It’s been a while since there was excitement for a Star Wars movie. The original space opera trilogy is still celebrated as a hallmark in filmmaking that would inspire future generations of filmmakers, authors, and fans for decades to come, and made characters like Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker household names.
Unfortunately, the brand’s name was sullied by its own creator George Lucas in the 2000s with the release of the prequel trilogy, which failed in multiple areas in which the original excelled.
However, Star Wars is a franchise that will not die no matter how many bad movies, games, toys, or Holiday Specials are attached to it.
Then came the announcement that Disney had acquired the rights to Star Wars and was set on making a new trilogy of films and spin-offs to breathe new life into the property. Fans were skeptical.
On one hand, Disney had been doing monumentally well in business due to their animated movies and the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but on the other hand, fans are very particular with how their nostalgic property is handled, and Disney, with director J.J. Abrams, could be just as capable of messing it up as bad as Lucas.
Trailers and news came out and the excitement was blown out of the water, as were the eventual reviews and box office of the movie, as it thankfully did not seem to disappoint. It currently holds the record of the highest grossing movie that wasn’t made by James Cameron (and even then is close to taking Titanic’s spot).
But after months of thinking about it, many question if Star Wars: The Force Awakens truly deserved the accolades it got.
Taking place decades after Return of the Jedi, the original hero Luke Skywalker has disappeared and is now the last remaining Jedi hidden from The First Order, a military dictatorship that’s risen from the ashes of the Galactic Empire.
A Resistance is formed by General Leia Organa which battles the villainous Kylo Ren and General Hux while trying to find Luke before their enemies do. Resistance pilot Poe Dameron finds a part of the map to lead them to Luke, but is captured the First Order and forced to leave the data with his droid BB-8. The droid is found by a scavenger named Rey, who is in turn found by a former Stormtrooper by the name of Finn trying to escape the First Order after getting help from Poe.
While being pursued, the two end up taking an old ship to escape the desert planet Jakku until their ship is boarded by the older Han Solo and Chewbacca, who choose to aid them in taking the information BB-8 had to the Resistance while avoiding the First Order on the way.
The film’s biggest flaw that hasn’t escaped most fans and critics is the uncanny similarities the story has to the original film.
From the way it even starts I was expecting Poe to say, “Help me Han Solo, you’re my only hope.” Given that it’s a universe where powerful telekinetic laser sword wielders, multiple alien races, and giant robots exist, you’d think Abrams and the gang would come up with a more creative weapon than “Death Star 3.0.”
The ending is also a little bit too convenient in some plot areas more than others, and while it’s not new to Star Wars, it doesn’t mean I can’t be mad at them even if I’m somewhat used to it. It’s likely that this was a result of the writers playing it safe given how picky the fans can be when it comes to this, and to ensure it won’t be another Phantom Menace. Better to focus on action than space politics with Jar Jar!
Where the movie excels at is with the characters, both old and new.
It was the right decision to place the focus more on the new generation of heroes while mixing in some new mythology from the older cast.
Luke is completely absent in this installment while Leia is given a smaller role, leaving Harrison Ford to do most of the heavy lifting as Han, who deserved to be the lead senior in this film as the prequels weren’t as connected to him and Harrison Ford actually looked like he was having fun in a movie for once.
I can’t say too much about them without going into spoiler territory unfortunately (Though considering how much money this made, I’d be surprised if you haven’t seen it at this point).
As for the newbies, all of them help with this fresh start to the franchise thanks to their backstories and personalities conveyed by their respective actors.
Even though not much time is built up to Finn switching sides, his inner conflict to do what’s right and the consequences and benefits of his betrayal makes it worth having a Stormtrooper as a lead, with his on-screen bromance and quips with pilot Poe Dameron being a nice bonus.
It’s also refreshing to have a villain we know will have a large presence in all the movies and develop some character with Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren, as opposed to the prequels’ one dimensional takes on Darth Maul and Count Dooku.
Ren has an interesting superiority complex and temper that makes him a memorable and conflicted bad guy, and in a sense kind of symbolizes what the filmmakers had to go through when making this movie.
Rey’s the only one I had some trouble with once I started thinking about her overall role in the film.
Even though Daisy Ridley’s charisma makes her a delight on screen, Rey’s growth in this felt a little rushed when compared to other Star Wars heroes as there isn’t too much of a sense of struggle with her actions, with the only real draw to her character being her mysterious ancestry.
She’s in need of the biggest changes for Episode VIII, and thankfully the film sets up the sequel very well in a combination of triumph and tragedy, with a beautiful ending shot to get fans intrigued on what’s to come next.
Little needs to be said for the costumes, sets, special effects, and music as they’re all great.
J.J. Abrams doesn’t oversaturate with CGI like Lucas did and nothing sticks out too much. Plus having the iconic John Williams score on your side doesn’t hurt either.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens finds a great balance to attract new fans and satisfy older ones.
While the story plays a little too safe by emulating A New Hope more than it should, the new characters, actors, and conflicts all satisfy in the end while bringing excitement for what’s to come.
While I’m glad the movie didn’t tank as hard as Attack of the Clones, I’m still a little more intrigued by what’s to come more than what’s offered here. But hey, Empire Strikes Back wouldn’t have worked without its predecessor, and this is a good start for a hopefully great trilogy.