It is finally upon us, The Force Awakens!!! I have had the opportunity to see this movie three times thus far and still notice new aspects of the film upon each viewing. So I will express my thoughts.
THIS IS A SPOILERS REVIEW SO I WILL BE DISCUSSING IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF THE PLOT. IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE FILM THEN I HIGHLY ADVISE YOU TO NOT READ ON. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!
Initial Reaction
Star Wars is back and damn does it feel good! While this is not the most perfect film, it returns us to the beloved franchise for the first time since 1983 (sorry prequels). Hardcore and casual fans will have a lot of fun seeing this film and get that sense of nostalgia that we had with the original trilogy.
Dislikes
Under Utilization of a Character: I discussed how there was an under use of a certain character in my non-spoiler review. That character was Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie). The character was supposed to be Boba Fett 2.0 and hardly appeared on-screen. I would have liked to see more of this character instead of just a silly plot mechanism to deactivate the shields of Starkiller.
Smothering of Characters: At the beginning when Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega) first interact the chemistry is great and is pretty solid throughout the whole film. However I did feel as though when they were aboard the Millennium Falcon that the film was trying too hard to establish their relationship especially after their little celebration with each other when escaping from enemy TIE Fighters. It just felt like a little too much smothering. Although that was the only case where it was evident.
Han's Death: The idea of the death itself is not what bothered me. It was how it was executed. They could of gave us a more in depth relationship with Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and his son Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) or Ben Solo. It was fairly obvious Han was going to meet his doom when he said his final goodbye to Leia. They could have set it up a tad bit better.
Another Spherical Space Station: I understand JJ's logic trying to take the safe route but when will the Empire learn to stop building spherical space stations that can blow up so easily? However history does have a pattern to repeat itself sometimes.
Likes
The New Cast: This new cast and characters is great. The first new character we are introduced to is Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and the man just oozes confidence. He brings a comedic and swagger about to this character, alongside his companion BB-8. JJ Abrams did a fantastic job when it comes to bringing an emotional appeal to this droid. The little guy is a hoot. Then we are given Kylo Ren. One of the more complex villains of Star Wars that we've had. He's obviously a fanboy of Darth Vader yet he acts very differently then Vader due to internal conflict within him when it comes to the lightside vs the darkside. Finn is quite the active character and John Boyega does really well this character. He's very funny when on-screen but also a very brave and kind soul when it comes to his friends. The new cast member that stole the show for me was Daisy Ridley. Rey is a very complex character with a shady past (which we will discuss speculation later on). This was Ridley's first full length feature film and she knocks it out of the park. It's so refreshing to see a strong female lead that is charming, vulnerable, kickass, and smart. She navigates her way around the Force and it adds to future excitement for these films.
The Cinematography: JJ Abrams and the camera crew do a great job with the cinematography. We get beautifully done rack focuses and continuous shots where you'd often think a cut would go. Practically any scenes involving X-Wings and TIE Fighters are a joy to watch because of this mix of nostalgia and fresh approach that is brought to the table within the cinematography.
The Old Cast: Harrison Ford goes out with a bang. The second him and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) appear, you get immediate excitement seeing the dynamic duo back on-screen. Harrison Ford gives his all in this final suit up of this iconic role. The humor is still there and he's still the smuggler that fans fell in love with so many years ago. Plus, Chewy really helps carry the team especially after a rampage upon seeing Han's death. Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) is now a general and while Fisher has been out of acting for a bit, she still does enough to get the job done. When it comes to Luke (Mark Hamill), while he does not speak a single line of the dialogue, the overall look is great and the man can really sport a nice beard.
The Setup For Future Films: This film has a lot of unanswered questions but it does a great job setting up for Episode VIII especially with the cliffhanger ending of Rey finding Luke. We have to wait till May 2017 and that will be quite painful with all the uncertainty with these characters and their story.
Future Questions and Speculation:
Where Does Rey Come From?: The theory I have taken a liking is that Rey is in fact the daughter of Luke. It seemed that was what they were setting up for throughout the film. Rey could have possibly been trained as a Jedi before Kylo and the Knights of Ren overthrew Luke. So out of fear, Luke dropped off Rey on Jakku but not before wiping her memory. This would make sense with her ability to use a lightsaber and use Jedi mind tricks on a stormtrooper. However they could be throwing us a curveball and Rey's parents could be an unknown couple of characters.
Captain Phasma's Fate? We are told she was thrown into a trash compactor but we never actually see this happen and with how much they under used her in this film, it would not surprise me if they brought her back in Episode VIII.
Who is Supreme Leader Snoke? I am hoping this is in fact Darth Plagueis and Rey's staff is secretly his lightsaber. Darth Plagueis was the master of Darth Sidious and while we were told he was killed by Sidious in his sleep, he was able to save loved ones from death in his lifetime. Was he able to save himself though? This would give a very powerful and badass villain to this trilogy if it is in fact Plageuis.
There are many unanswered questions that I am sure will be addressed in the next two films. Overall this is a great starter for the new trilogy and JJ Abrams really did well to resurrect this colossal film trilogy. This wasn't my favorite film of the year but by far my favorite movie going experience of the year.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
