Finally, those Millions of fanboy cries have been suddenly silenced.
The Force Awakens, the seventh installment of the Star Wars saga, is about new directions. From the fresh-faced characters who are afraid to move forward, to the older ones who are hesitant about taking one last epic space journey, the path they choose is an important one. And of course there’s the decisions that the director J.J. Abrams makes that will leave his mark in a galaxy far, far away for better or worse.
First, the spoiler-free version: The Force Awakens feels like the film fans have been clamoring for, after hating on the prequels since the release of the Jar Jar Binks-heavy The Phantom Menace (1999). If you somehow have never seen a Star Wars film, you’re in a for a treat. Episode VII moves fast, is very funny, and is cast superbly. I want my own BB-8 droid. For reals.
Mild spoilers below…
Right away the story and characters feel urgent in a way not felt since, oh, before many Star Wars fans were even born, the 1977 original. Speaking of ‘Episode IV’, the plot and more importantly the story beats are pretty similar to that film, although for the most part, not to Awakens’ detriment.
Even the opening crawl is engaging, harkening back to the gee-whiz serials that creator George Lucas (who was not involved) grew up with. We’re told Luke Skywalker, the hero of the OT, has gone missing as an evil regime called The First Order has risen up from the Empire’s ashes. General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) has sent her best pilot to the deepest of space to find the last Jedi. Soon enough, that pilot, Poe Dameron (Oscar Issac) has a run-in with Darth Vader-wannabe Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Dameron is captured, but his droid, the instantly adorable BB-8, escapes with intel that could lead to Skywalker’s whereabouts. And just like R2-D2 before him (her?), the bulk of Episode VII centers around a group of would-be heroes aiding in BB-8’s quest to return to the Resistance, formerly known as the Rebel Alliance.
First and foremost, The Force Awakens is laser-focused on the characters. John Boyega is very funny and just the right amount of nervous as Finn, a former Stormtrooper who, after going AWOL, crash-lands on Jakku, a desert planet known for garbage-quality spaceships. Finn runs into Rey (Daisy Ridley), a scavenger who’s just recently met lost droid BB-8. What’s really remarkable is just how well-written and acted these early scenes are. Whether it’s the way Abrams effortlessly cuts between these two different but same newcomers or the perfectly-calibrated dialogue by Star Wars veteran scribe Lawrence Kasdan (with aid from another great writer, Michael Arndt), the words leap off the page. We instantly “get” these two, so don't be surprised if you want to hang out with them the whole time.
Believe it or not, that chemistry gets even better when Han Solo and Chewbacca show up. Harrison Ford is inspired here. The actor seems to be having a ball, giving his best performance as the iconic smuggler since The Empire Strikes Back. (Gone is the tired, bored vibe he occasionally gave off in Return of the Jedi.) Little moments, like arguing with Chewie about how he can always talk himself out of trouble, are priceless not just as a callback to Empire but because we absolutely believe it. Chewie is no slouch either. Everyone’s favorite walking carpet is utterly enduring.
As Kylo Ren, Adam Driver has the most heavy lifting to do since, save for some truly great moments with Boyega and Ridley, he doesn’t have another actor to really bounce off of while hanging with Team Dark Side. He sort of has Domhall Gleeson, who plays the Order’s General Hux, and there is also Sith master Snoke (Andy Serkis), but most of those interactions are of the mustache-twirling variety. It's a blessing then that Driver is a more nuanced villain than normally seen in a Hollywood blockbuster, much less a Star Wars one. Ren is very much the poster child for the entitlement generation: brash, impatient, and creepily determined. Driver is able to take those traits and ground them, portraying someone who in another life might have not be seduced by the Dark Side.
After the amazingly athletic, hyper-kinetic lightsaber duels in the prequels, it can be a little jarring that the few uses of a lightsaber in Awakens are less elegant, but that’s more than okay since they are emotionally satisfying. The final showdown has what will become an instant classic moment in all of Star Wars. You’ll know it when you see it.
What about what doesn’t work? Well, as mentioned earlier the story is very much like a greatest hits of Star Wars, Empire, and Jedi, which robs some of the narrative thrust, especially in the middle act. Still, the final moments, which I would never spoil, are incredibly moving, taking the series into uncharted territory. Not since the end of The Fellowship of the Ring have I wanted to stay seated in the theater and let Episode VIII unspool.
The world building doesn’t feel as awe-inspiring as that of the previous six films. Episodes 1-6 feature plenty of new terrain and planets, like the rained-soaked water planet of Kamino in Attack of the Clones or the desert planet Tatooine that was visited many times in the series. Fans looked forward to hyperspacing to each and every wondrous environment George Lucas envisioned. Abram’s approach is akin to traveling to richly-detailed Westeros in Game of Thrones. In the opening 40 minutes of The Force Awakens, with most of the action taking place on the desert planet of Jakku, it works great.
Seeing Rey use the junk she’s scavenged from a crashed Imperial Cruiser, sledding down a sandy hill, make it feel lived in. Sitting against an AT-AT’s foot can be breathtaking, but the other areas visited in the rest of the film are less memorable. As such, there’s a focus on smaller aspects of the environment. Abrams, not wanting to use a snow planet in an “obvious” way, is admirable, but there’s simply not much time to get a feel for the other locations. [I also felt that the script under-utilizes Gwendoline Christie of Game of Thrones fame. ~Ed. Nick]
What's my biggest concern? The Force and the connections to the past. Creator Lucas really knew how to get under your skin with the power of that hokey religion; I always believed in The Force. Here I’m not quite sold until near the end. (And then I was 100% sold.) One distinct difference is that Lucas used composer John Williams to great effect, making scenes build while Abrams really only manages that feat in one key moment. Don’t get me wrong, it’s wonderful, but it’s also the same melody, not a new one like the rousing “Duel of the Fates” that introduced Darth Maul. Lastly, while it only happens a few times, there’s something fan-fictiony about lines like “You’re afraid you’ll never be as powerful as Darth Vader!” It’s not cringe-worthy, but it’s still a tad too meta.
I think the main difference is that George Lucas is a filmmaker that came out of '60s cinema, which was much more experimental, less narrative-driven. That disinterest in story and character is what made the prequels frustrating for many viewers. Abrams comes from television in an era considered a golden age, but is not at all experimental. (A lens flare doesn’t count.) With The Force Awakens he’s made a really fun movie that nearly everyone in 2015 can enjoy with characters you'll love, but does it really have anything to say beyond its own growing mythology? Like the Marvel films, this Star Wars is about making you think about more Star Wars. As a diehard fan, that suits me fine, but the critic in me wants something more to ponder.
Still, whatever the shortcomings, I can’t wait to see The Force Awakens again. Is this the masterpiece we all wanted? Hardly, but Star Wars was originally a silly, crazy ride that somehow morphed into our gateway drug to epic sci-fi fantasy. Think of this new film as our first new steps into what is, hopefully, a larger world. Parts might seem a tad familiar, but as long as Rey and Finn remain compelling I can’t wait to see where they go next.
