REVIEW: Star Wars- The Force Awakens

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens is everything a Star Wars movie should be. It continues the saga in a compelling new way that feels fresh and original, yet at the same time familiar. Put simply, this is a Star Wars movie that lives up to the legacy. I could honestly end this review right here; it does exactly what it needed to do and that's that. However, I would be remiss if I didn't take a closer look at exactly why this film works as well as it does. When you're dealing with a franchise as sacred as Star Wars, it can seem impossible to live up to the expectations set by fans. While The Force Awakens isn't perfect, the fact that it managed to live up to the monumental amount of hype it generated while still managing to surprise me is definitely worthy of praise.

Set roughly thirty years after Return of the Jedi, the story focuses on the galactic struggle between the Resistance (led by Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa) and the menacing, cult-like First Order. In the years since the Rebels' victory over the Empire, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) has vanished. The two factions are locked in a race to find Luke, the last known Jedi in existence; the First Order wishes to destroy him and the Resistance hopes to gain his assistance in their defense of the New Republic. I won't say much more for the sake of spoilers, but the remainder of the plot is heavily reminiscent of A New Hope. While I did enjoy this movie thoroughly (and it does an excellent job of setting the stage for this new trilogy), the number of story beats it lifts from the original Star Wars is easily the greatest detractor here. There are some bold risks taken here and there that pay off quite well, but the fact that the antagonists have built a planet-destroying super weapon that the protagonists need to blow up makes it feel as if things were played a little too safe. There's a harsh desert world, a lively pub filled with colorful alien characters, and an adorable droid carrying vital information; if you're wondering whether I'm describing The Force Awakens or A New Hope, you understand the biggest problem with this film.

Despite the amount of "poetry" there is at play here, the new additions to the story are all welcome and wonderful. John Boyega and Daisy Ridley fill the roles of our primary protagonists, Finn and Rey. Having seen Boyega as the stoic, serious Moses in Attack the Block, his performance as Finn really shows off just how versatile an actor he can be. Whereas Moses was a hardened street tough, Finn manages to be completely relatable, showcasing just how stressful and terrifying a death-defying journey through the Star Wars universe would be. While he has a good heart, he is by no means a hero by his own choice; like Luke Skywalker before him, he is altogether unremarkable when we are introduced to him, forced into action by the circumstances he finds himself in. While I haven't seen Daisy Ridley in anything before this, her turn as Rey has endeared her to me instantly. She gives an excellent performance, managing to be capable and adventurous, yet at the same time sheltered and sentimental. This is yet another example of a strong, female protagonist done right; she can handle herself when she needs to, but she isn't devoid of any and all personality as a result. While I do think that her character was just a little too good at, well, everything, it's at least implied that there's something greater going on with her that will be expanded upon in future chapters of this story. She feels like a real human being, rather than the Whedon-esque "female protagonist who is utterly and emotionlessly infallable except for the one scene where she has a good, mascara-smeared cry" archetype we see so often in modern action/adventure blockbusters.

Oscar Isaac also appears as another new protagonist, ace pilot Poe Dameron. While I genuinely enjoyed this character (in particular his chemistry with Boyega's Finn), we don't see nearly as much of him as I would have liked. The same is true with Captain Phasma, played by Gwendoline Christie. She has a powerful, commanding presence for all five minutes of screentime she has before disappearing from the movie entirely. While I can't complain too much, given how much I enjoyed the characters in this movie, I can only hope that these two play a larger part in future films in the series.

Returning from the original trilogy, we have Carrie Fisher as General Leia, Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca, and Anthony Daniels as C-3PO. Their performances all feel like the natural evolution of these characters; while Han and Chewie get the most screentime out of the bunch by far, everyone does an excellent job returning to the saga after so many years. Mark Hamill appears for only a brief moment, yet manages to convey so much emotion in the short amount of time we see him. If Chewbacca wasn't your favorite character before this movie, he certainly will be by the end of it; as lovable as Chewie was before, he's more expressive here than ever before, allowing us to actually get a feel for his personality. While Carrie Fisher doesn't have too much screentime, her chemistry with Harrison Ford is still enough to make Star Wars fans all warm and tingly on the inside (especially when accompanied by the brilliant score from John Williams, who once again knocks it out of the park). It's an experience in and of itself to see these classic characters again after so much time has passed, but it's worth noting that their appearances don't feel cheap. This isn't an attempt to further the film's commercial appeal by banking on nostalgia or brand recognition, but rather a genuine continuation of the story these characters are a part of. 

Having gone on and on about the good guys, it would be a crime if I didn't touch on our antagonist, Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver. There's a heavy amount of mystique to this character that I won't dare spoil here; however, I will say that Kylo Ren is, aside from Darth Vader himself, the strongest antagonist the series has ever seen. Where previous Sith Lords have kept their emotions inside, Kylo Ren wears his anger and fear on his sleeve. He's totally unstable and rife with conflict, managing to appear both intimidating and pathetic, despicable and pitiful. Vader was an effective villain, but he carried himself with a certain level of confidence. We understood that he was evil, but we couldn't help but find him endearing despite his actions. With Kylo Ren, we have a villain whom we can totally hate and rally against; he displays a level of depth and complexity in his first appearance that Vader didn't show until the end of his arc. In a film of great villains (Domhnall Gleeson's General Hux and Andy Serkis' mo-capped Supreme Leader Snoke amongst them), Kylo Ren stands out as the strongest by far, and possibly my favorite aspect of this entire film.

Even if the rest of the movie was terrible, it would still be an absolute wonder to look at. After the clean, sterile look of the prequels, it's clear that J.J. Abrams wanted to make The Force Awakens a return to form for the series in regards to its visuals. Aside from Guillermo Del Toro's Hellboy films and the more recent Muppets movies, I'm not sure I can name a film in the past ten years that displayed such a number of well-designed puppets and creatures. The film revels in its use of practical effects and physical sets; once again, the Star Wars universe feels like a place that has been lived in by countless real, living things. Characters get dirty and battered after action sequences, there's appropriate amounts of dust and grime on the Millenium Falcon, and any fight scenes involving lightsabers are more reserved and deliberate than the heavily choreographed light shows we got in episodes I-III. The new droid, BB-8, is the highlight of these special effects; totally adorable and bursting with personality, BB-8 is proof that special effects can still impress and amaze modern audiences, despite the wonders that can be achieved through the use of computers. The use of light and color is also tremendously strong; there's a number of images from this film that are burned into my memory, thanks to the excellent shot composition and camerawork. Not only does it feel like Star Wars, it looks like Star Wars; most importantly, it is Star Wars.

Despite all my gushing, I feel the need to once again say that Star Wars: The Force Awakens is not perfect. The pacing during the second act becomes a tad disjointed, there's a fair amount of plot conveniences, and some of the dialog felt a little bit on the nose. While it certainly feels like a return to form for the franchise, it definitely plays it safe in regards to the overall plot. Even though I appreciate the return of these classic characters, there are a few winks to the audience that, while cute, tend to take you out of the experience just a bit. However, with all that said, I still found this to be an excellent Star Wars movie. At it's core, that's exactly what it needed to be. It had a job to do, and, despite its flaws, it does it well with both style and substance. Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens manages to pay tribute to the films that came before while standing on its own as a fun, compelling first chapter in a brand new part of the Star Wars saga. And thus begins the tortuous wait for Episode VIII.