Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review
Updated: May 27, 2019
"In this continuation of the "Star Wars" saga, balance returns to the Force as the First Order, emerging from the ashes of the Empire, clashes with the Resistance, which includes scrappy newcomers as well as heroes from the former Rebel Alliance."
So here we are now approaching the fourth week of the release of the seventh instalment of the Star Wars Franchise. Now am I die hard Star Wars fan? No, I enjoyed the original trilogy (Episodes 4-6). I hated? Despised? Loathed the second trilogy with a passion. Was I one of those people that had to see it opening day? Hells no! Took me about a week to get to see it with Mr J. we were trying to figure out how to get him, my wife and I to all see it but that didn't work so Mr. J and I saw it first and then on New Year’s Eve we saw it for a second time with my wife. And now with the second viewing under the belt I think I can give this movie the review it properly deserves.
At the current moment people are going apeshit calling this the best movie ever and it is grossing some spectacular numbers. Does box office gross determine the best movie of all time to some apparently I don't think so at all. In the case of The Force Awakens people haven't seen a decent Star Wars movie in how many years and have been scrounging their change in the car until this day so they can run out and see it 8 times cause it gets them out of parents basement for 3 hours. Now domestically it has crushed records in terms of gross but it still trails Avatar by a billion dollars worldwide, it may have enough steam to overtake Avatar but that does give it the title of best movie of all time, not in my eyes anyways.
Visually this movie is fantastic, from start to finish it felt like a Star Wars movie. Desert scenes on Jakku to the dogfight between the Millenium Falcon and a couple TIE Fighters to the internal sets of Starkiller Base. The costumes from the beginning brought me back to the original trilogy from the First Order, Stormtroopers, the pilots but just with a modern flare. With the massive budget they had to start with there really shouldn't have been any issues with the effects. I did enjoy the change in the crackling appearance of Ren's saber, unrefined much like Ren.
Being as this takes place a number of years (25-30 I would guess based on Kylo Ren’s age) after Return of The Jedi I was concerned as to which characters would return from the original trilogy and thankfully we get the ones that most people were hoping for (Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca). There are even a couple small appearances by C3-P0,R2-D2, Adm. Ackbar asked well. But for this particular film the classic characters play as a good support class to the new up and coming characters like Finn, Rey, Poe and Kylo. I wonder which other classic characters will return for Episode 8 or will we see their children as well?
The new characters are interesting to a fault. Seriously though, Rey do you still really think your parents are coming to get you after all these years. Don't worry you will be able to sniff them out in a few days now that you have managed to use the Force so quickly. Kylo is a whiny bitch teenager that didn't get that Playstation 4 for Christmas and won't ever surpass the legacy of Vader. Well maybe if you killed some of the First Order or Stormtroopers instead of slicing up a console with your lightsaber you might start catching up pointswise. Finn is like a preteen as well never having known anything aside from training to be a Stormtrooper and taking orders since being taken as a young child his naivety is refreshing and quite comedic at times.
The premise of the film is that both The First Order and the Resistance are looking for Luke Skywalker after he goes into exile after failing in his attempt to recreate an order of Jedi after Kylo Ren turns on him and destroys them all. Which for a long term story works well however there are so many plot holes from the beginning to the end of the film it is a little crazy. Some people are saying how can you have plot holes when it's the first movie they will explain it later. Trust me I don't want to list them all and if you really want there are a number of articles detailing each one some are rather small others a little more like a crater. Just a couple however how does Kylo Ren nearly lose a lightsaber duel to an ex-custodian Stormtrooper who has probably never picked up a saber in his life. What about how Han Solo loses track of the Millenium Falcon for how many years and just magically finds it out of nowhere, or how Rey happens to understand Droid and Wookie for not having left Jakku or how no one really notices or makes mention of it.
Personally, I found too many similarities between this movie and A New Hope. It just didn't feel original and genuine to me and it almost felt like a reboot of Episode 4. The Force Awakens strayed enough and had a entity of its own in the end but I couldn't help myself make the connections between the similarities and watching it more than once just reinforced the fact of what I had seen. Rey being found on a desert planet and being an unknown wielder of the Force. The Trench fight and battle at Starkiller Base, really how does the First Order and all of these badass groups not realize to put the important parts of these massive bases in accessible places where it can be hit from the skies apparently fourth time may be the charm?! In this case, good will always triumph because evil is dumb.
Some people may think I hated the movie by what I write about it but I enjoyed it. It's not the best thing since sliced bread however. It could have been a lot better in my opinion there is a lot of room for improvement which hopefully we get in Episode 8 but without J.J. Abrams leading the way who knows. I would watch it again but I won't pay for it theatres again I will most certainly purchase it when it comes out certainly. If you have seen any of the Star Wars films it is a must see without a doubt, mind you I don't see anyone watching this without having watched any of the films but someone might be a little crazy.
4.0 Beards out of 5