Starwars: The Force Awakens Review (2015)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

 

  The most anticipated movie of all time came out last night, pulling in a record breaking $57M. All Star Wars fans wanted for Christmas this year, was for this film to be good or even just better than the prequels. So, did they get what they asked for?

  I think so! First, let me start off by saying that there are a LOT of problems with this movie. I know that's not what you wanted to hear, because it's not what I wanted to say, but I must be objective in this review.   

  Secondly, there is a lot to love about this movie too. SO, I will start with the things I love. 

  Guatemalan/Cuban actor Oscar Isaac. Boy am I excited to see him as Apocalypse in the new X-men movie. This dude is extremely likable and even in the brief screen time he was given in Force Awakens, he displayed very Han-Solo-like charisma and big acting range. Most people think Isaac is new to the scene, but he actually has quite the resume, including 2014's indie gem, A Most Violent Year. 

  Another thing I loved, was Adam Driver as Kilo Ren. Aside from a comedic drama called While we're Young, I can't bring to mind any memorable performances I've seen from this guy. When I heard he was going to be playing the menacing villain of the Star Wars universe, I was really curious to see what would happen. He had the height, the deep voice, and the emotional range, but could he compete with Darth Vader, Palpatine, and General Grievous? This will probably be the most debated thing among fans, but I think he competed pretty well. Driver brought a humanity to the character and really tried to make him redeemable. I feel like he's going to be the Prince Zuko of Star Wars characters, which granted, may bother some people who didn't find him so sympathetic. The only thing I didn't like about the character, was not being able to completely understand his motives. We are told he is seduced to the dark side and then it is presumed that the reasons will be revealed in later movies, but certain plot points in this movie don't have quite the impact they want because his character isn't fleshed out enough. There is an inner battle going on between dark and light, and in order for us to really relate to the battle, I think we need to be given more insight into why Kilo Ren is the way he is. Driver is given a big job with this character, but he brings his A game and really gives us an expression-filled, unforgettable performance. 

  Daisy Ridley. This was the first movie I've seen with her in it and I really liked the fact that she isn't a big name actor. That way, you see her as her character only and nobody else. The movie really hinges on whether or not you like Ridley or not, which thankfully her character is written and acted extremely well. I wouldn't say she's the most amazing actress in the world, but she was solid and likable.

  BB-8. SOOO cute. I loved this little bot. Not only was it a great R2D2 replacement, but it was funny and had a big personality. I really enjoyed this character.

  John Boyega. I won't spoil whether or not his character is a Jedi or a Storm Trooper, or just some random dude, but I will say, I'm not quite sure what I felt about him. He's probably the most different character in the Star Wars universe that we've seen so far. You can tell he's excited to be here, but sometimes his dialogue was a little clunky, which made it harder to deliver. They laid his relationship with Daisy Ridley's character on pretty thick, and sometimes it felt a little too rushed for them to be so emotionally attached, but aside from those things, he was an interesting character.

  Domhall Gleeson plays General Hux and really models his character from the old trilogy generals. I know to some he seemed to be a bit over the top, but I actually really liked him. I was unaware that he was in this movie until I saw it, and I'm a big fan of his acting style, which is ironically pretty similar to Adam Driver. He's usually super likable characters in movies like About Time or as Bill Weasley in Harry Potter, but here we get to see a different side of him, which I really appreciated! He looked like he was having so much fun being in a Star Wars film and it showed.

  Harrison Ford was AWESOME as you probably expected, and slipped back into the role of Han Solo effortlessly. So many cool nostalgic moments in this film, and he was probably my favorite of all. 

  Now that I just vomited fangirl all over you, time for the things I didn't like so much. Predictability and the rewatchability factor are the two biggest problems for this film. It is very derivative of A New Hope which comes off as very safe. J. J. Abrams is trying so hard not to rehash the prequel movies, that he isn't very ambitious with this one. Some fans may like that he didn't try to make it a completely different thing, but for me it felt a little unoriginal. The rewatchability factor comes into play because, as shocking as this might sound, there isn't really any huge action sequences. Weird for a Star Wars movie right? Aside from one lightsaber battle, a CGI monster, and some gun fights, there was never a scene in this movie where I thought, I need to go back and see that scene again. 

  One thing I absolutely hated, was the way they handled one particular scene (don't worry I won't spoil). For those who've seen the movie, I'll just say that it's on a bridge and they'll know exactly what I'm talking about. This scene is between the villain and a main character. As I said before, Kilo Ren isn't developed very well, so when we have this big, critical moment, it doesn't impact us emotionally the way it wants us too. This is a huge disappointment, because it's such a critical moment to the Star Wars Saga and it could have been done so well.

 The only other problem I had with the film was some of the comedy. It would have been fine if the comedic dialogue was limited to only one or two characters, but everyone seemed to get at least two one-liners. This had a very Marvel Avengers type affect. Sometimes the jokes landed, mainly when it was without out dialogue and just action, and other times, it just took me out of the film a bit.

  Once the high of the movie wears off for fans, I think they might realize that this is a good film, but not a great one. However, to be fair, I don't think any movie can live up to the decades worth of nostalgia Star Wars fans have had stored up for themselves. For this reason, I'll give Star Wars: The Force Awakens an 7 out of 10 stars (Very Good)