Harry Situation’s Countdown Reviews: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...
STAR WARS
EPISODE VII
THE FORCE AWAKENS
Ten years have past since the last Star Wars film was released,
and the evergrowing empire Disney has bought the rights
from George Lucas.
Fans had doubts that a seventh film in the beloved
franchise was possible, but under the direction of
J.J. Abrams their hopes were secured.
In 2015, the year of epic movies, it was released.
It broke box office records and received the highest
praise from fans and critics. It would appear that their
new hope has awaken something more.
Time to conclude these countdown reviews with the first film in the official Sequel Trilogy, The Force Awakens. Man did this feel like a breath of fresh air to all Star Wars fans.
The story is set 30 years after the Battle of Endor and the downfall of the Galactic Empire. Yet out of the ashes comes the remnants of the Empire called the First Order under the command of Supreme Leader Snoke and his dark apprentice Kylo Ren (played by Andy Serkis and Adam Driver). But with dark comes light shined by the galaxy’s new brand of heroes such as the stormtrooper turncoat Finn, the Resistance pilot Poe Dameron, the beautiful Rey (portrayed by John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Daisey Ridley), as well as come across familiar faces such as Han Solo, C-3PO, Chewbacca, Leia Organa, R2-D2, and Luke Skywalker (all respectively reprised by Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Carrie Fisher, Kenny Baker, and Mark Hamill). This is definitely a Star Wars film of the ages.
I’ll admit that before I was nervous about a new Star Wars film, especially since Lucasfilm was owned by Disney. But Disney’s done alright about Marvel so I was willing to give them a chance. Plus I couldn’t hide my anticipation for this movie. Instead of counting the days to Christmas I was counting the days to Star Wars. I ordered my tickets early and got my seat among many of Star Wars fans. After the film concluded I walked out super satisfied by the results. This is honestly one of the best Star Wars films to be made, right up there with the Original Trilogy.
Again, just a heads up, I will be going over some stuff with great detail so there may be spoilers ahead. You’ve been warned.
This movie feels very much like the Original Trilogy (more on that in a bit). It feels like it is a return to form for Star Wars. The Prequels gave the franchise a huge beating but thanks to The Force Awakens, it stands back up. Director J.J. Abrams (who also directed the new Star Trek films) truly brought Star Wars back in a much needed lighter path than the cluttered mess that Lucas had with the Prequel Trilogy.
Of course Star Wars wouldn’t be complete without an outstanding cast of characters, and my god, I love every single one of them. The new heroes—Finn, Rey, Poe, and BB-8—are great new entries into the Star Wars canon. Even the villains were cool. The problem with the Prequel Trilogy is that unlike the Originals, they’re was no single villain. In this film, the villain is pretty clear, it’s Kylo Ren (aka Ben Solo). I’ve heard a couple of complaints about this guy but I wanna make my point to say that Kylo Ren is a great villain. He’s the most complex villain in the Star Wars Saga. He’s got so much power yet the light and the dark inside him constantly conflict, and he’s ultimately not sure what he wants out of life.
Another complaint I hear often is that people label Rey as a Mary Sue character. I call bullshit. Rey is a fantastic protagonist. Not only that but Daisey Ridley delivered a fantastic performance. I heard that J.J. Abrams first called her wooden during auditions. If that’s the case it seems that Ridley took that critism to good use and challenged herself to come up with something better.
I also have to talk about return of our favorite characters from the previous films. Man was it great to see Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill return as Han Solo, Princess Leia, and Luke Skywalker. But film mainly focuses on Han Solo, and Ford delivers a great performance as the elderly smuggler. I also like how well he interacts with our new heroes, sort of becoming a father figure they never had, as well as a heartbroken father to Kylo Ren. Goddamn was that scene where Kylo killed Han so sad, I teared up when that happened.
Of of the best aspects of this film is the return of practical effects in a Star Wars movie. The Prequels were too over stuffed with CGI that often times it looked too fake. Here it’s guys in alien costumes, practical set pieces, and model ships soaring in space. CGI is used of course, but only when it is necessary. And when it is used it looks beautiful.
The musical score is done once again by the maestro himself John Williams, and it is a welcome addition too. This score, while not as operatic as the Prequels, has an outstanding melody that I could listen to again and again. Don’t believe me? Go to YouTube and listen to Rey’s Theme, then tell me how wonderful it sounds.
The dialogue is very quippy, but you’d expect that from a J.J. Abrams movie. And you know what the difference is between the humor in this film and the humor in Phantom Menace is? It actually works. This is by far the most funniest Star Wars film we got. The jokes are really good. I get a good laugh from all the characters. Even the villains have some very funny moments.
But as well as this film is made, it’s not completely perfect. Recall a couple paragraphs back when I said it feels very much like the Originals, well I meant it in a literal sense. The plot is very similar to that of A New Hope.
Here’s how it goes: an agent of a resistance faction obtains secrets that a dictatorial government want to claim for themselves, led by a wielder of the dark side. The secrets are hidden inside a droid who escapes the government on a desert planet, where it meets a local. The local uses the Millennium Falcon to get off the desert planet and travels across the galaxy to the resistance faction’s base of operations. From there the resistance faction tries to destroy a superweapon capable of destroying planets. Pretty fucking similar isn’t?
My only defense for this is that perhaps we the viewers and fans need some familiarity after the franchise got ruffed up by the Prequels. Returning to how Star Wars started out was probably the best motive.
Another minor gripe I have is that dogfights never felt like anything was at stake. Don’t get me wrong, seeing X-Wings fight off TIE Fighters over Takodana was cool, but during the Battle of Starkiller Base it didn’t look as neat. Also thought the lightsaber duels weren’t as stylized as before. I get what they were going for but I kinda liked how flashy it was during the Prequels. Maybe they’ll get improved in the sequels. We’ll see.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is definitely a welcome addition to the new Star Wars Canon, as well as the ever expanding Star Wars universe. I had fun watching this movie for the first time, and that’s the key word I want to throw in there. Fun. Disney and crew have made Star Wars fun again. I definitely look forward to what’s in store next. I love this movie, and I can guarantee that many Star Wars fans do too.
And if you don’t like The Force Awakens, I respect your opinion... to go fuck yourself.
Light Side:
-Star Wars is back
-New & old characters
-Amazing visual & practical effects
-Amazing direction
-John Williams score (again)
-Good humor
-Absolute fun
-Feels like Star Wars again
Dark Side:
-Very similar to A New Hope
-Dogfights & duels need work
Final Grade: A-
Alright, this was the last Star Wars film to review before the the premiere of The Last Jedi coming next month. I am super excited for it! So with that said and done, have you seen The Force Awakens? What are your thoughts? Are the Sequel Trilogy under good hands with Disney in charge? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check back again when I review the most anticipated movie of the year, Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
5 Best Quotes:
Finn: “Why does everybody want to go back to Jakku?”
Finn: “It’s okay. We’ll use the force.”
Han Solo: “That’s not how the force works.”
Kylo Ren: “I’m being torn apart. I want to be free of this pain. I know what I have to do but I don’t know if I have the strength to do it. Will you help me?”
Supreme Leader Snoke: “There has been an awakening. Have you felt it?”
Han Solo: “Chewie, we’re home.”
Chewbacca: “GRAWR.”
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