SPOILER FREE REVIEW
“This is the Star Wars movie we need.”
Grade: Strong Reccomendation
Regarding the EU:
The Star Wars original trilogy are some of the finest films of their kind ever made, complete with a fantastical universe ripe for expanding. And expand they did. I’m sure most of you reading this are aware that the Star Wars Expanded Universe (ie, old comics, books, games, etc) are no longer a part of the Star Wars canon. This move, while understandably upsetting for many hard-core Star Wars fans, was unavoidable. Star Wars needs a blank slate in order to continue to innovate and continue to build. Bearing that in mind, let’s consider the movie based on what it is, not on what it isn’t.
Pros:
Let me start off by saying that the movie was a blast, in a rather literal sense. The film was very exciting and well-paced, exhausting without being disengaging. You will not find any mind-numbing over the top battle scenes a la Prequels here: there is always an emotional core to the action in TFA.
There is more humour than I expected going into this, and it is executed far better than anything in the prequels. I’d place it more in line with Han’s “it was a boring conversation anyway” quip, or the famous “who’s scruffy looking?”. There are plenty of dark moments in this movie, moreso than The Empire Strikes Back at any rate, but there is always a little glimmer of hope. This is an optimistic movie in the best sense of the word.
Another highlight was the cast. Our leads Daisey Ridley and John Boyega blew away my expectations, and I think you’ll be pleased to hear that Harrison Ford was nowhere to be found: Han Solo filled in. As we go on this adventure with our protagonists we feel their sadness, their fear, their elation, their wonder. It’s a far cry from the Hayden Christensens of yore.
J.J. Abrams did a phenomenal job of achieving what he set out to achieve let’s recap the monumental task he was handed. He had to make a film that:
-Resonated with children and adults alike
-Recovered fans that did not like the Prequels
-Was approachable for newcomers unfamiliar with Star Wars
-Contained three decades worth of exposition
-Properly introduced the new cast while re-introducing the old cast
-Set up two guaranteed sequels
-Had a self-contained plot with character arcs
-Was good enough to not tarnish hope for the rest of the new trilogy
All of these demands have been achieved, and can be cited as the cause of the film’s shortcomings.
Cons:
From a series perspective, the purpose of TFA is to get people caught up with the Galaxy after all this time and to create audience engagement with these characters. This means that the single-movie plot suffers for the benefit of strengthening the characters and starting the overarching plotline of this new trilogy. The climax of this movie feels somewhat underwhelming when compared to Star Wars’s (1977) Death Star destruction. The buildup is lacking and the payoff not as well earned. That’s not to say that the climax was bad, however. Every moment Rey (Daisy Ridley) was on screen in the last third sent chills down my spine. I would compare it to the climax to Return of the Jedi: every part of Luke’s confrontation with Vader and the Emperor far surpassed the space battle going on outside because we are more emotionally invested in what’s going on inside the throne room.
In order to keep everything moving along at a brisk and satisfying pace there are numerous instances that stand out as somewhat contrived. There’s nothing any more egregious than Luke just happening to find his own sister prisoner aboard the Death Star, however, and the fluidity more than makes up for a minor plot hole or two.
Final Thoughts:
This spectacularly sets the foundation for new stories to be told, new characters to grow, and new memories to be born. It may not surpass Episodes IV or V, but this is the Star Wars movie we need right now. It does what it sets out to do with flying colours and is thoroughly enjoyable every minute of the way. If you are a fan of the Original Trilogy, Star Wars as a whole, or even if you are brand new to a Galaxy Far Far Away, you won’t want to miss this one.
nightmeerkat 