Star Wars: The Force Awakens is not only one of the most anticipated films in some time, but also one that likely held an incredible amount of pressure on director J.J. Abrams and the cast and crew. The classic trilogy that kicked off the franchise decades ago remains possibly the most iconic and influential sci-fi series of all time, and while George Lucas's prequel trilogy 15 years later was more divisive critically, it still made its own notch in pop culture. Abrams was tasked with making a film that could appeal to younger modern audiences while still respecting the material that came long before it.
Thankfully, The Force Awakens is done in a manner that pulls both of these tasks off. It still continues the story of characters like Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, but also brings in some new blood with completely new main characters. It looks gorgeous, is engaging, and in some spots surprising. There are still some factors that prevent it from being the instant classics the original trilogy became, but the final result is still a worthy follow-up, and one of the better blockbusters of the year.
Taking place thirty years after Return of the Jedi, the movie once again takes place in that familiar galaxy far, far away, and establishes a new threat in the form of the very Empire-like First Order, complete with the very Rebel-like Resistance fighting its attempts at oppressing the masses. A raid by the First Order and their Sith leader Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) on the desert planet Jakku also has Finn, a stormtrooper on his first mission, horrified by the atrocities his comrades carry out on innocents, and he eventually decides to abandon their cause and also free captured Resistance pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), eventually finding himself back on Jakku. There, he meets both a local scavenger named Rey (Daisy Ridley) and a droid named BB-8, who contains something very valuable to both the First Order and the Resistance.
The two end up escaping on the iconic ship the Millenium Falcon, and soon meet up with its original owners, the infamous smuggler Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and the wooly alien Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), who are now part of the Resistance. From there, it's a race to get BB-8 where it belongs, stop the First Order from utilizing a weapon that threatens the galaxy, and help Rey and Finn find their place in the greater Star Wars mythos.
In general, The Force Awakens does a good job visually of feeling like a proper Star Wars film. One neat aspect of it that Abrams insisted upon was less of a reliance on computer-generated effects and more on real-life sets, props, and aliens, in an attempt to feel more authentic to the old films than the CG-heavy prequels. That's not to say that there's no CG, as some environments, spaceship fights, and even newcomers like Resistance ally Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong'o) and First Order leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) are done via motion-capture, but it does strike a good balance in using both practical and digital effects where they're most fitting.
The cast also delivers the goods. Finn and Rey not only have some great chemistry when they're paired up, but they also have interesting aspects to their characters, though some of them shouldn't be ruined here. It's interesting to see the direction characters like Han, Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Luke (Mark Hamill) have all taken in the decades since their last big adventure; there are even some sad aspects regarding the way things have turned up for them as well as where some of them end up by the film's conclusion. As villains go, Ren doesn't stand a candle to Darth Vader or the Emperor, but he also has a tragic side to his past, and even a few sly moments of humor without going overboard. We also get an early glimpse at Snoke, who will presumably serve as this new trilogy's main villain, and while it obviously remains to see how iconic of a baddie he'll ultimately be, Serkis's performance and an interesting design help to set him up as intriguing.
The pacing is very good, as the slower moments help to both progress the central story and bring us up to date on how things have changed, and the action is overall solid. In terms of the actual plot, it's successfully interesting and fun to see unfold, though the idea of everybody chasing a droid in the first act as well as a dogfight over a superweapon at the climax are recycled directly from A New Hope. There are funny moments (Though not as many as one would expect compared to the originals), emotional moments, and exciting moments. It feels like a Star Wars film should.
In terms of flaws, the film doesn't really bother explaining how the First Order came to be, though hopefully follow-up films can elaborate on that. Poe Dameron also feels like he should have more of a memorable personality and standout moments considering how much screen time he gets, and a moment involving the revival of a familiar face in the last ten minutes provides no explanation for itself at all. The First Order's main weapon also needed more buildup, as well as a more significant feeling of consequence for what it does midway through the film.
Finally, while this is overall a satisfying, well-made film, it doesn't end up feeling like it's going to leave as big an impact on the original trilogy. One of the reasons Star Wars blew up wasn't just because of its good writing and effects, but because it presented a lot of concepts and story elements that sci-fi films generally never had up to that point. The Force Awakens feels more like a straight continuation of those original films rather than something that's really trying to expand upon established ideas or offer completely new ones, and this results in it being an enjoyable film rather than a true classic.
Even with these problems, The Force Awakens is still worth seeing as soon as possible. It is a film worthy of the Star Wars name, will appeal to many generations, and contains its fair share of surprises (One moment in the last act may be the most heartbreaking in the series so far). Abrams and company have set a good foundation to bring Star Wars back into the public eye, and it will be interesting to see where the already-confirmed eighth and ninth films go from here.
Final score: A low 8 out of 10
Great review. We agree on much.
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