Review Addendum: added by me in the distant future of 2/15/2022.
Trilogies are wacky things. You can kick 'em off pretty good, but if there's no over-arcing plan for the middle and second chapters, the whole thing can collapse like a rotten house cursed with a poor foundation.
Most "trilogies" come about, not because the film-makers needed six hours to tell a good story, but because the first one was an unexpected hit. The Matrix is a good example of this. When it turned out to be a massive, unexpected, stand- alone blockbuster, Warner Brother's practically launched a catapult spoon filled with cash at the Wachowskis to get them to produce two sequels. Both of which, sadly, only served to muddy the waters of the laser-sharp original.
To a certain extent, this also goes for the very first Star Wars movie. Yes, Lucas famously claims that he always had nine films planned, but there's a very important reason why the story told in Star Wars is completely self-contained. If it flopped upon release, that would have been the end of the "saga."
But, right from day one, The Force Awakens was always intended to be the first film in a trilogy. Disney had just bought the Star Wars IP from George Lucas for a whopping $4.1 billion dollars (!) and they needed to make a return on net assets ASAP. So they hired new Hollywood wunderkind J.J. Abrams and got him to crank out a script along with Lawrence Kasdan and Michael Arndt.
As I stated in this original review, first published back on 12/22/2015, the end result weren't terrible. Well, at least they weren't on a superficial level. But, even when I was writing this seven years ago (!), I could tell that The Force Awakens had the potential to be a hollow promise. After all, if you plan to make a trilogy from the very beginning, you're basically telling the audience that the first film is basically an introduction, a set up...with rewarding complications and a satisfying denouement to follow.
Now that the sequel trilogy has been complete for a good two years now, I find myself in a very unusual situation. I'm not a big proponent of revisiting reviews, but in this case it's 100% necessary. Based on the development and conclusion we eventually got, I now feel compelled to go back and take a good, hard look at the first third of this "novel" and judge it based on what we now know of the overall story.
For better or for worse, I'm not erasing any portion of my original review. But I will chime in periodically to let you know how my opinion of these formative events has changed based on the complete picture. You'll see these comments in bold italics.
Anyway, on with the original review:
Sorry, but someone has to say this: The Force Awakens is an unmitigated disaster. It doesn't jibe tonally and stylistically at all with the last three prequel Star Wars films. It has an engaging plot that leads to a thrilling finale. The characters are sympathetic, engaging and connected to one another in interesting ways. The dialogue between them is authentic, witty and funny. The practical sets and special effects create tangible, immersive environments. There's a genuine sense of peril and serious consequences are triggered. Tantalizing mysteries are proposed and then left dangling, making you want more instead of dreading what's to come.
Of course, you might mistake these things for positives if you're, say, anyone other than George Lucas.
I can't help but read this and think: "Hmmmm...much anger in you, I sense." It's a really bitchy thing to say about Lucas, and I wish I didn't write it.
Clearly, I was still smarting from the prequels. To be honest, I'm still really pissed that George frittered away a decent story by writing it himself. But, hey, at least it told one unified, coherent story, albeit in a pretty amateurish way.
I originally wrote that The Force Awakens has "an engaging plot which leads to a thrilling finale." I would now like to retract that statement.
In their heart of hearts, I think that every Star Wars fan wants to love all every new scrap of content that comes their way. This goes back to me as kid getting angry when critics and fans pointed out the flaws in Return of the Jedi. Hell, I even tried to deny the massive shortcomings that were blatantly obvious in The Phantom Menace. Still smarting from that prequel pain, I really wanted to give the The Force Awakens a thumbs-up.
But, looking back on it now, I realize that the plot is "engaging" only because it tries to ape A New Hope. And, like many audience members who mistake spectacle for "thrills", I was certainly bespelled by the CGI razzle-dazzle that The Force Awakens finale vomits into your eyeballs.
