Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens is flawed but still fun
Does it surprise anyone that Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens blasted by $250 million after only three days in theaters? It shouldn’t, because the newest Star Wars release, regardless of fan reaction and critic review, is a cultural milestone. I had mixed feelings about The Force Awakens after seeing it, and things continue to nag at me the longer I think about them, but overall I really enjoyed the movie.
Read my review of Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens after the jump.
Admittedly, I’ve never read the extended universe lore from comics and novels, nor have been able to play the new Star Wars: Battlefront game, but it was hard not to get excited about a new Star Wars movie. In preparation, I watched episodes IV, V, and VI to catch up on what I guessed would be fodder for director J. J. Abrams remake/re-imagining/sequel, and the “first” three movies gave me enough backstory to understand everything I needed to know going into The Force Awakens. That said, if you’re a Star Wars virgin and are going into Episode VII blind, it may take a little discussion to put together the puzzle pieces at play here. There’s a lot to digest, and Abrams attempts to paint in colors other than black and white as far as the force is concerned, but overall the newest Star Wars movie is a a fun, sometimes flawed start to another epic Jedi adventure.
Without spoiling anything, it’s safe to say The Force Awakens is a healthy dose of re-hashed ideas from Episode IV, a strong introduction of new characters like Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren, and an intriguing blend of closing old storylines and opening new ones. In a cinemascape that now includes the interweaving of the Marvel-verse, Abrams does an admirable job of trying to please fans who’ve followed the franchise for decades as well as jump-starting a promising new trilogy that’s smart enough, progressive enough, and also arguably simple enough to excite a younger audience.
That being said, The Force Awakens does have its flaws. The humor element alone will split audiences, and I’ve already seen viewers both applaud certain scenes while others saw the same scenes as silly and derivative. Personally, the laughs are a mixed bag. Far less slap-stick than you’ll remember but also fairly unsubtle. There’s one scene in particular in which Kylo Ren, the movie’s antagonist, is destroying a room with his lightsaber in a rage. It’s a strong scene, or at least it should have been. Instead, the camera cuts to the hallway to give us a joke as two Stormtroopers hear/see the chaos and quickly turnaround to avoid running into Ren. The humor literally pops a pin in any tension that scene could have held, but that’s just my opinion. I’ve seen online comments laughing at this very joke. Also bound to spark some conversation, the feminist element is evident pretty early on, and the movie goes out of its way to establish the new female lead, Rey, as an intelligent, independent woman. The “I don’t need a man to hold my hand” overtones fade out as Rey is caught up in the adventure and her own destiny, but in the beginning the movie establishes her independence in ways that are anything but subtle.
There’s some teen angst on display, some droid comic relief inserted for laughs, and plenty of questions left unanswered, but I think viewers will consider The Force Awakens to be subjectively better than the prequels (Episodes I, II, and III). Many critics and viewers have already slotted it in somewhere between their favorite original trilogy films, and if Episode VII prompts younger audiences to check out A New Hope again, that’s an accomplishment in itself. For me, I had a lot of fun in the theater, and smiling at things like the opening credit scroll to new, inventive ways of imagining nostalgic elements happened a lot. I came out the other end looking forward to the next two movies, with directors Rian Johnson (Looper, Brick) and Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World) answering questions and expanding the universe. Plus, we’ve got Rogue One on the way next year from Gareth Edwards (Godzilla), and that thing’s packed with familiar faces. One thing’s for sure, there’s much, much more Star Wars on the way, no matter how you feel about The Force Awakens.
**NOW FOR SOME SPOILER TERRITORY – SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT**
The good
- Han and Chewie back on the Millenium Falcon was nostalgia gold. Very moving.
- Rey and Finn are likable, relatable characters thrust into a very big world. They have a lot of potential to grow.
- With the mask on, Kylo Ren is a menacing, believably bad guy. Vader-light he might be, but he’s also got room to grow.
- Luke! Where’s he been? What’s he been up to? Where’s he going? So many questions to answer, and it’s fun trying.
- Lots of new aliens and live-action creatures milling around.
- There’s a great scene that sees a stormtrooper wield a new weapon against Finn and his lightsaber. It’s a highlight of the movie for me. Very cool.
The bad
- The Starkiller Base, no matter how you look at it, is essentially a big Death Star. The mission to destroy it is a mix of material from Episodes IV and VI.
- For that matter, it’s hard to argue that a large part of the plot motivation isn’t pulled directly from previous movies, from a droid hiding plans to a final assault on a planet base. Articles are already being written fairly comparing plot points to earlier Star Wars movies.
- Kylo Ren without the mask was angsty and non-menacing. He may even get a few laughs at his tantrums.
- Supreme Leader Snoke just didn’t work. He’s got Andy Serkis behind the CGI, and Gollum definitely leaks out at times. Also, the character is confusing. It’s as if Abrams wanted a Palpatine equivalent so one was created.
- Carrie Fisher, unfortunately, has not aged well. I’d have much rather preferred Lando make an appearance over the entirety of Leia’s on-screen time.
The in-between
- It could be argued that the closet scene involving Rey and Luke’s lightsaber slowed the movie down almost like Luke’s swamp scene in which he fights Vader in the mist. It’s a strange scene that quickly changes the film’s pace.
- The humanity of Stormtroopers is explored in a way we’ve never seen before.
- Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie from Game of Thrones) felt wasted. She looks shiny, but she was built up to be so much more than she is here. In fact, it could be argued her disabling the shields in The Force Awakens was key to the Rebels winning. Think about it!
- Oscar Isaac‘s character Poe Dameron is a mixed bag. On one hand, he’s awesome. We see him shoot up a handful of ships and gun down ground troops in a fun 15-second flyby scene, but he essentially disappears for a big chunk of the movie before randomly showing up out of nowhere.
- Kylo Ren and Han Solo’s confrontation is difficult, for various reasons. The setup alone telegraphs so much.
- What happens when a sun disappears? What kind of immediate effects would we see? That Starkiller Base has me asking questions.
What did you think of Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens? Sound off in the comments, and give it another watch if you loved it. Expect plenty of sites dissecting just about every aspect of the movie, and jumping in on the hype is up to you!