Year: 2015
Director: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, Domhnall Gleeson, Andy Serkis, Anthony Daniels, Mark Hamill, and BB-8
Tagline: Every generation has a story.
Synopsis: Thirty years after the Empire's destruction, new heroes and new villains battle in a galaxy far, far away.
Tagline: Every generation has a story.
Synopsis: Thirty years after the Empire's destruction, new heroes and new villains battle in a galaxy far, far away.
Review
It's taken me a while to get to this post, so long that The Force Awakens has had time to become the highest grossing film ever in the United States. The Force is strong with this one.
Considering that most people have seen it already, or seen it twice already, I'm not going to bother with a spoiler section. This whole thing will contain spoilers. So if you haven't seen the film yet, please stop reading. Seriously. Stop. If you've ever enjoyed a Star Wars movie go see this one. And then come back and let's compare notes, so to speak.
Are we good now? Let's proceed.
To borrow a meme, this is the Star Wars you are looking for. It looks like Star Wars: there are familiar faces, familiar ships, familiar motifs, and familiar practical effects. It sounds like Star Wars: welcome back John Williams with the latest installment of one of the best soundtracks ever. But most importantly, it feels like Star Wars. It feels serious one minute, humorous the next, and epic throughout. The Force Awakens is a thoroughly enjoyable film.
That said, the film is not without its flaws.
It is one thing to be nostalgic and hark back to what made the original trilogy so compelling. And I'm all in favor of the idea of having new stories that echo the past and characters that walk -- purposefully or otherwise -- in a way that shadows previous characters. But when it came down to the Starkiller Base destroying a planet and in turn being destroyed ... it was just too similar to A New Hope. It needed a different climax than that to be its own story.
There are also some holes in the story. Granted, maybe some of them were on purpose and will find resolution in the next episode. But it seems highly improbable that someone like Captain Phasma would just give up and lower the shields because Finn and Han Solo held a gun to her. And Maz Kanata ... she seems important, until she no longer has anything to do. Then poof, she drops out of the story. We don't even definitively know she survived the stormtrooper attack. She comes. She delivers important exposition and plot devices. She vanishes.
Enough of that. Let's get back to why the film is terrific, albeit imperfect.
As a fan of the original trilogy, seeing Han and Chewie return "home" to the Millenium Falcon and watching them in their old roguish ways was a whole lot of nostalgic fun. The new characters were good and all, but it was seeing the "scruffy looking nerf-herder" and "walking carpet" that made the film so enjoyable. They brought the heart and fun of the originals with them. That, of course, gives greater impact to Han's death. Yes, it seemed somewhat inevitable given Kylo Ren's desire to complete his passage to the Dark Side. And once Han stepped on that bridge, he was a goner. But it was still sad to see the coolest Star Wars character go down in such a soul-wrenching way.
Of the new character additions, BB-8 is hands down my favorite. I didn't think R2-D2 could be rivaled for role of awesome/adorable robot, but the rolling BB-8 gives it his all. He's quirky, fun, and surprisingly practical ... as fictional droids go. He wins the award for best "thumbs up" in a feature film.
One of my favorite elements of The Force Awakens is the humanization of the stormtroopers. They are no longer cannon fodder clones with poor aim. We've learned they are (or at least some are) taken from their families at birth. They are given numbers not names. They are raised to be soldiers and nothing more. We start the film with the death of a stormtrooper that is clearly meaningful, at least to the shell-shocked Finn. We see stormtroopers with well-honed fighting skills (making General Hux proud). But my favorite part in the entire movie is when two stormtroopers turn a corner, hear Kylo Ren having a lightsaber-wielding temper tantrum, and quickly turn back the other way. It's funny. And it shows that there are real people (brainwashed people, but people) beneath those helmets.
Which just leaves Kylo Ren. While he's not as instantly epic-cool like Darth Vader, he's a very intriguing villain. I know enough about the "extended universe" to not be the least bit surprised that Kylo Ren is the son of Han and Leia. And I'm glad they didn't belabor that reveal. You can't top "No, I am your father," so don't try. What makes Ren so interesting is that he is under construction as it were. He's a tortured soul. And when he takes off the helmet, you realize he's still so young. This isn't the mature Darth Vader who calmly Force chokes people. This guy has temper tantrums and is as volatile as his jagged lightsaber. He's obsessed with being strong, or at least Snoke's ideal of strong. I look forward to seeing more of Kylo Ren.
The film does a good job leaving the audience guessing and wanting more. There are enough clues dropped throughout to leave lots to speculation. Who is Rey? Is she a Solo (doubtful)? A Skywalker (possibly)? A Kenobi (intriguing)? Who is Snoke and how did he rise to power? What really caused R2-D2 to "awake" with such perfect timing? What happened to C3PO's arm? How did that old guy get the portion of the map to Luke's whereabouts? How did Maz Kanata get Luke's lightsaber? Will we ever see General Leia confront her son?
Through it all, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is an entertaining film. It's fun. I look forward to seeing it again. And I look forward to Episode VIII.
