The Force is strong with this one.
The wait is finally over.
The movie event of the year, if not the decade has arrived.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens made its much-anticipated debut at the Cochrane Movie House on Dec. 17 at a special, sold-out red carpet event, jam-packed with hardcore fans.
For those wondering if the latest installment in the Star Wars saga lives up to the hype, fear not, it does.
Director J.J. Abrams’ film goes a long way to repairing the damage that creator George Lucas’ misguided prequel trilogy inflicted on the beloved franchise.
Set 30 years after the events of 1983’s Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens is a love letter to the original trilogy made by a fan for the fans. Han Solo (Harrison Ford) Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) have all returned. As have Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2.
They are joined by new stars Rey (Daisy Ridley), a scavenger abandoned by her family on the new desert planet Jakku, Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), a cocky Resistance pilot, and Finn (John Boyega) a conflicted Stormtrooper with no taste for killing.
Long gone is the Empire, and in its place has stepped the First Order, a Nazi-like offshoot ruled by Supreme Leader Snoke (played with typical excellence by a motion-captured Andy Serkis). His murderous Sith protégé Kylo Ren (played menacingly by Adam Driver of Girls fame), is a mysterious, masked figure who has a serious Darth Vader obsession.
Abrams – along with co-writers Michael Arndt, and Lawrence Kasdan (who co-wrote The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi) – has fashioned a story that not only pays homage to those that have come before, but sets the groundwork for the next two installments in the new trilogy.
The most gleeful fan-boy moments of the film are seeing Han Solo and Chewbacca again. It’s been 32 years since the dynamic duo have been seen together, and they don’t look a step off. Fisher as the now General Leia brings a motherly vibe to the proceedings, while Hamill is a surprise that even the most skeptical of fans can’t help but smile at.
However, as excited as people are to see the old, familiar faces, this is a film that concentrates on telling a new generation’s story.
Isaac, as flyboy Dameron oozes charisma. He’s cool, charming, and confident. Up-and-comer Boyega is funny and relatable, with his work here guaranteeing that the British actor has a bright future, but the real star of the show is fellow Brit, Ridley. The 23-year-old actress is a revelation. She’s the kind of star that a franchise can be built around. Much like Charlize Theron’s character in Mad Max: Fury Road, Ridley is a strong, confident heroine who is paving the way for more like her in a historically male-driven genre.
The lovable new droid BB-8 (who’s been a big player in the advertising campaign) is a delight. Those who thought the character was just a ploy like Jar-Jar Binks and the Ewoks to sell millions of toys, could not be more wrong. Many of the film’s funniest moments come from the diminutive character.
Everything a Star Wars fan could want is on display here. X-Wings? Check. Tie-Fighters? Check. The Millennium Falcon? Check? Lightsaber duels? Check. Great John Williams score? Check. In an age where huge action scenes in movies are a given, the set pieces are nonetheless impressive, and Abrams’ use of practical effects is a much-needed tonic to the CGI epidemic currently running rampant in Hollywood.
The film however, is not without flaws. Essentially, the plot is a rehash of 1977’s A New Hope. The story plays heavily on the nostalgia of the original trilogy, which is a double-edged sword. There are moments and references that feel like they are included just for fan service and don’t further the plot. There are even certain lines from previous films that are spoken verbatim by characters such as, “we’ve got company,” or, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
Perhaps the single biggest misstep the film takes is having another Death Star-like battle station. The Starkiller Base (glimpsed in the official poster) is essentially a much bigger Death Star, covering no new territory, and as much as I love Serkis, and enjoyed his Supreme Leader Snoke character, it feels like it would be more at home in a Harry Potter film than Star Wars.
That being said, the positives outweigh the negatives by far. It was a telling sign that when the credits rolled, the audience I saw the film with applauded enthusiastically, something that I have experienced less than a handful of times in my cinema-going life. Were there plot holes? Absolutely, but The Force Awakens is something that Star Wars films haven’t been since the 1980s: fun.
I’ve been thinking about a tagline from a mid-90s promotional trailer for the re-release of the original trilogy on VHS that was used to garner hype for the then upcoming The Phantom Menace: “For those who remember, for those who will never forget, and for a whole new generation who will experience for the very first time.” Walking out of The Force Awakens, I envied the numerous kids who had experienced their first Star Wars film, and felt a sense of camaraderie with moviegoers my age and older, who walked out of the theater with wide-eyed grins.
That has always been the magic of Star Wars, no matter your age or background, the galaxy far, far away can make you dream and gives one a sense that anything is possible. It’s a feeling that has been lost for a long time, not just from the Star Wars franchise, but cinema as a whole.
Without giving away too much of a spoiler, the first line of the film is, “This will begin to make things right.” Truer words have never been spoken.
If you have any love of Star Wars or just want to be reminded what a magical time at the movies is like, go see it.
You won’t be disappointed.
