As I stated this morning, I went to see the new “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens,” which was released on the 18th, today. Now that I have seen it, I will review that right now.
The wait is over. The most hyped movie this year has come out. Peter Travers stated in his review, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens, number seven in the series for those who wouldn't know a Jedi from a Jar Jar, emerges bloody with unrealistic expectations but gloriously unbowed.” It’s everything we go to see in the theaters – marvelous adventure that leaves us surprised, scared and overjoyed. This one not so much since we could practically predict what was going to happen after the first few minutes. Anyways, let’s do our Chewbacca impression for director J.J. Abrams who takes us back into the world that George Lucas created in his previous six installments.
However, this film doesn’t really do anything new. This is pretty much an updated remake of “Star Wars: A New Hope,” the 1977 original that changed what movie space epics do and made us become the Force. Three decades have passed. Our protagonists have aged, which consist of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford). It’s nice that Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), C3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2D2 (Kenny Baker and Jimmy Vee) look exactly the same. The newcomers in here are Rey (Daisy Ridley), a desert searcher abandoned by her family on Jukku, Finn (John Boyega), and AWOL stormtrooper who hates murder, and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), a pilot working for Leia, who is now a general leading the Resistance.
Now wait a minute. Didn’t the 1983 classic “Return of the Jedi” have the Ewoks celebrating the death of Darth Vader and the end of the Empire? True, but a “Star Wars” movie would be nothing without Sith Lords. That’s why Abrams and cowriters Michael Arndt and Lawrence Kasdan (co-writer of “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi”) give us a thrill. Travers noted, “A fresh malevolence called the First Order has emerged from the ruins of the Empire.” Supreme Leader Snoke, played by Andy Serkis doing his famous motion capture, giving orders from a space station that Travers describes, “makes the Death Star look like a Lego.” His young Padawan learner in this one comes in the form of Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver, who Travers says is, “a masked figure who communes so regularly with Vader's mangled helmet that a long future in therapy is a given.” The obvious attempt to clone Vader, one of the greatest villains in film history, is completely obvious, but Driver, masked and unmasked, gives him fascinating and memorable shapes.
As any “Star Wars” fan knows, bloodlines are essential to the plot. There are moments when everyone is related in some sort of a way. (The Lucas template has been taken from sources as varied as the Bible, Shakespeare, Oedipus Rex and Road Runner cartoons.) Evil stuff occurs to those who give spoilers about this franchise. Travers admitted, “But I will say this: The action, from lightsaber duels to X-wing dogfights with TIE Fighters, is explosive and buoyed by John Williams' exultant score.” The movie is fairly entertaining. Abrams knows how to build a laugh and fill the emotional moments between words. He’s a fanboy who knows what fanboys want, but he also gives the best for everyone else. Putting a black actor, a white actress and a Latino as the stars of the movie is the right idea that could have been completely wrong. Instead, it’s quietly making history.
Travers credited, “Isaac oozes flyboy charm, Boyega, bracingly comic and cunning, is a find, and Ridley (both she and Boyega are Brits) is a star in the making. Rey is the kind of can-do woman of heart and mind who can make a franchise. I'm not just talking marketing. Her scenes with the equally purposeful Leia have a femcentric wit and warmth.” The new actors are all amazing. However, the one that cannot have a steal stolen is BB-8, a droid that is orange-and-white. No one, except for Ford who kills this film form his first crooked smile. If you don’t laugh when Ford’s Han Solo reenters the Millennium Flacon, who Rey also says that the spacecraft is garbage (rude!), you deserve to be with the Sith Lords. “Chewie, we’re home,” is his first line. That is so true that it has never been said before.
As much as I liked this film, I do feel sad that Abrams didn’t give us anything new. I wanted a new story and everything different, but he just satisfied the fanboys who hated the Prequels, that I still think are not in any way atrocious like everyone else says. Then again, none of the “Star Wars” movies are perfect films because those don’t exist. However, it was fun, entertaining, and the space scenes and lightsaber fights were incredible. I rate this movie, like I have with the rest of the movies, a solid 10+. You should definitely go to the theater to watch this movie because I think you will love it. Don't be surprised that you can predict what is going to happen after the first few minutes. I'm not giving any spoilers since the film has only been out for almost a week. The reason we went today as opposed to opening weekend was because we were afraid that the tickets were already going to be sold out and we didn't buy it in advance. However, the spoiler with Han I was told by a friend, but I won't say what happens to him, although I think you already know.
My brother said that Disney, since they own the rights to this franchise now, is planning on keep making sequels to this film. I don’t see a reason to. I say stop after nine, but you never know because plans might change. We have a planned five movies in the next five years, which sounds like fun, but don’t try and do what Marvel did because it may not work. Just leave it to one franchise and don’t try it with anything else. Actually, I’m curious as to how DC does it with the Justice League franchise.
Alright, now that I have said all of this, stay tuned tomorrow for the next installment in “Disney Sequel Month,” which is another good sequel.
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