Star Wars Episode VII - The Force Awakens Review

Sparks of new and old...

I don't think there's any questioning really that along with some of the other great Sci-Fi film epics, such as Metropolis, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien/Aliens and many many more films of this ilk, Star Wars is a futuristic and adventure filled series that everyone in this day and age, can connect with in any way shape or form. Along with my early upbringing of generally watching films such as with the Disney animations and Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings series of films, Star Wars, in particular Episode IV: A New Hope, was one of the first films that I cherished and loved watching over, and over again. Everything about the film, and the others that followed, had action sequences and relatable and intersting characters that went well with a simple story line that was fun to watch. Quite honestly, after when Episode III: Revenge of the Sith was released back in 2005, I never could have imagined that other Star Wars films would be made ever again since, at the time of 2005, the whole cycle of films/stories were complete and the prequels over-time, did receive mix-reactions for it's formal techniques of CGI and it's underwhelming dialogue. Now that this recent instalment of The Force Awakens has now gone and past, it is genuinely weird thinking about the fact that we've just had a Star Wars film which again, has brought about polarising opinions of the actual film. What is certainly evident after watching the 7th episode, is that it's a film that tries to appeal to all demographics with it's blend of old and new. Like with the Star Trek films, J.J.Abrams sets about making a solid introduction to a new Star Wars story, but it can't be helped to mention that there are loose ends that halts this film from being the best Star Wars film around...

30 years after the events of Episode VI which saw the fall of the Galactic Empire, a new threat has arisen from the ashes, The First Order, led by the mysterious Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) as they seek to hunt down the last of the Jedi in Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamil), who has vanished. There hunting for Skywalker leads them to the planet of Jakku, in which they encounter the skilled Resistance pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), who possesses a map that will reveal the location of Luke Skywalker. With the map hidden inside the droid companion BB-8, the map must be returned to General Leia Organa, leader of the Resistance, who is desperate to find her brother Luke and gain his help restoring peace and justice to the galaxy. Eventually, BB-8 joins forces with Jakku scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley) and rogue First Order Stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega). The dynamic duo, accompanied by the familiar faces of Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca, set off to join up with the rest of the Resistance in order to stop the First Order from ruling the galaxy...

Do the new characters hold up?

As mentioned before in the introduction to this review, when reflecting upon what J.J.Abrams has done with The Force Awakens, is that he constructs a brand new Star Wars story that everyone can be attached to; by adding and melding the old Star Wars formula with the new filmic trinkets. Similar to that of the recent-past works of the 'Star Trek' films, Abrams is a director that really caters towards all demographics and not just one specific audience group. Evidently, he's a fan more than anything of these past Sci-Fi works and doesn't necessarily over-do-it by adding a contextual idea that potentially hard-core fans will ever get. Like with the original trilogy of films, one of the more obvious ideas that Abrams implements into this new film is the focus of the characters. With the original set of Star Wars films, excluding the prequels entirely, it's always been a franchise that has engaged with relatable characters in simple and reasonably accessible story-plot lines, rather than convoluted story than leaves the watcher puzzled. The new characters of Rey and Finn, are good examples of likeable characters who both have great depth to their own story-lines with the film, as well as the fact that they both have good chemistry between one another on screen. Whilst we see Finn from the very first moment we see of him troubled over his connection with the First Order and is striving to do the right thing, Rey is an individual that is shrouded in mystery and is troubled by events of her past. What I liked about the character of Rey specifically is, while the performance from Daisy Ridley is a very good one, she's a character that embodies characteristic traits from the original characters of Luke, Leia and Han. She's a character that has been brought up on a deserted planet and knows the way's of the force, similar to Luke. She's a character that has charm, similar to Leia and has the mechanical/piloting know-how to get out of tricky situations, similar to Han. Speaking of the devil, it wouldn't be a continuation of the past Star Wars films without some familiar faces and that's what we get with Han Solo, Chewbacca, General Leia, and a cheeky last scene appearance of Luke Skywalker. Similarly bringing back the years as he did a few years ago with the return of Indiana Jones, Harrison Ford slips back into this iconic role with simple ease. While crude others may say that it was ticket-bait to place the original characters back into Star Wars once again, I think I can speak for the majority of people when I say that it was rather enjoyous to see the original characters return once again since they did compliment the new characters into the fray in the right fashion. Going into spoiler territory for a minute, it was ultimately the right decision to kill-off the character of Han Solo since you have to remember, Harrison Ford is an actor that's getting on a bit and has notoriously said in the past that the iconic character that he portrays should have died way back in Episode VI and it would have been awkward if the character had lived for the upcoming films. The villain of the peace, Kylo Ren, is welcoming addition to the Star Wars universe alongside Rey and Finn. What makes him such an intersting antagonist, compared to other past villains in the forms of Count Dooku and Greivous, is that he also has this struggle and confusion of whether he's doing the right thing, similar to that of Finn. While it's understandable that his whining attitude can get tiresome and repetitive every time we see him, one addition that I liked that Abrams subtly placed was the addition of adding comedic moments for Ren which worked well in contrast to the exposition of the film.