"The characters are sympathetic, engaging and connected to one another in interesting ways." I honestly still stand by this statement. And, for the record, I absolutely adore Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac. I'm 100% behind their casting and presence here. Unfortunately, the depiction of this new triumvirate in The Force Awakens sets up all of the problems inherent in both The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. More on that later.
"The dialogue between them is authentic, witty and funny." I also still stand by this statement, especially after the "I'm-a-weird-introvert-who-doesn't-know-what-humans- really-sound-like" dialogue showcased in the prequels.
"The practical sets and special effects create tangible, immersive environments." They do...but without a good story and well-fleshed-out characters, this is honestly all for naught.
"There's a genuine sense of peril and serious consequences are triggered." I definitely wanna walk this statement back. Since we never find out where they came from, what their motivations and goals are and how they grew to be so powerful, the First Order feels less like a tangible threat and more like a script convenience. They might call themselves something different, but they're basically the Empire with the serial numbers filed off.
As for those "serious consequences"...I'll get there later when I talk about Han.
"Tantalizing mysteries are proposed and then left dangling, making you want more instead of dreading what's to come." In retrospect, this is also a major failing of this film. At the time, I had no idea that J.J. Abrams was a grifter who sold empty "mystery boxes" to film studios. Sure, I'd been burned by Lost like everyone else, but I had no idea this was going to become Abrams's entire modus operandi.
The movie takes place thirty years after the events of Return of the Jedi. Inspired by the defunct Empire, a military faction known as the First Order has come to power, seeking to subjugate the worlds of the New Republic with a Death Star-inspired super weapon. The Force-sensitive muscle behind this group is Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), a former apprentice of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) who betrayed and murdered his brethren. Crushed by this failure, Luke has gone into a self-imposed exile and no-one has any inkling where he is.
This set up is all director J.J. Abrams and co-writers Lawrence Kasdan and Michael Arndt need to craft a spiritual remake / greatest hits package that plays out like a loving tribute to the original Star Wars trilogy. Don't believe me? Well, here are the similarities:
(1) After falling under attack, a resistance fighter is forced to entrust a droid with vital information.
(2) By happenstance, good fortune and / or kismet, the droid meets up with our main protagonist, a resourceful and noble youth who turns out to be a font of mystical power.
(3) A masked Sith Lord tortures the droid's owner for information.
(4) Our hero's journey is facilitated by two smugglers and involves a trip to a seedy, alien-filled cantina.
(5) The forces of darkness have built a super-weapon powerful enough to destroy entire planets.
(6) Thanks to insider info, the Resistance discovers a flaw in the design of the battle station and a desperate attack is launched to try and destroy it.
(7) In order for the plan to work, a strike team must first land on the surface of the planet and deactivate the shield generator.
(8) Family ties are revealed, leading to a shocking and emotionally-powerful confrontation.
(9) A desperate and passionate lightsaber battle occurs just as the Sith hits the fan.
(10) The heroes temporarily triumph, but for how long?
I think it's pretty telling that I pointed out no less than ten glaringly-obvious ways that The Force Awakens deliberately evokes the original trilogy, with a particular emphasis on A New Hope. Back then, I interpreted this as the film-maker's desire to win fans back at any cost. Now I see it for what it is: pure unadulterated laziness.
But The Force Awakens still has its own sense of self-worth. How does it pull this off? Count the ways I shall:
Right from the opening text crawl, the film grabs you. There's no mention of taxation, trade routes or senate meetings. Instead we get: LUKE SKYWALKER HAS VANISHED, THE FIRST ORDER WANTS HIM DEAD and RESISTANCE LEADER LEIA HAS SENT HER BEST PILOT OUT TO FIND HIM. These three simple paragraphs convey familial strife, an intriguing mystery, some pissed off villains and the promise of a new generation of champions. And, with that, we're off and running.
