Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review
By Carl Cottingham
Let the name flow through your mind: Star Wars.
Let it roll off the edge of your tongue: Star Wars.
No film series has achieved a significant clout in pop culture as George Lucas’ legendary space opera. Immensely quotable, visually stunning, and packed with memorable worlds and characters, the Star Wars franchise is the quintessential motion picture blockbuster, overnight transforming the American cinema and changing the way movies would be made in a process that still reverberates to this day. Many modern directors such as Christopher Nolan, Peter Jackson, John Lasseter, and Joss Whedon have all cited the original 1977 film as an influence on their work, ensuring its place in the cinematic canon. Attempting to follow up on the original trilogy has been, from an audience stand point, a fool’s errand: a trilogy of prequels telling the story of the Galactic Empire’s rise was released in the early 2000s and was met with near universal disdain and scorn amongst the Star Wars faithful. Once 2005’s Revenge of the Sith was released, many thought it was the end of an era and that there would be no more Star Wars movies.
So one can imagine the immense pressure felt by director J.J. Abrams, fresh off of reviving the Star Trek franchise, when he was tasked by Disney and Lucasfilm to not only direct a brand-new Star Wars film but a direct sequel to the events depicted in the original trilogy. Abrams would have to negotiate a fine and delicate balance between capturing the Star Wars faithful and capture a modern audience that would see this new film, The Force Awakens, as their very first exposure to Star Wars. I can say with absolutely certainty that the film is more than worthy to the Star Wars legacy. Ladies and gentlemen: the hype is real and Star Wars is reborn.
Luke Skywalker has disappeared. The only means of finding him, a map to his location, are sealed away in a lone sphere droid called BB-8. The First Order, the remnants of the Galactic Empire, and the Resistance, the evolved Rebel Alliance, have waged war across the cosmos in their bids to track him down first and hunt down the droid. In the midst of renewed conflict, three young new heroes must team up with the old vanguard to not only to recover the map and find Luke but also to contend with a brand new terrifying weapon capable of destroying entire solar systems and a new figure of the Dark Side: a dark Jedi named Kylo Ren.
The acting is top notch even by Star Wars standards. In addition to the return of many veterans such as Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill, we also have brand new blood in the form of relative unknown actors and actresses like John Boyega as renegade stormtrooper Finn, Daisy Ridley as scraper Rey, Oscar Isaac as Resistance X-Wing ace Poe Dameron, and Adam Driver as the hot-tempered Kylo Ren. Driver’s performance as Ren, in particular, elevates what could have been a relatively one-note Star Wars villain into a character with far more depth and into someone far more tragic that demands resolution. Ridley as well commands the heart of the film, undergoing the Joseph Campbell hero’s journey as she gradually discovers the workings of the Force. Boyega’s Finn mixes both the comedy required in Star Wars and also delves into the psychological aspects of being a stormtrooper, balancing both sides to create multi-faceted character.
By far, however, The Force Awakens is brilliant in mixing the old-school cinematic techniques utilized by the original trilogy films with a fresh modern coat of paint. The images and sounds are instantly familiar to anyone who ever grew up with the Star Wars name. X-Wings and Tie Fighters looks and sounds exactly as you would imagine, laser gun battles are hectic and light up the frame of the screen, and the lightsaber duels, though lacking the acrobatics of the prequels, are still very much intense and gripping. The money-shot, no doubt, will be the return of the Millennium Falcon soaring through air and space, delighting both children and the grown-ups in the audience. I can say without any hyperbole that The Force Awakens is easily the most visually satisfying science fiction film I’ve seen all year next to Mad Max: Fury Road.
However, you’d be forgiven if you think the plot sounds eerily familiar. In many respects, The Force Awakens hits more than a few narrative beats to its earlier predecessor, A New Hope. A young desert dweller, an old mentor, a masked man cloaked in black, and a little droid with some attitude evoke not only the first Star Wars film but also figures in mythology and world culture. Yet, crucially, The Force Awakens is able to stand on its own by acknowledging its story beats. Star Killer Base, a laser weapon built into the core of a planet, is not unlike the Death Star and is explicitly compared to the infamous battle station. For some, this overt familiarity may serve as a detriment to the experience of the film but, if it the movie had to lift directly from a previous film, it could have done far worse than the original film that started it all.
In addition, the other villains at play are underutilized such as the much-vaunted Captain Phasma played by Gwendoline Christie. For a character meant to represent Star Wars’ first major female villain, Phasma is given very little to do but stand and look cool in metallic armor. No doubt with a large cast, someone was going to have to suffer from lack of screen-time and it sadly happened to this particular character. Domhnall Gleeson’s portrayal of First Order General Hux is no doubt meant to invoke Peter Cushing’s Moff Tarkin, but the character is portrayed almost as a caricature. He is overzealously fascistic and committed to the cause of the First Order but nearly ventures into parody in his performance.
Perhaps the scene that best encapsulates the sensation of The Force Awakens is the scene where Han Solo and Chewbacca make their first appearances in thirty-two years. Han steps aboard his beloved Falcon, loyal wookie by his side and blaster drawn. A small smile emerges on his lips as he looks around.
“Chewie,” he says. “We’re home.”
This one scene is The Force Awakens in a nutshell. It is a love letter to a beloved franchise that both celebrates the original trilogy but acknowledges the passage of time with visually stunning modern special effects and brand-new characters. Mr. Abrams should be commended for handling a herculean task with such skill and grace. Whatever damage may have been caused by the infamous prequel trilogy can now mostly be swept aside. Yes, we are indeed home.
9/10
