, and I’m truly excited about this franchise again. Episode VIII will hit theaters in the summer of 2017, but we will be seeing a spin-off movie next year called Rogue One. My final score for Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a 9/10. If you consider yourself a fan of the Original Trilogy, you owe it to yourself to see this one in theaters. I’m planning on seeing it again, in IMAX 3D. I’m also making a prediction for the home video release of Episode VII: This is will be the best selling Blu-Ray of 2016.