Another trope that Abrams used in conjunction with the film and hall-marking back to the original and prequel set of Star Wars films, is the correct use of the effects; whether it was for a practical and more realistic touch or with general CGI. I think it's well known for everyone who has watched the prequels of the early 2000's that CGI in those Star Wars films were pretty abysmal since CGI was used in an unnecessary manner and doesn't compare to lesser films that use the same techniques. With The Force Awakens however, the effects are definitely used in a coherent manner. It's not as if Abrams went over board with the blend of practical and CG effects; each moment we witness on screen has a good combination of the two different effects and serves to be a good tribute to original films. As one would expect from a film like The Force Awakens, action sequences don't shy away from being noticed and again, the CGI comes into effect within the set-pieces that really outmatch previous Star Wars fighting scenes. Even the traditional lightsaber duel near the end of the film definitely looked visually appealing with an extreme close-up of the sabres clashing and was also different in a contextual way in how it wasn't as stylized in terms of the choreography unlike what the prequels did, but that is a good thing. One gripe that I do have over the CGI that was used in this films was when we see Supreme Leader Snoke who appears tall and his face is only shown. I really don't know what to think of this character yet since we don't know his true ulterior motive which we'll see in the later films. I just didn't like the fact that they constructed him through the use of CGI. Being a little knit-picky, but why couldn't of they gone with the practical look? or make him a character in which we only hear his voice?

Even though what I'm about to talk about doesn't strictly have anything to do with the actual film itself, one thing that I did like about the lead up towards the release of The Force Awakens was the marketing. Okay, I do think that people who got really hyped for the release of this film did shoot themselves in the foot being that they expected this film to be the best Star Wars film there has ever been, when in reality it wasn't and they ended up complaining about the film that they were raving about before it was released. But overall I was rather impressed with the marketing for this film being that they didn't really spoil much of the exposition in the trailers that I'm sure people at the end of last year were re-watching, over and over again. As well to talk a little bit about the spoilers here, what was good about the marketing was the actual focus of Finn and how through the trailers, he was seen as the main protagonist who would learn the ways of the force. Instead, as I'm sure you all know, it was inevitably Rey who gains the power and essentially becomes the main attention and I thought that was a really smart move on there own part.

While I could go on to talk about potentially other successful traits that Abrams uses to appeal to all ages who have watched the previous Star Wars films, it has to be said that there a few problems here and there that have to be mentioned. Probably the most obvious one that sticks into mind is the issue of pacing. Even though I would go far as saying that the majority of the scenes that we do see of this film fit in and make sense, I can't help but mention a few off scenes which were unnecessary. One example of this would be the segment in which gangs are seeking to settle debts with Solo and I did think afterwards, what purpose was there to that scene? The only real thing to add was the action set-piece with the alien being let-loose, but it added nothing to the exposition and it seemed a rather waste of time to a film that was a tad too long for such a simple story. One criticism that was certainly thought-provoking is this idea that the story structure that Abrams went with for The Force Awakens, is identical to that of the New Hope's narrative structure with both films starting the adventure on a desert planet and near the end, have a main character getting killed off. While I can understand the fact that there are similarities with this films story structure and another previous Star Wars film, I would like to think that Abrams did ultimately do something different with the introducing of new and different characters and is a film, let's not forget, is the first of many more Star Wars films to come as it's an introduction to a world that a lot of film fans adore.

By summarising all that has been said, even though The Force Awakens ins't strictly the best Star Wars film there has ever been being that there are some issues with the pacing and structuring of the story, it's definitely a film that serves to be better than the prequels which is a fair result for Abrams. Being that this is the first of many to come in this new Star Wars story, you have to think that there other films will surely get better and the errors in this film will be corrected. Having said that, it doesn't mean that Abrams's rendition isn't a total disaster. What's admirable about the director, is that he's obviously a fan of the works that he's been involved with, the Star Trek films being the obvious example of this. What was good to see in this film which many enjoyed, was the blend of the old formula, and the new which proved to be satisfactory. It's for sure, a filmic piece that praises everything that is good about Star Wars. Oh and to finish... May the force be with you... always.

And with that cheesy yet awesome way to finish the review, I think it's time to end. As always everyone, thank-you for reading my latest film review and if you do have an opinion on my review or on the film, feel free to drop your opinion down in the comments section below. Once again, thank you for joining me in my latest film review and join me next week when I review another film! Until then, Adieu!!

7/10 - Alex Rabbitte