But The Force Awakens still has its own sense of self-worth. How does it pull this off? Count the ways I shall:
Right from the opening text crawl, the film grabs you. There's no mention of taxation, trade routes or senate meetings. Instead we get: LUKE SKYWALKER HAS VANISHED, THE FIRST ORDER WANTS HIM DEAD and RESISTANCE LEADER LEIA HAS SENT HER BEST PILOT OUT TO FIND HIM. These three simple paragraphs convey familial strife, an intriguing mystery, some pissed off villains and the promise of a new generation of champions. And, with that, we're off and running.
Sure, it's an intriguing mystery but, even back then, it put a niggling splinter in my brain. Why would one of the greatest heroes in fiction, Luke Skywalker, abandon his friends, run away and hide?
Gotta love any movie that casts Max Von Sydow as a minor character. He's the one who supplies Resistance fighter and ace pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Issac) with the movie's main MacGuffin. Issac, by the way, is thoroughly awesome. He lights up the screen and his chemistry with Finn (John Boyega) is contagiously ebullient. Whether he's nobly resisting the mind probe of Kylo Ren or exhibiting beast-mode level X-Wing skills, Poe is sure to become a new fan favorite. I can't wait to see the character's role expand in future entries.
And that's the problem, isn't it? These characters never were expanded in future entries.
In fact, right out of the gate Poe has already been written into a corner. There's no-where for him to go. In a transparently-desperate effort to get the audience to love his new characters more than those lame ol' characters, Abrams goes out of his way to show us that Poe is "the bestest pilot ever in the whole wide galaxy and you gotta love him 'cuz he's awesome!" But, as we soon see, regardless of how charismatic an actor is, if the character they're playing is absolutely perfect...they're also BORING.
We also meet new droid on the block BB-8, who really showcases the sort of design evolution we'd expect after thirty years. At first I was concerned that she'd be all uber-cutesy in an Ewok-y kinda way, but puppeteers Dave Chapman and Brian Herring strike a perfect balance between endearing, feisty and plucky. They really deserve ample praise for wringing so much expressive behavior out of what amounts to a beach and medicine ball magnetized together.
But BB-8 isn't just a design wonder, she's a fun character as well. I love watching her throw shade on Finn when he fibs about his connection to the Resistance and then get all stressed out when she's pulled in two different directions at once. Watching BB-8 and R2-D2 share a scene together made me think of a sprightly, inquisitive young kitten trying to snag the attention of an older, wiser cat.
Hey, look, even after Abrams and Rian Johnson subjected us to three schizophrenic films, only an asshole would hate BB-8. She doesn't even come close to over-shadowing R2, but I still love her.
During the First Order's harrowing and brutal attack on Jakku, we're introduced to the film's main heel Kylo Ren, played to perfection by Adam Driver. Upon first inspection, Ren cuts an impressive figure. Clad in flowing black robes and an imposing face mask and wielding a three-pronged lightsaber, Ren comes off as your typical villainous badass. Especially when he stops Poe's blaster bolt in mid-air and then drags him across the battlefield.
But then something really, really interesting happens. Ren's holographic overlord, Supreme Leader Snook, er Snoke (Andy Serkis) warns his pupil that he may be tempted by the light side of the Force. Whatta twist! When things don't go his way, he throws nasty temper tantrums, raging out and destroying shit with his lightsaber like a spoiled brat. He worships Darth Vader's melted mask with the same level of adoration of your typical neck-bearded Star Wars fanboy.
This level of depth and complexity is precisely why Kylo Ren is my favorite new character. His cloak, his scary voice modulator, his mask; its all a case of "methinks thou dost protest too much". This interesting new concept is perfectly realized by Adam Driver who is, in turn, focused, intense, enraged, vulnerable and even oddly jovial at times. He's like the Anakin we sorely needed in the prequels and I look forward to seeing him reach a level of Dark Side mastery that actually justifies his nefarious appearance.