Considering that most people have seen it already, or seen it twice already, I'm not going to bother with a spoiler section. This whole thing will contain spoilers. So if you haven't seen the film yet, please stop reading. Seriously. Stop. If you've ever enjoyed a Star Wars movie go see this one. And then come back and let's compare notes, so to speak.
Are we good now? Let's proceed.
To borrow a meme, this is the Star Wars you are looking for. It looks like Star Wars: there are familiar faces, familiar ships, familiar motifs, and familiar practical effects. It sounds like Star Wars: welcome back John Williams with the latest installment of one of the best soundtracks ever. But most importantly, it feels like Star Wars. It feels serious one minute, humorous the next, and epic throughout. The Force Awakens is a thoroughly enjoyable film.
That said, the film is not without its flaws.
It is one thing to be nostalgic and hark back to what made the original trilogy so compelling. And I'm all in favor of the idea of having new stories that echo the past and characters that walk -- purposefully or otherwise -- in a way that shadows previous characters. But when it came down to the Starkiller Base destroying a planet and in turn being destroyed ... it was just too similar to A New Hope. It needed a different climax than that to be its own story.
There are also some holes in the story. Granted, maybe some of them were on purpose and will find resolution in the next episode. But it seems highly improbable that someone like Captain Phasma would just give up and lower the shields because Finn and Han Solo held a gun to her. And Maz Kanata ... she seems important, until she no longer has anything to do. Then poof, she drops out of the story. We don't even definitively know she survived the stormtrooper attack. She comes. She delivers important exposition and plot devices. She vanishes.
Enough of that. Let's get back to why the film is terrific, albeit imperfect.
As a fan of the original trilogy, seeing Han and Chewie return "home" to the Millenium Falcon and watching them in their old roguish ways was a whole lot of nostalgic fun. The new characters were good and all, but it was seeing the "scruffy looking nerf-herder" and "walking carpet" that made the film so enjoyable. They brought the heart and fun of the originals with them. That, of course, gives greater impact to Han's death. Yes, it seemed somewhat inevitable given Kylo Ren's desire to complete his passage to the Dark Side. And once Han stepped on that bridge, he was a goner. But it was still sad to see the coolest Star Wars character go down in such a soul-wrenching way.
Of the new character additions, BB-8 is hands down my favorite. I didn't think R2-D2 could be rivaled for role of awesome/adorable robot, but the rolling BB-8 gives it his all. He's quirky, fun, and surprisingly practical ... as fictional droids go. He wins the award for best "thumbs up" in a feature film.
One of my favorite elements of The Force Awakens is the humanization of the stormtroopers. They are no longer cannon fodder clones with poor aim. We've learned they are (or at least some are) taken from their families at birth. They are given numbers not names. They are raised to be soldiers and nothing more. We start the film with the death of a stormtrooper that is clearly meaningful, at least to the shell-shocked Finn. We see stormtroopers with well-honed fighting skills (making General Hux proud). But my favorite part in the entire movie is when two stormtroopers turn a corner, hear Kylo Ren having a lightsaber-wielding temper tantrum, and quickly turn back the other way. It's funny. And it shows that there are real people (brainwashed people, but people) beneath those helmets.
Which just leaves Kylo Ren. While he's not as instantly epic-cool like Darth Vader, he's a very intriguing villain. I know enough about the "extended universe" to not be the least bit surprised that Kylo Ren is the son of Han and Leia. And I'm glad they didn't belabor that reveal. You can't top "No, I am your father," so don't try. What makes Ren so interesting is that he is under construction as it were. He's a tortured soul. And when he takes off the helmet, you realize he's still so young. This isn't the mature Darth Vader who calmly Force chokes people. This guy has temper tantrums and is as volatile as his jagged lightsaber. He's obsessed with being strong, or at least Snoke's ideal of strong. I look forward to seeing more of Kylo Ren.
The film does a good job leaving the audience guessing and wanting more. There are enough clues dropped throughout to leave lots to speculation. Who is Rey? Is she a Solo (doubtful)? A Skywalker (possibly)? A Kenobi (intriguing)? Who is Snoke and how did he rise to power? What really caused R2-D2 to "awake" with such perfect timing? What happened to C3PO's arm? How did that old guy get the portion of the map to Luke's whereabouts? How did Maz Kanata get Luke's lightsaber? Will we ever see General Leia confront her son?
Through it all, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is an entertaining film. It's fun. I look forward to seeing it again. And I look forward to Episode VIII.
Quotable Quotes
- "Chewie, we're home." -- Han Solo
- "Why are you helping me?" "Because it's the right thing to do." "... You need a pilot." "I need a pilot." -- Poe Dameron and Finn
- "I've got a bad feeling about this." -- Han Solo
- "And I'll drop my weapon." -- Stormtrooper
- "It's true. All of it. The Dark Side. The Jedi. They're real." -- Han Solo
ISFS
A great review as always. I feel light you are right about the Starkiller sub-plot. It seemed tacked on, and a bit like "OK it's the end of the movie, we need a space battle! What do you got?!"
ReplyDeleteI like your idea that Rey may be a Kenobi - I had not thought of that. I am hoping she does not end up being Luke's child because it would be nice to have someone OUTSIDE that family save the galaxy for once ;)
Looking forward to your next review!
J. Clark