Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens

It’s been a couple of weeks. The premiere came and went, the hoopla has calmed down, the sentimental nerd tears of joy have subsided, and I feel like I can talk somewhat realistically about Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.  

This review is going to feature a few plot spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the movie yet, stop reading now and then go evaluate your priorities.

With so much history and anticipation surrounding the release of the new movie, there’s a lot to talk about, but really, there’s only one important question: how was it? Is the new installment of this historic, influential franchise any good to watch? 

The short answer is, yes, it’s good. It’s actually very good.

J.J. Abrams and his team have managed to make a film that looks and feels like it belongs with the original trilogy while still bringing 21^st century style, technology, and humor to it. This is one thing I wasn’t sure about. When Abrams took over the Star Trek franchise, it was exciting and action packed, but there wasn’t anything particularly Star Trekky about it. It was a reboot. The Force Awakens, on the other hand, is a continuation, and that’s an important difference. The film doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it returns to the wheel after George Lucas spent a decade turning the wheel into a computer generated, Jar Jar Binks flavored square. 

 

Anyway, what the film gets right is that it has the same universal mythic feel of the originals. Star Wars movies aren’t really science fiction at all but rather are archetypal quest stories about a young knight assisted by a wise wizard, a charming rogue, and a beautiful princess to defeat the dark king. The Force Awakens returns to that same kind of mythic story. This time, our young desert dwelling knight is Rey, a woman mysteriously left by her family. Like Luke Skywalker, she encounters a droid with a hidden message that sets her on a path of destiny. Things are inverted a little because the entire film is about her trying to track down her wise wizard, Luke Skywalker, who vanished after one of his pupils turned against him and slaughtered all the other jedi trainees. Like Luke, Rey is just a nobody who turns out to be a really big somebody.

 

Famously, several of the original characters return. Han Solo plays to biggest role, helping Rey and her droid meet up with the good guys. He also is important because we find out that it is his son with Princess Leia who is the evil jedi-killing, Darth Vader-worshipping Kylo Ren. In a climactic scene very reminiscent of Luke’s clashes with Vader, Han confronts his son, telling him there’s still good in him. As you probably know by now, it does not go well for Han and Star Wars fans lose one of their favorite characters.

Han’s death isn’t just a stunt though. It is a part of the quest story the film tells. The loss of a mentor/father figure is an important turning point for our young knight, Rey. His death is part of what galvanizes her and allows her to combat Kylo Ren in what will undoubtedly go down in Star Wars history as one of the coolest lightsaber battles ever. 

 

There are so many other things to talk about – the fact that it was shot on film and not digital, the practical special effects, the cameos, the theme of being rescued, the brilliant casting, Poe Dameron’s hot rod X-wing fighter, and so much more.  But suffice it to say, The Force Awakens is as good of a Star Wars film as there is. If you haven’t seen it, you should. If you have seen it, you’re probably like me and want to see it again.