During the First Order's harrowing and brutal attack on Jakku, we're introduced to the film's main heel Kylo Ren, played to perfection by Adam Driver. Upon first inspection, Ren cuts an impressive figure. Clad in flowing black robes and an imposing face mask and wielding a three-pronged lightsaber, Ren comes off as your typical villainous badass. Especially when he stops Poe's blaster bolt in mid-air and then drags him across the battlefield.
But then something really, really interesting happens. Ren's holographic overlord, Supreme Leader Snook, er Snoke (Andy Serkis) warns his pupil that he may be tempted by the light side of the Force. Whatta twist! When things don't go his way, he throws nasty temper tantrums, raging out and destroying shit with his lightsaber like a spoiled brat. He worships Darth Vader's melted mask with the same level of adoration of your typical neck-bearded Star Wars fanboy.
This level of depth and complexity is precisely why Kylo Ren is my favorite new character. His cloak, his scary voice modulator, his mask; its all a case of "methinks thou dost protest too much". This interesting new concept is perfectly realized by Adam Driver who is, in turn, focused, intense, enraged, vulnerable and even oddly jovial at times. He's like the Anakin we sorely needed in the prequels and I look forward to seeing him reach a level of Dark Side mastery that actually justifies his nefarious appearance.
Despite the fact that these three Disney sequels range from problematic to anarchic to absolute garbage, my love of Kylo Ren persists. As long as edgelords on Twitter keep wishing for a Darth Vader show where we get to see "blood and arms flying", I want Kylo to be there to show how inherently pathetic villain worship is. Notwithstanding the fact that parodies don't make for effective bad guys, he's one of the few bright spots in this whole scatterbrained mess.
But, once again, Ren never did rise to his full potential as a character, did he? Sadly, he's just another victim in the creative tug-of-war between J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson. Kylo gets creamed by Rey, takes two steps back in The Last Jedi and then becomes completely defanged in Rise of Skywalker. It's so sad.
Another conflicted and equally-interesting character is Finn, played with boundless energy and "OMG!"-style sincerity by John Boyega. Apparently the First Order is done with using clones and is now stealing a move right out of the Jedi playbook: I.E. abducting and indoctrinating infants into their weird ISIS-like cult. I have no idea why Finn is the only member of the First Order to have an attack of conscience; hopefully his story will be fleshed out in the next entry. Just suffice to say that it's fun to watch a stormtrooper go rogue.
There's a palpable sense of fun, adventure and peril as Finn springs Poe from the Star Destroyer detention block and they make their escape. Between Poe's exemplary piloting skills and Finn's accuracy on the guns, the two make a stellar duo. It amazes me that Abrams, Kasdan and Arndt somehow manage to generate more chemistry, camaraderie and joie de vivre among Poe and Finn then George Lucas did with Obi-Wan and and Anakin over the length of the entire prequel trilogy.
Another thought: if it was Finn's connection to the Force that prevented him from gunning down civilians, how can he be so cavalier about murdering his former comrades like that? Every person he kills was also an abducted, indoctrinated kid, right? Wouldn't he try to liberate them? If this was scripted properly, Finn would be a complete pacifist and only be driven to violence when his hand was forced. Maybe Poe has to convince him to fire on the First Order TIE's as they make their escape.
Another conflicted and equally-interesting character is Finn, played with boundless energy and "OMG!"-style sincerity by John Boyega. Apparently the First Order is done with using clones and is now stealing a move right out of the Jedi playbook: I.E. abducting and indoctrinating infants into their weird ISIS-like cult. I have no idea why Finn is the only member of the First Order to have an attack of conscience; hopefully his story will be fleshed out in the next entry. Just suffice to say that it's fun to watch a stormtrooper go rogue.
Out of all the new character, I think Finn was treated the worst. Even in The Force Awakens, all of the potential character and plot elements inherent in having a stormtrooper switch sides are immediately abandoned. If we're to accept that Finn is Force-sensitive and that sensitivity is what caused him to freeze up when he was ordered to gun down innocent civilians, I can get behind that. But what I can't buy is that he comes away from this experience acting completely "normal."
