Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens is essentially the film many fans hoped it would be and not at all what they expected to see when the film was released on December 18, 2015.  The plot of the film involves desert dweller Rey (Daisy Ridley) who is scavenging for resources to sell for food on the planet of Jakku.  She comes across a disillusioned storm trooper named Finn (John Boyega) who is working with a fighter pilot named Poe (Oscar Issac) and a robot named BB-8 to deliver a piece of a map that leads to one of the last remaining Jedi while being chased after an amateur Sith Lord named Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) who is part of The First Order, a rebranding of The Empire.  While the plot is familiar, it is tackled in a new way by a more diverse cast of characters.

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens was directed by J.J. Abrams who is most famous for his direction of Mission Impossible III and two reimagined Star Trek films.  The thing that makes this Star Wars film so enjoyable is that this film has the ability to capture the imaginations of audiences on a deep level.  All three of the films new characters have distinct personality traits that help you root for or against them.  The fact that Abrams decided to use practical effects and puppets instead of CGI characters shows just how much he respects Lucas’s original vision for the characters and the universe he created.  This film is the best possible love letter to what was created more than 30 years ago.  Abrams camera work is steady and not at all frantic here.  The film genuinely feels like all the lens flares and speedy cuts are a thing of the past for Abrams and because of that the film feels well-paced.

I’ve always said that if you don’t care about the characters in a story then the story itself will fall flat on its face because no one cares about the people involved in the story.  Ridley and Boyega have great on screen chemistry and the interplay between the two shows shades of the friendship between the original three characters in the Star Wars trilogy.  Perhaps what is most surprising about the characters of this film isn’t that they work well together but that each of them has their own journey independent of the overall story.  This is crucial in my mind to the success of the film because of this aspect of the film, no one gets left out.

The central theme of Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens is love.  How does love bring people together?  How does someone’s neglect tear others apart?  How does loyalty or friendship play a part in the lives of our characters or others?  These questions are crucial to why the relationships work in this film and why every obstacle faced by the characters has genuine weight and feels tension filled and dramatic.  This makes the film feel like a genuine thrill ride.

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens has one more major selling point and that is the return of all of the original cast excluding Billy Dee Williams.  I will be first to admit that I was skeptical that these actors could pull off performances of characters they have been away from for more than 30 years, but I was beyond surprised how much they were able to move me emotionally with the scenes they carried.  Of particular note within the original cast is Harrison Ford.  He plays Han Solo as a man who knows nothing else but being a smuggler and he is a very tragic figure who is doing his best to survive after the events of Return of the Jedi.  Audiences will feel sorry for him but they will also rejoice in his ability to as ever escape the inescapable.

The best thing I can say about this film is that it feels like it’s taking you somewhere.  The problem with the prequels is that no one cared about the characters or the adventure they were on because George Lucas made a conscious choice for that trilogy to feel like a melodrama with too much exposition and a lot of bad CGI.  The same universe now feels awash with possibilities and genuine excitement as the characters feel like they showcase environments we want to be a part of and that’s thrilling.

Ultimately, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens delivers on all fronts.  The audiences who grew up with the original trilogy will once again feel excited they got to return to this unique universe and younger audiences will be exposed to new characters and personality traits they will want to emulate.  The film really comes down to love.  What fans love about Star Wars can be found here and what I loved about the motivations behind Star Wars has finally returned.  Force Awakens is A New Hope and definitely the cinematic experience you should be looking for this holiday season.