Finally, after the subpar prequel trilogy that told the
story of Anakin Skywalker’s descent to the dark side of the Force and his
transformation from Jedi hero to the sinister Darth Vader, we have a modern
Star Wars film that evokes all the things – action, humour, drama and a
struggle between good and evil – that have made the original trilogy so
revered. This was the Star Wars film we had to have!
J.J. Abrahams, who has an exceedingly good track record when
it comes to rebooting film franchises to great acclaim, is a genius. I’ll just
go ahead and throw that out there now. Clearly, he carefully and closely
watched George Lucas’ prequel trilogy as a guide for what not to do, and the
film that he’s helmed is the complete opposite. Gone are the annoying
characters, talk of taxes and politics…and basically every other questionable
thing that George Lucas managed to cram into the first three episodes of the
saga, to something less than critical and fan acclaim.
It’s hard to review a film like this properly whilst
remaining spoiler free, but suffice to say, there’s scarcely a dull moment in
The Force Awakens. I was on the edge of my seat from the opening sequence on
the distant planet of Jakku – a Tatooine-type wasteland where scavengers and sketchy
types seem to rule, and where living is hard – through to the final
confrontation between the Resistance, as the Rebel Alliance/New Republic is
calling itself these days in it’s struggle with the New Order, an organisation
born out of the ashes of Palpatine’s Galactic Empire.
The new characters meld seamlessly into the Star War
universe and it’s wasn't long into proceedings before the fates of the newcomers,
hot-shot Resistance pilot Poe Dameron, disaffected New Order stormtrooper Finn and
the mysterious Jakku native Rey, were as important to me as the fates of our
old favourites, Han Solo, Chewbacca and the battle-weary Leia Organa. We can
thank a tight script, written by Star Wars veteran Lawrence Kasdan – apparently
based on the shell of an idea from George Lucas himself – for that. Our
introduction to Dameron and Finn, who make a pretty good team, is nothing short
of scintillating.
What’s most fantastic is seeing Harrison Ford back at his
wisecracking best. Han Solo is one of the greatest cinematic creations, and the
prequel trilogy just didn’t feel right because the Corellian smuggler-turned-Alliance
hero wasn't a part of them. He’s back in full force here, somehow finding time
to shoot dead legions of storm-troopers and a few squadrons of menacing TIE
fighters in between great banter with Chewbacca. Obviously returning to the
role that made him famous sat nicely with Ford, and he’s done a fantastic job. I
saw plenty of Solo’s fast-shooting, fast-talking in Poe Dameron, too. Let’s
hope that continues!
On the flip side, I thought that Leia, now known as a
general rather than a princess, was underused. It felt like a token appearance
because the other original cast members were there, and I can only imagine
that, given the events of The Force Awakens, she plays a larger role in the
final two instalments of the trilogy. As for Luke Skywalker…well, you’ll have
to watch the film! No spoilers here!
Across the hall from the Resistance is the New Order, whose
strings are pulled by the mysterious Supreme Leader Snoke, about whom we don’t know
much, and his offsider Kylo Ren, about whom we learn plenty as the film races
by – a pretty solid one-two baddie punch, if you ask me?! These two have the
same dynamic as Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, and Ren is as menacing as
Vader ever was. Clearly, the disaffected man, who wields an impressive crimson
lightsaber, sees some of himself in Vader, going so far as worshipping Vader’s
crumpled mask. It’s yet one more nod to the original trilogy.
Surely, there’ll be a few people who complain about the New
Order being a re-tread of the Galactic Empire, and in a way, they’d be correct,
but it didn’t actually feel like I was watching a recycled plot with recycled
characterisations. The New Order has it’s own sinister streak, and their Starkiller
base makes the Empire’s Death Star seem like a child’s toy, so they’re a step
up from the Galactic Empire in many ways. For mine, Star Wars is at it’s best when it pitted a small band of rebels
against an overwhelming military force, so I’m totally okay with the New Order
rising up.
To be honest, I loved everything in The Force Awakens – okay, well, maybe not every single thing, but…spoilers
– and, really, and if the first instalment in the new trilogy is anything to go
by, the third trio of Star Wars films is going to seriously nudge the original grouping
as far as awesomeness goes.
Is it 2017 yet?
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