Star Wars was in a pickle during the late 90s and early 2000s. What should have been a return to the glory days that harken back to the original trilogy turned into a wave of disappointment that would take form for many die-hard fans as the inferior prequel trilogy. While not everything about the prequel trilogy was terrible, many fans, including myself, were shocked at how much degraded in quality these movies were when they should have been inspiring space epics that started with A New Hope. Then in 2012, Lucasfilm made a move that would further impact their beloved franchises, including Star Wars and sold most of their movie rights to the house of mouse known as Disney. Disney’s first phase of owning the Star Wars property was to create a sequel trilogy that would be more in spirit and tone to the original Star Wars movies. With J.J. Abrahams, director of many of the new Star Trek movies, set to direct the first in the new sequel trilogy, can this more unique Star Wars movie known as The Force Awakens reignite the Star Wars brand into the modern age?
Taking place 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, a new evil organization led by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) called the first order has risen and taken over the galaxy. This leads us to Rey (Daisy Ridley), a scavenger who finds a BB8 droid that belongs to a pilot named Poe (Oscar Issac), as he has information on the whereabouts of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). Rey meets up with a former Stormtrooper called Finn (John Boyega) as they bump into Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca, as well as a resistance group led by Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) as they untangle mysteries and discoveries, including Rey finding out who she truly is.
There are many pros and cons to this movie. The best thing to say about this film is that it is much more faithful to the Star Wars name as the space adventure action is much more thrilling, and the redundant storyline is fun and exciting. The dialogue is much more balanced into being silly but also severe and poetic. The film also takes some daring chances that are indeed shocking, which keeps the journey more exciting and less standard and tedious. However, the unfortunate side of the storytelling is that it borrows a lot from A New Hope, down to the essential plot points that this movie hits. Despite the unoriginality of the story, this film does not waste time with boring political exposition or annoying characters like in the prequels. The journey is much more focused, and the worldbuilding happens naturally without feeling forced on the audience. It's not picture-perfect, but this is the Star Wars movie that reminds us why we fell in love with the franchise in the first place.
The new characters are more than welcomed to Star Wars. They may not be as culturally impactful as the characters in the original trilogy but leave just enough of an impression to make them fun to follow around. Rey is a typical strong woman stereotype but has enough of an edge to keep her from feeling bland and overdone. Finn and Po are also very likable characters with complexities that usually come from their exciting pasts. Kylo Ren could have easily been a throwaway Darth Vader, yet his actions and emotions speak more than his character personality, which is already interesting as It is. BB8 is a droid who is obviously made to cash in on the cuteness side of droids but needless to say, it works cause he stole the show in almost every scene he’s in. Even many previous characters make a triumphant return, including Princess Leia and Han Solo, played by their original actors, which is fantastic. Compared to the prequel trilogy, these characters are much more in tune with the Star Wars name and are entertaining in many ways.
Last time The Prequels treated the audience to very fake-looking CGI effects and less practical filmmaking. This movie thankfully brings back some of the practical movie magic that made the original Star Wars memorable in the first place, yet still treats us with CGI effects that are much more polished and convincing as they only help enhance the visuals of the cinematography instead of taking it away. The lightsaber battles have never looked better, and the design of droids such as BB8 is commendable and really excellent. Some famous scenery and props from the original trilogy make a triumphant comeback but the new stuff, such as the new planets and spaceships, fit in well with the star wars theme. Costumes for characters look really neat, and the new order's revamped designs for the stormtroopers look sleek and modern yet authentic to the original designs for the Darth Vader Stormtroopers. These visuals bring star wars into a new modern light and make excellent use of old and new filmmaking techniques.
Of Course, since the Great John Williams made the music for almost every Star Wars Property, it only made sense to bring him back to Score the Force Awakens. Many of the well-known Star Wars tunes make a return. It is also accompanied by newer tracks that, while aren't as memorable as the ones in the original Star Wars movies, still feel epic and exciting to tag along with the story to make for a satisfying experience.
For many fans, this movie made almost everyone say that Star Wars was back and better than ever. While this movie still can’t live up to any of the movies in the original trilogy, compared to the films in the prequel trilogy, The Force Awakens, in most ways, is a much-needed improvement that reminds us why Star Wars is the cultural juggernaut that it was in the past. Disney was not about to stop here, as the company had a lot of other plans to take Star Wars into new directions that fans would either come to love or hate. Regardless, this movie sparked a light in both old and new fans of Star Wars. This was the first in a new trilogy of films, and needless to say, they mostly knocked out of the park in critical reception and box office profit to make for a pretty good comeback overall.
(Final Grade: B+)