by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor
The time has finally arrived. Star Wars returns to theaters this week for the most anticipated cinematic event of the year in The Force Awakens. Directed by J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, LOST), the first installment in the Disney owned franchise will finally be revealed to audiences around the world. To say that expectations are high would be an understatement. Both the fans and the studio are looking for the franchise to return to greatness following the mess that was the Prequel Trilogy. With next to nothing revealed about the plot of the film, or the characters themselves, viewers will be entering this story with a relatively blank slate. Can The Force Awakens take us back to our childhoods? Can this movie hope to recapture the magic and excitement that made Star Wars so special?
As a fan, I want to state that this review will not be revealing any major spoilers. I don’t want to be the guy who ruins Star Wars for you. So if you’ve read this far, you can proceed knowing that it is safe.
There are a lot of strong feelings tied to this franchise, and it is hard not to enter the next round of movies without some degree of expectations. Going to see a Star Wars film isn’t just like seeing a regular movie, it is more of an experience. I am pleased to say that the first installment in the Disney-era of the franchise truly feels like a “Star Wars” story. There were concerns that Abrams would be making some drastic changes to the feel of the movie (see his work on the Star Trek film franchise), but tonally, it does hold true to the feeling of Episodes IV-VI (more-so than any of the Prequels did). Sure there are a few Abrams signature moments (a few creatures and actor cameos comes to mind), but thankfully no memorable lens flares. The writing and dialogue thankfully feel on par with the Original Trilogy, and some of the callbacks with the original cast are utterly fantastic. There are some amazing story beats that will without question pull at your heart-strings and give you chills.
Family once again remains a constant theme in the Star Wars Universe. With little to go on prior to the release, fans have made a lot of assumptions based on the limited information provided in the trailers. We can say that at least one of the next generation of characters (Finn, Rey, Po Dameron, and Kylo Ren) does have ties to the original cast, with others connections being left intentionally ambiguous so that they could be pursued in future installments. The family dynamics take some interesting turns in this specific story, and I’m actually glad that the twists play out better than expected. While we don’t get all of the answers right away, viewers will be very interested to see how the rest of the connections to the past will play out in the subsequent releases.
Setting the story 30 years after Return of the Jedi allowed the creative team to introduce countless new characters. John Boyega (Attack of the Block) as Finn is a surprising choice for a lead character in the Star Wars Universe. It was an interesting reversal to see story elements from a Stormtrooper’s point of view, and gave the audience new insight into the evil forces of the film. Newcomer Daisy Ridley steals almost every scene as Rey. With her excitement and cleverness, she quickly proves to the audience that she is definitely not a damsel in distress. Oscar Isaac (X-Men: Apocalypse) as hot-shot pilot Po Dameron completes the lineup for the new heroic trio, and contributed a nice balance of action and humor to the role. In addition to the humans, fans will get to meet the new droid named BB-8. Taking on the role of “Hero Droid” from R2-D2, BB-8 was a surprisingly great addition to the film, and was an incredibly cool mechanical design.
While I highly enjoyed the new protagonists of this story, the antagonists fell very flat. Kylo Ren (Adam Driver, Girls) is the man behind the mask, attempting to emulate his hero, Darth Vader. Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie, Game of Thrones) unfortunately didn’t get the chance to be badass on screen, but I have a feeling that her limited role will be expanded in future installments. Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) 100% didn’t work for me. This character felt out of place, and while the creative team wanted him to be the next Emperor, we never got a setup or justification for his inclusion.
One of the key elements that Abrams was insistent on while developing The Force Awakens was utilizing physical sets and creatures as much as possible. The realistic approach to this film was one of my personal highlights. While CGI is used in a minor capacity for some of the creatures, the majority are actors in elaborate costumes and prosthetics. The fact that the creative team managed to make a physical BB-8 puppet instead of choosing the easy option of CGI demonstrated a commitment to the ideals that makes Star Wars timeless.
So you’ve read this far, and you are probably wondering when I will get to the return of the original cast members. The Force Awakens at times is like like a family reunion, which can be both a good and bad thing. Fans will love seeing Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Anthony Daniels (C-3P0), and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) back as their respective characters. Ford and Mayhew are more center stage than anyone else, and you will love seeing Han and Chewie back in the Falcon. Even having seen the trailer sequence of the duo stepping back on board their ship, you will still get chills. Fisher takes command as General Leia Organa, and after helping with the creation of the New Republic, she returns to lead The Resistance against The First Order. Daniels gets a few entertaining moments as C-3P0, and fans will also get answers regarding the whereabouts of our other favorite droid, R2-D2.
Now the biggest Star Wars sequel question: WHERE IS LUKE SKYWALKER? The quest for the missing Skywalker is the driving plot point of the film, and we will learn a bit more about his actions post Return of the Jedi. As far as the rest, you will have to wait and see. And no…he is not Kylo Ren (stupid internet rumor). You will definitely be surprised when Luke makes his grand appearance in the film.
Overall
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is definitely a fun story, and holds up well against its predecessors, but still never quite achieves greatness. To be fair, it would be extremely unlikely for a film with such insanely high expectations to live up to the hype that has surrounded this release since the announcement of the sale to Disney. The overall story is a cross between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, with several new twists to keep things interesting. I personally enjoyed this release more than any of the Prequels, and J.J. Abrams does manage to honor the legacy of the films that we all love so much, without doing a direct rehash of predictable story elements that we have seen before. While there are definitely moments of “passing the torch” to the next generation of characters, fans can be reassured that the legacy actors will very crucial to the next phase of the franchise.
Even with its challenges, this release will be a great gateway for the next generation of Star Wars fans. I think that most Star Wars fans will enjoy this new iteration, but it ultimately will not satisfy everyone. This film successfully sets the stage for the future of the Disney Star Wars Universe, and while some big questions are answered, others remain a mystery for future installments.
ComicsOnline gives Star Wars: The Force Awakens 4 out of 5 scruffy looking nerf herders.
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