If Finn was raised since childhood to be a minion of the cultish First Order, then he should be socially awkward and inherently suspicious of the Resistance. Imagine all of the interesting scenes that inherent in that scenario! Imagine the sort of growth arc his character would have experienced if that brainwashing had to be dismantled! But, nope, instead we get him hitting on Rey ("You got a boyfriend? Cute boyfriend?") and later he threatens the captured Phasma in a scene that feels like it was torn from the script of a 90's sitcom.
There's a palpable sense of fun, adventure and peril as Finn springs Poe from the Star Destroyer detention block and they make their escape. Between Poe's exemplary piloting skills and Finn's accuracy on the guns, the two make a stellar duo. It amazes me that Abrams, Kasdan and Arndt somehow manage to generate more chemistry, camaraderie and joie de vivre among Poe and Finn then George Lucas did with Obi-Wan and and Anakin over the length of the entire prequel trilogy.
Another thought: if it was Finn's connection to the Force that prevented him from gunning down civilians, how can he be so cavalier about murdering his former comrades like that? Every person he kills was also an abducted, indoctrinated kid, right? Wouldn't he try to liberate them? If this was scripted properly, Finn would be a complete pacifist and only be driven to violence when his hand was forced. Maybe Poe has to convince him to fire on the First Order TIE's as they make their escape.
Finn's character arc continues to grow when he meets up with Rey. Boyega does a tremendous job playing a tentative, embryonic hero; someone who wants to do the right thing and make a difference but he's terrified that he'll be exposed as a fraud. By the time he bravely squares off against Kylo Ren, you're really rooting for the guy. This is a star-making turn for Boyega and I look forward to seeing him in more films that don't have the word "Star" and "Wars" in the title.
Testify. Boyega is fantastic and I'm still bitter that Finn wasn't developed as a Jedi at all.
But the movie's MVP is, by far, Daisy Ridley as Rey. When we first meet her she's scavenging loose bits of scrap from a downed Star Destroyer and trading the parts for barely enough food to survive, so right away we're in her corner. And, unlike Luke, who just happened to end up with R2, she actually fights to liberate BB-8 from capture, which makes us like her even more. Her market value continues to rise when she gets paired up with Finn. I love how she's constantly railing against the clearly-repellent concept that she needs to be protected, and ends up schooling her male brethren in the art of being a hero.
Fresh-faced, plucky and boundlessly charming, its great to watch Daisy subvert expectations during the course of the film. Even though the script packs waaaaay too much of her development into too short a time span, Ridley makes these transitions very convincing. The biggest piece of praise that I can give to her is that we really care about Rey. We hiss at the villains who harm her and cheer when she kicks ass in the finale.
After a legitimately charming introduction that makes you relate to her big-time, Rey is then depicted as a paragon of perfection. She faces no challenges, suffers no setbacks and bests the big bad while barely breaking a sweat. I now see this for what it is: boring and completely unrelatable.
But the movie's MVP is, by far, Daisy Ridley as Rey. When we first meet her she's scavenging loose bits of scrap from a downed Star Destroyer and trading the parts for barely enough food to survive, so right away we're in her corner. And, unlike Luke, who just happened to end up with R2, she actually fights to liberate BB-8 from capture, which makes us like her even more. Her market value continues to rise when she gets paired up with Finn. I love how she's constantly railing against the clearly-repellent concept that she needs to be protected, and ends up schooling her male brethren in the art of being a hero.
Fresh-faced, plucky and boundlessly charming, its great to watch Daisy subvert expectations during the course of the film. Even though the script packs waaaaay too much of her development into too short a time span, Ridley makes these transitions very convincing. The biggest piece of praise that I can give to her is that we really care about Rey. We hiss at the villains who harm her and cheer when she kicks ass in the finale.
After a legitimately charming introduction that makes you relate to her big-time, Rey is then depicted as a paragon of perfection. She faces no challenges, suffers no setbacks and bests the big bad while barely breaking a sweat. I now see this for what it is: boring and completely unrelatable.
