A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Cast: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher
Director: J. J. Abrams
Duration: 2h 15 min
Minor spoilers alert
Star Wars was told in a trilogy we loved and a prequel trilogy we hated. Now the wait for more is over as after great anticipation comes the first film of the sequels for the original trilogy: Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Episode VII of the franchise. Knowledge of the other parts is not required, but The Force Awakens does build up on the story told in the original trilogy, episodes IV through VI, with returning characters and references that will go unnoticed to viewers unfamiliar with the saga so far. Meanwhile, old fans will be delighted by the return of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), as well as the Millennium Falcon and much of John Williams’s soundtrack in the background, a gorgeous mix of both new and familiar themes. While the older films of the franchise were all directed by George Lucas, this installment is directed by J. J. Abrams (Super 8, Mission: Impossible, and Star Trek Into Darkness). He and his team have done a good job, paying homage to the original trilogy in both the general plot and the visual effects. Many of the alien creatures are puppets as in the original trilogy rather than CGI special effects – a rarity in 2010’s scifi cinema. Nevertheless, The Force Awakens also takes a breath of fresh air in the form of new designs for items and scenery as well as having more female characters (both in the background and the foreground).
Following the pattern of all Star Wars-films, the story starts in medias res and we are plunged into an intergalactic battle between the Nazi-like First Order and the good guys of the resistance that is protected by the Republic. Star Wars rarely goes for morally ambiguous factions. Once again there is conflict that threatens all peaceful existence, but our protagonists are no war heroes of either faction. Instead we are introduced to ordinary people of lower ranking who just want to decide for themselves what they think is the right thing to do. Meet Rey (Daisy Ridley), a tech-savvy scavenger from the desert planet Jakku. Like Luke Skywalker before her, she has to leave her home to set out for a quest she at first is reluctant to get involved in. Her companion is Finn (John Boyega), a young ex-soldier of the First Order, who is torn between escaping as far as possible and loyalty towards his new friends. The third member of the party is BB-8, a droid who needs to reach the leaders of the resistance. Without spoiling too much, it is the base of these leaders that Rey, Finn and BB-8 need to reach in their stolen spacecraft before the First Order finds the crucial information they are carrying…
As is custom in the franchise, the group’s journey is packed with laserswords, daredevil spacecraft chases and strange-looking alien creatures. This forces both Rey and Finn to find their inner strength and resolve their conflicts in a story reminiscent of A New Hope. But it’s not without challenges: Rey can kick ass, but she is unfamiliar with anything beyond her home planet. Meanwhile Finn doesn’t feel he’s cut out to be the hero he’d want to be. The adventure really lets their personalities mature and relationships develop, building them as characters. It is touching to see especially how Finn comes to consider Rey as his friend. Rey, too, grows as she comes to terms with her situation. While being an important member of the group, BB-8 mainly provides comic relief, but in a charming R2-D2 way rather than in an annoying Jar Jar Binks way. Of course there were many more new faces. However, there was already a lot packed into one film, and thus with many characters the viewers are left waiting for more information. Two characters of particular interest are the expert pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and the dangerously short-tempered villain Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Presumably they will come into more focus in the next part, due by 2017, as right now we know too little about them. Of course, this is one way for the writers to make us come back for the next part.
Han Solo and Chewie are back with their quips, and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) is skillful as always in reading the mood, and Luke Skywalker… that one you’ll have to find out yourself. Many of the characters familiar from the earlier films had rather little screen time, and we can hope that at least some of them will make more appearances in the upcoming parts. But when it comes down to it, a film shouldn’t revel in nostalgia too much: it’s time to give the heroes of the new generation their time to shine. Much of the nostalgia comes from recognising references to old events in the background (broken imperial weaponry that has been rusting in the Jakku desert for decades) and in the overall feeling of the film that feels so close to home, so close to A New Hope while still being original and freshened up by modern technology.
Before the release, some fans were cautious, warning that the movie might not be able to live up against the huge expectations. In 1999 Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was surrounded by similar hype, but proved to be a big disappointment. I personally find the first half of it too dull and most of the characters uninteresting. With The Force Awakens there is no disappointment and its reception has been very positive: the pacing is just right even for film this long (2h15min, which is pushing it). While some minor characters could have been given more screen time, the main characters are engrossing as is the rich world-building, which is clearly the payoff of a lot of hard work by dedicated people. The viewer is given just enough information to want to see the next part as well. The Force Awakens may not be the most mindblowing thing you’ll ever see, but it’s definitely a thrilling and inspiring ride worth watching right now. If you’ve ever considered the original trilogy at least somewhat decent, you’re bound to enjoy this one, too. And if you haven’t watched the originals, I don’t know how you have time to be reading this. Rating: 9/10 BB-units. Would watch again and will buy the DVD.