Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens – Movie Review
Let me say this. I am a huge “Star Wars” fan. The original trilogy is what I consider the jump-off point of my love for film. I actually have a signed Darth Vader mask in my living room, seriously! I am not alone in this, millions (maybe billions) of movie fans feel the same way. When it was announced that J.J. Abrams would be helming “Episode VII”, that was music to my ears. Abrams is a fan-boy and he did an amazing job rebooting “Star Trek”. I knew in my heart that the reigns were handed over to the right man. No offence to George Lucas, but he pretty much screwed us all with those prequels. I am not upset that the prequels exist. They need to, because the original film was “Episode IV”. We eventually needed to get I-III so we could move on with VII. I just wish they were handled better.
After years of eagerly waiting, “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens” is finally here. Set thirty-something years after “Return of the Jedi”, Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Leia (Carrie Fisher), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) are back, essentially passing the torch to a whole new group of characters. Disney has done a great job keeping most of the story elements out of the trailers and I for one refuse to spoil any of the film. Unfortunately, fans expectations are so high for “The Force Awakens”, that there is a strong possibility many will walk away underwhelmed. I enjoyed latest installment of the “Star Wars” saga but I wasn’t blown away by it. It’s simply good, but not great. It’s not as good as the originals but its far superior than the prequels.
Again, this review is not going to cover story elements, but just a few things that did and did not work for me. Daisy Ridley and John Boyega were perfectly cast as Rey and Finn. These two additions to the “Star Wars” universe are fantastic, most notably Ridley who’s character has the potential to be one of the great female heroes in film. Boyega is also great as the storm trooper turned resistance fighter. He delivers much of the film’s humor. Although we don’t get enough of Oscar Isaac’s fighter pilot, Poe Dameron, I have a feeling that character will play a larger role as the series continues. The little we do get of him, is quite good.
Easily one of the weakest elements in “The Force Awakens” are the leaders of The First Order. The villains should be one of the best parts of these films, but so far, they are not impressing me. Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) is no Darth Vader. It is hard to get into why I didn’t like this character without giving away the story, but let me just say that he is in serious need of therapy. Another member of The First Order, Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie) looks pretty cool, but she is given absolutely nothing to do here. I felt like she was just included so Disney could sell a bunch of action figures or products that feature her. We don’t see much of Supreme Leader Snork (Andy Serkis) but when we do, he comes across as something from “The Lord of the Rings” rather than “Star Wars”.
It was great to see Han Solo and Chewbacca in action again after more than three decades, but Leia is seriously underused. I love the new droid, BB-88 and I have a feeling everyone else will too. The storm troopers here are one aspect that are improved upon from the original trilogy. They are more aggressive. They have a bit more personality. More variation of weapons as well. I also loved that Abrams went back to practical sets, locations and creatures. There is plenty of CGI but it is a nice blend. For the most part “The Force Awakens” feels like “Star Wars”.
I wanted to love “The Force Awakens”. I try not to have high expectations going into a film, but when it comes to this series, it is hard not to. Even with its flaws, there is plenty to enjoy and things are being set up for the future. Although the bad guys are a bit of a disappointment, the heroes are charismatic and as fun as they should be. I realize that I haven’t brought up Luke Skywalker at all and there is a reason for that, but you will have to go see “The Force Awakens” for yourself to find out why that is.
By: Marc Ferman