But perhaps the biggest revelation to me was Harrison Ford as Han Solo. I always saw Han as a supplementary character in the Original Trilogy, someone who spontaneously helped out the heroes because he had an attack of conscience and would never really thrive in the role of military man and / or doting father. That's why the Han on display in Return of the Jedi and in the Expanded Universe always seemed like a boring, domesticated, neutered version of his former self. Well, I'm pleased to report that our favorite dashing rogue is back in fine form.
After watching The Force Awakens I now understand why Ford agreed to come back and why he's stumping so hard for the movie. This is Han's story and, thankfully, the writers had the balls to follow though on the smuggler's story arc. The beautiful thing about Harrison's performance here is that he isn't crusty, grumpy Harrison Ford pretending to be Han Solo, he's the willful, smarmy, cocksure smuggler through and through.
After watching The Force Awakens I now understand why Ford agreed to come back and why he's stumping so hard for the movie. This is Han's story and, thankfully, the writers had the balls to follow though on the smuggler's story arc. The beautiful thing about Harrison's performance here is that he isn't crusty, grumpy Harrison Ford pretending to be Han Solo, he's the willful, smarmy, cocksure smuggler through and through.
As we all know now, Han gets straight-up murdered in the film. At first I looked as this as the screenwriter's attempt to give this soft reboot of A New Hope some weight, but now I see it as an throw-away, underwhelming end for such an iconic character. There's probably also a direct correlation between Han's ignominious end and Harrison Ford's inexplicable and frankly selfish desire to see the character put out to pasture.
Han's appearance led to a series of progressively-emotional scenes for me. For the sake of full disclosure, l really don't think that I can review certain elements of this film with complete impartiality since I was on the verge of tears half the time. Seeing Han and Chewie back in action together after so long was about all that I could handle. In fact, in many ways, the movie's title should have been Star Wars: Attack of the Feels.
Cynical assholes will probably see this as a demerit and tell you that the movie relies too heavily on fan service, with the producers winking gratuitously at the audience and saying "Hey, kids, remember this?" Yes, the movie has issues, but nostalgia isn't one of them. After the disastrous prequel trilogy, which felt like the cinematic equivalent of a pod person from Invasion of the Body Snatchers, I think that we needed to be reminded why these movies were so popular in the first place. Remember: from 1977 to 1983 Star Wars wasn't nerdy and insular at all. Everybody, and I mean everybody, loved that shit.
I started struggling with tears again as soon as Han reunited with Leia. I still have no idea how Carrie Fisher managed to channel this character again so effortlessly, especially since she came across as everyone's favorite crazy drunk aunt during the press tour for the film. In the movie she's all business, re-imagining our favorite Princess as a no-nonsense General. She's exactly what you'd expect Leia to be like after thirty odd years: world-weary, cynical and tired of the eternal struggle.
Han's appearance led to a series of progressively-emotional scenes for me. For the sake of full disclosure, l really don't think that I can review certain elements of this film with complete impartiality since I was on the verge of tears half the time. Seeing Han and Chewie back in action together after so long was about all that I could handle. In fact, in many ways, the movie's title should have been Star Wars: Attack of the Feels.
Cynical assholes will probably see this as a demerit and tell you that the movie relies too heavily on fan service, with the producers winking gratuitously at the audience and saying "Hey, kids, remember this?" Yes, the movie has issues, but nostalgia isn't one of them. After the disastrous prequel trilogy, which felt like the cinematic equivalent of a pod person from Invasion of the Body Snatchers, I think that we needed to be reminded why these movies were so popular in the first place. Remember: from 1977 to 1983 Star Wars wasn't nerdy and insular at all. Everybody, and I mean everybody, loved that shit.
