When a new Star Wars movie is released, this of course means a lot of hype (and marketing). It meant that the last few months it was next to impossible to stay aways from news about the film (something which I did manage, mostly). A new part in this beloved series also means impossible expectations from the fans. Does director J.J.Abrams succeed to meet them with this seventh movie in the Star Wars saga…or is this the new Phantom Menace?
The new film is set about thirty years after the events in Return of the Jedi and although Darth Vader and the Empire are gone, Kylo Ren and The First Order have taken their place. It is now up to The Resistance (instead of the Rebel Alliance) to make sure they are stopped. New characters like Finn, Rey, and Poe Dameron play an important role in that.
I didn’t see the original trilogy when I was a kid and maybe because I was older when I first saw it, I never had the deep-rooted passion most fans have. It doesn’t mean I don’t like the original movies, they were very entertaining, but they never managed to set my pulse racing.
When Phantom Menace was released I did go to the UK to see it sooner, but this was because one of my friends was a huge fan. When it came to this movie I wasn’t planning to see it during the first week, but was happy to receive an invitation to a showing in a Dolby Cinema. Of course I couldn’t pass up on that as this is the type of movie made for a venue like that.
Is it worth seeing this new movie? I can be very resolute in my answer: YES. J.J.Abrams has succeeded in making a Star Wars movie which is able to meet the unrealistic expectations. Of course he borrows some moments from the original trilogy (as Jurassic World did earlier this year), but is able to give them his own spin, making them feel fresh. The cast that has been put together is also impressive and some actors, like Adam Driver and Domhnall Gleeson are almost unrecognisable in their roles.
This (luckily) no longer is the sterile, CGI-heavy world George Lucas loved so much in his prequels. The Force Awakens uses practical effects where possible. Because of that the galaxy once again feels like a place that has been lived in, where strange aliens feel real and where you do feel like characters are in true danger. Like I said, the original trilogy never got my pulse racing, but this movie had a couple of moments where I truly felt something, which says enough about how good this film is. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the movie fans hoped for…and probably even a little bit more.
Oh my gosh, I can’t possibly read this until I’ve seen it…IF I see it, I guess.
Great review! I can’t wait.
Glad you loved it! It’s the most fun I’ve had at the cinema in a while. Especially the humor was entertaining. Not a 10/10 for me, because it wasn’t as innovative as the original trilogy. But still a great movie!
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Hoping to catch it this weekend. Didn’t read the review yet but had to check out your score. That makes me feel really warm inside!!!
Good spoiler free review. I loved what they did with Han Solo and Kylo Ren character arcs. And you are right, the movie lived-up to expectations.
/Wow, glad you liked it so much!
Nice review. There is a lot to love about Abrams version of Star Wars. However, I feel Disney’s hype was so intense that it made people lose their minds with love for this film. I think Abrams has pulled off an incredible trick: he doesn’t just put his own spin on the original, he recycles the entire story and somehow, very few people seem to have noticed. In my review, I cover both the good and the bad in this new episode of the ever-running saga. Take a look here. https://darrenmoverley81.wordpress.com/2015/12/26/star-wars-the-force-awakens/
Although I had small reservations about it which dropped my score from a 5 out of 5 to 4 out of 5, there are few things Abrams did wrong with The Force Awakens. As a huge fan of the original trilogy I was so disappointed with Lucas’ overblown prequels so it was a relief to see Episode VII work so effectively (and do so with such great entertainment value). Seeing Han Solo/Harrison Ford with Chewie back in the Millennium Falcon filled me with childlike glee (that’s something I’ve not felt in a long time and I applaud Abrams for doing such a good job bringing it alive).
Hi Nostra, happy new year my friend!
Glad you love this so much. I don’t see it as a perfect film, I suppose one would argue that no film is, but there are those that are darn near perfect (like ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ for me). I won’t categorize this film in the same vein, it won’t even crack my top 10. I do agree it’s entertaining though and it didn’t make me cringe as much as the prequels did.
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