WARNING: MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD! Nothing you won't get out of the opening crawl in the first two minutes. No major plot points ruined.
So, it's finally here. The big question that most of us had, is it any good? The definitive answer is a resounding YES! This is the movie we've been waiting 33 years to see, since Episodes 1-3 sucked so badly. It is new, exciting and fun, packed with just the right amount of nostalgia combined with a passing of the torch to a new generation. But, it is not totally without problems...
The Force Awakens takes place in real time, around thirty years after Return of the Jedi. Forget everything from the Expanded Universe of books, all of that has thankfully been thrown away. The Empire has been smashed, but from the ashes, the First Order has arisen. It is the remnants of the Empire's military wing and is ruthlessly trying to take back its position from the New Republic. What was once the Rebellion is now the Resistance, led by General Leia Organa. They try to keep the First Order in check. For some mysterious reason, Luke Skywalker has disappeared, and both sides are looking for him. This is where we land in the action.
So, yes, The Force Awakens is a really good, if not, great film. There is a lot to like here. It is wonderful to see the old guard like Han Solo and Leia again. Han and Chewbacca play big roles in this film, so their legion of fans, myself included, will not be disappointed. Harrison Ford reprising the role he loves/hates is a joy to watch. But despite the initial reliance on old characters, the new characters of Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), and the villainous Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) are all likable in their own ways. We get just enough information to pique our interest about them, and we are left wanting more, like all good entertainment should be. J.J. Abrams, who directed and cowrote the movie with Lawrence Kasdan (The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi) and Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3 and the Oscar Winning Little Miss Sunshine), proves once again that it is the script that matters, not the effects.
Expectations were incredibly high for this film, and these three talents delivered in spades. If you don't have compelling characters with realistic motivations one can relate to, the movie will not work. The coldness and stiltiness of Episodes 1-3 was its downfall. In the end, you didn't care about what happens to the characters. On top of that, since Lucas is notorious for not being able to work with actors, he doesn't get good performances out of them. That, combined with an overreliance on admittedly dazzling effects, give Episodes 1-3 a cold, flat, lifeless feel. Now, before this descends into a Lucas-bashing column, he IS a fantastic producer. He sees the big picture, and is able to guide it well. But in the end, it took the grounding of a good story and solid, interesting characters to ultimately save the franchise. In other words, it needed a new set of eyes that could say the emperor has no clothes.
Some good specifics about The Force Awakens. I like the darker tone of the film. The First Order has a real sense of menace. Stormtroopers are not comical tenpins with bad marksmanship. They are cruel, faceless and ruthless here. There is a real sense of danger. Added to that is the character of Kylo Ren, a very powerful Force-weilder prone to fits of rage, giving him a deliciously evil and unpredictable nature about him. The First Order is dangerous and capable, and could not be bested by a bunch of hyperactive teddy bears. The new droid BB8 is a joy. I was never a fan of R2-D2, and it is nice to see a droid with a "real" personality, all the more amazing that it is a real, not CGI robot.
That said, this is not a perfect movie. There are some problems, albeit minor ones, that hamper the movie's ultimate effectiveness. The biggest issue I had was that there was not much exposition. A lot of time and story has progressed since Return of the Jefi, and weare abruptly thrown into a situation we know very little about, and very little was answered as the movie progresses. I found myself on more than one occasion scratching my head over who this character is, why is that piece of information important? Why did Luke run off? Why is everyone looking for him? On and on this goes on through the whole movie. Now, I am sure they will resolve most of this in the subsequent episodes, but it is very confusing if you take the time to think about what's happening. Next, this film is essentially a soft reboot of Episode 4: A New Hope. The movie is not terribly original. Without getting into too many specifics, there are way too many parallels with the first Star Wars movie. From characters to situations, the entire film has a stale, rehashed feel. I can only hope they don't double down on backward glancing references a la Star Trek: Into Darkness in the subsequent films. Finally, I said earlier that there is a lot of nostalgia in this film, sometimes which is used to comedic effect. My problem is that there is too much wink-and-a-nod-type humor. It IS funny and I laughed, and I realize a bit of comic relief can be helpful, but there was too much self-referential gags. We need to move ahead with this new generation and the humor took me out of the story at times.
Despite all of these problems, this is a really fun, crowd-pleasing movie that I would dare say is another Willy Wonka moment (a movie that sucks me into the story and totally captivates me). I honestly felt like I was seven years old again watching Star Wars for the first time. It was thrilling, exhilarating, and an experience that had a profound impact on me, particularly for my love of movies. Star Wars is where a lifetime love was born, and movies like The Force Awakens remind me once again why I keep going to the darkened theater for another grand adventure.
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