I started struggling with tears again as soon as Han reunited with Leia. I still have no idea how Carrie Fisher managed to channel this character again so effortlessly, especially since she came across as everyone's favorite crazy drunk aunt during the press tour for the film. In the movie she's all business, re-imagining our favorite Princess as a no-nonsense General. She's exactly what you'd expect Leia to be like after thirty odd years: world-weary, cynical and tired of the eternal struggle.
Nostalgia is a powerful drug, guys. It's pretty easy to forgive nonsensical crap when you're drunk on "memberberries."
Having said that, fans deserved one particular scene in this sequel trilogy, and frankly it's inexcusable that we didn't get it. When we last saw Luke, Han and Leia at the end of Return of the Jedi, they were happy, victorious and relieved. They could finally rest knowing that they'd fought the good fight, triumphed and brought peace and freedom to the galaxy.
Unfortunately, when The Force Awakens kicks off, everything is back to being awful. Worse even. We don't see how or when everything went shit-house, we're just told that it did.
The worst thing about this dire mise-en-scène is that we never get a single moment with Luke, Leia and Han together before everything falls apart. And, given that Carrie is no longer with us and Han dies in this film, the film seems inordinately cruel and dismissive to what came before it. It's a massive missed opportunity.
All of our old favorites are treated with the same level of respect. For example, C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) is legitimately funny, not just some pun-spewing, pratfall artist who's there only for cheap laughs. Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) gets a great little scene where he's lavishly praised by a medical attendant for his bravery and later we get to see the true meaning of Wookiee rage. I was also gutted to learn that R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) has been dormant since Luke skedaddled, reminding me of a loyal puppy that sits eternally by the door, patiently waiting for his master to return.
"Respect?" Wow, in light of the next two movies, that's both generous and optimistic.
All of our old favorites are treated with the same level of respect. For example, C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) is legitimately funny, not just some pun-spewing, pratfall artist who's there only for cheap laughs. Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) gets a great little scene where he's lavishly praised by a medical attendant for his bravery and later we get to see the true meaning of Wookiee rage. I was also gutted to learn that R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) has been dormant since Luke skedaddled, reminding me of a loyal puppy that sits eternally by the door, patiently waiting for his master to return.
"Respect?" Wow, in light of the next two movies, that's both generous and optimistic.
But it's not just classic characters that crank up the nostalgia. When Rey, Finn, Han, Chewie and BB-8 are all hanging out in the Millennium Falcon, I couldn't help but get a little misty-eyed. If you take the familiar scream of TIE fighters, the wail of an X-Wing engine, the crash of lightsabers, the Death Star-style white noise of Starkiller Base, the familiar "pyew, pyew" of Han's DL-44 blaster and wrap it all up in the glorious auspices of John William's stellar soundtrack, you've got a visual and auditory panoply that will swell the heart of even the most lapsed Star Wars fan.
'Member the Millennium Falcon? 'Member TIE fighters and X-Wings? 'Member lightsabers, the Death Star, Han's blaster and the John William's music? 'Member writing something, then looking back on it seven years later through the brutal haze of a "memberberry" hangover and being completely embarrassed by the fanboy crap you said?
Throughout all of this, the direction of J.J. Abrams is sure-footed and engaging. Even though his style is terrible for Star Trek he's pretty much spot-on for Star Wars. Except for occasional hyperactive editing, micro close-ups and shaky-cam indulgences, the film is actually well-shot and assembled. Lens flares are virtually non-existent and there's a certain gritty, grounded quality to the film. Witness the climactic lightsaber battle; its the sort of quick, vicious, emotional and sometimes sloppy tilt that we deserved to see in Revenge of the Sith. As opposed to the boring, protracted, overly-choreographed, video game-y plea for attention that we ended up with.
Throughout all of this, the direction of J.J. Abrams is sure-footed and engaging. Even though his style is terrible for Star Trek he's pretty much spot-on for Star Wars. Except for occasional hyperactive editing, micro close-ups and shaky-cam indulgences, the film is actually well-shot and assembled. Lens flares are virtually non-existent and there's a certain gritty, grounded quality to the film. Witness the climactic lightsaber battle; its the sort of quick, vicious, emotional and sometimes sloppy tilt that we deserved to see in Revenge of the Sith. As opposed to the boring, protracted, overly-choreographed, video game-y plea for attention that we ended up with.
