***So after seeing this film three times with various friends and family members over the course of a week, I’ve finally decided, after much thought and consideration, to write two reviews for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, one, a “fanboy” review that strips away my critical thinking of the film and looks at it from a purely entertainment and nostalgic driven standpoint and the other, a more “honest” review where I talk about the film much more critically and candidly.
What follows is my brief spoiler-free “fanboy” review.***
I kinda loved this movie.
It’s the type of film that I wanted to see, nay, that I needed to see. Star Wars: The Force Awakens not only accomplishes what the prequels couldn’t, but also gives filmgoers a perfect chance to jump back into the universe that captured so many minds and hearts when the original was released way back in 1977.
To that end, nostalgia runs high in this film; unbelievably so. The sheer joy of seeing that timeless and iconic opening text slide away into the distance while John Williams boots up his orchestra is enough to make anyone smile wide and break out in goosebumps. Seeing our old friends Luke, Han and Leia still alive and still sticking it to the newly arisen evil that is The First Order is thrilling, even more so when new characters like Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), BB-8 (…Droid McDroidy?…) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) fit into the pre-established Star Wars universe like a glove. *insert a Skywalker hand cutting off joke here*
This film, to me and to pretty much the entire world, had a lot riding on it. Say what you will about the prequels, but they essentially hyped up the return of Star Wars only to drag its good name down into the crushing depths that is the Dark Side. But this film, The Force Awakens, was the real test to see if the legacy of the franchise could still thrive without becoming just another disappointment. I’m glad to report that JJ Abrams and his corporate overlords at Disney don’t disappoint. The Force Awakens is a return to form for the series, and while there are a few missteps here and there, it delivers on something we’ve been waiting decades for while at the same time setting up a new direction for the series that no doubt will rival the original trilogy by the time it’s complete.
Practically everything is as it should be: the sound effects, the score, the characters, the lightsaber battles, the dogfights, the mythology — everything. You want to see R2-D2 and C-3PO talk smack to each other one more time? You got it. You want some intensely explosive aerial battles across the skies of a faraway planet or deep in the cold depths of space? The Millennium Falcon, Tie Fighters and X-Wings got your back. You want some truly amazing displays of the Force as the Light and Dark Side battle it out for control of the galaxy? Let me introduce you to the evil Kylo Ren and a scavenger named Rey. My point is, everything you hoped the prequels should have been, everything you’ve been wanting to see done right, and most importantly everything you used to feel when watching a Star Wars movie are all here and accounted for. The movie felt right and at this point, that’s all anyone needed.
I know this film was essentially a fan service, but it’s still a jumping on point for many to explore new characters, problems, worlds and relationships, and the filmmakers don’t disappoint. As I said before, a lot of this movie runs on nostalgia, but I actually preferred the original content Abrams and company brought to the table a lot more. The first quarter-ish of the movie (similarities to the original film aside), is almost entirely taken up by everything new to the series and not once was I bored or hoping to see anything related to the original trilogy. I mean yeah, I loved it when those elements eventually did come into play, but I was perfectly content exploring this new and different take on the Star Wars saga for as long as I possibly could. The same goes for the rest of the film. I enjoyed all the callbacks and characters from the original trilogy, loved them even, but what I loved even more was seeing how this new generation of characters dealt with the specific problems and stories that came bundled up with them. Our new heroes and villains are so much fun to watch and invest in, that when they have to share the spotlight with what came before, I can’t help but think that a few good storylines or extra scenes had to be cut in the name of pumping the nostalgia level up to eleven. I feel like the movie would have benefitted a bit more from just letting go of the original trilogy characters and ideas in order to make room for the next generation of Star Wars, but I guess they had to start that transition somewhere.
As for the director, JJ Abrams lovingly recreates the feel of this universe, going so far as to shoot the film in actual 35mm (as opposed to digital), use practical sets and effects as much as possible (BB-8 is one such example) and, in contrast to the CG heavy prequels, use computer graphics only when necessary. The homage to A New Hope’s cantina scene is a particular standout of this practice and is so much fun to watch that I forgot to pay attention to what was actually happening onscreen. A fun callback here, a clever nod there and before you know it’s these types small moments have you smiling like an idiot for no reason. Point is, this is Star Wars done right.
Outside of a few familiar story beats and an ending that was completely unoriginal in the best way, The Force Awakens scratched my itch for a film worthy of the Star Wars name. It’s not perfect, in some parts it’s actually kind of annoying (that Rathtar scene anyone?), but the sheer amount of what goes right onscreen easily outweighs the problems this film has.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is exactly what we, the nerd legion and general public at large, needed this film to be. It’s the type of movie we thought we would get when the prequels came out and in that regard, is exactly the kind of film that needed to be made in order to restore faith in the franchise, especially as Disney moves forward with this new cinematic universe. I cannot explain how much fun it was to be brought back to a galaxy far, far away and as far as I can tell, we have nothing to worry about from here on out.
8.3
"Fanboy" Rating
The Verdict
8.3
