Movie Review: Star Wars Force Awakens

Wow, does the Force Awaken or what?!  This was a terrific visit back to the galaxy far far away, with familiar elements of the series and principal characters in action.  Those with any concerns that the 'prequels' let down the series, can be rest assured that in the hands of director J.J. Abrams the series has returned to its swashbuckling, campy and fun heritage.

This review is meant to be spoiler free - so there won't be discussion of either plot or character arcs.

New Faces

Ren and Fin

The movie is carried on the shoulders of actress Daisy Ridley who plays the character Ren.  She puts in a stylish star making turn.  She has the wattage of Jennifer Lawrence in the Hunger Games, but carries a role more lightly, with more fun and more physical grace.  She is paired with John Boyega who matches repartees wittily with both Ren and with others in the movie.  These two are the emotional center of the movie from beginning to end.

Old Friends

Old friend are back in the form of Hans Solo and Chewbacca.  The one liners fly as fast as watching stand up comedy.  And it is tough to imagine the same characters pulling off funny observations nearly 40 years later - but there were genuine fall off the chair witticisms from both.  My favorite was when Hans, Chewy and Fin are on an icy planet trying to break in.  Come to think of it, all three have great lines.

The Baddie

Kylo Ren

What is a good movie without a memorable baddie?  There is genuine drama with Adam Driver playing Kylo Ren.  Is it possible to match Darth Vader or Darth Maul?  That is a tall order.  But there is such cleverness to the construction of this character, that the drama involved with Kylo Ren is what makes it soar.  Adam Driver is the third principal along with Daisy Ridley and John Boyega that make up the real story.

Props

The Star Wars universe is full of props.  The millennium falcon, the tie fighters, the droids, the strange creatures, places that we saw in the original New Hope such as Mos Eisley and the Cantina.  While we don't go exactly to all those places, every scene is populated with familiar forms and shapes from this universe.  Even the light saber is kept the same, but is depicted with so much more power, that it feels deadly.

Fight Sequences

What makes all Star Wars films soar are the amazing fight sequences.  And in this movie, each fight is staged with great care and in the service of the story.  But they are staged brilliantly and because you care about the characters, the fights carry an emotional undertow.  The tie fighters and the X-wing fighters are back in full force and they zip around like nobody's business.

Misgivings

Realizing that this movie is a gigantic enterprise, it feels terrible to have any misgivings.  But there are just a couple.  The first is there are too many coincidences.  If the story were set in a small village, then fine, people run into each other.  But we are talking about a galaxy here!  So the coincidences are a bit too much to take.  Secondly the final action set piece is fantastic visually.  Everything about it is thrilling in its execution.  Except the execution of the story telling itself of the set-piece.

Summary

The movie is an absolute delight that captures the spirit of the 1977 original.  If I have to rank the 7 movies to date, I would put it #3 behind A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back.  The acting, the plot, the characters, the dialogue (mercifully!) are all first rate.  Also, neither the 3-D nor the CGI are in your face.

Terrific movie, and if one is into this sort of thing, a must watch!