"Hyperactive editing, micro close-ups and shaky-cam indulgences." Yep, that checks out. At the time, J.J. Abrams had kinda set himself up as the heir apparent of Steven Spielberg. Unfortunately, his career has since proven to be all style and no substance. So, what do you do if there's nothing going on underneath the hood? Well, you better wow 'em with a dazzling paint job and the loudest muffler you can find!
Although I still believe that the lightsaber duel between Kylo and Rey is refreshingly simple, possessing none of the overt wankery of the Anakin / Obi-Wan fight in Revenge of the Sith.
This is also the first Star Wars film since 1983 that I actually want to see a "making of" documentary for. As opposed to the horde of programmers who labored in the virtual salt mines of the prequels, I'd love to hear from the artisans and craftspeople who created all of the practical sets, costumes, models, props, and creature designs. Having real, physical environments to look at certainly helped my immersion in the film and I'd imagine that the actors were equally relieved to have something to hang their performances on.
This is also the first Star Wars film since 1983 that I actually want to see a "making of" documentary for. As opposed to the horde of programmers who labored in the virtual salt mines of the prequels, I'd love to hear from the artisans and craftspeople who created all of the practical sets, costumes, models, props, and creature designs. Having real, physical environments to look at certainly helped my immersion in the film and I'd imagine that the actors were equally relieved to have something to hang their performances on.
Counter-point right here.
It's also amazing to me when decent designs, good dialogue and a restrained vocal performance bring CGI characters to life. Maz Kanata, voiced by the delightful Lupita Nyong'o, has a fighting chance to become this generation's Yoda. And then there was the genuinely surprising epiphany I had regarding Supreme Leader Snoke. The first thought that went through my head when I saw him was "Whoa, they grow 'em big in this part of the galaxy!" Needless to say, I chuckled out loud as soon as I realized that holographic technology has also improved considerably over the past three decades.
Welp, we all knew what happened to these two. For some reason, Rian Johnson didn't use Maz as the code-breaker in The Last Jedi and Snoke turned out to be the most ham-fisted red herring in cinema history. Looking back on it now, both of these characters were completely wasted.
I really can't overstate the benefit of shooting in real-world locations. Using Abu Dhabi for Jakku and an abandoned R.A.F. base in England for the Resistance headquarters really expands the visual panoply of the Star Wars universe while giving the viewer's unconscious mind something to hold on to. But perhaps the most interesting location is Skellig Michael Islands off the coast of County Kerry, Ireland, which stands in for the Jedi Temple. Visually its one of the most interesting new environments in the Star Wars universe.
I really can't overstate the benefit of shooting in real-world locations. Using Abu Dhabi for Jakku and an abandoned R.A.F. base in England for the Resistance headquarters really expands the visual panoply of the Star Wars universe while giving the viewer's unconscious mind something to hold on to. But perhaps the most interesting location is Skellig Michael Islands off the coast of County Kerry, Ireland, which stands in for the Jedi Temple. Visually its one of the most interesting new environments in the Star Wars universe.
Point conceded. There are lots of new(ish) locations, making the story feel fairly large in scope.
But, alas, there are also some grave-ish disturbances in the Force as well.
But, alas, there are also some grave-ish disturbances in the Force as well.
Here we go!
Even though I can let a most of the reruns cataloged at the start of this review slide, some of them are borderline inexcusable. For example, I can't believe that yet another "all-powerful" battle station gets trashed, apparently with the same level of effort that a kid uses to dismantle an erector set. At least the Death Star in Star Wars got some proper build up; here we're just told that Starkiller Base is bigger, badder and "moar betterer" then anything that came before it. A part of me was really hoping that the screenwriters would subvert expectations and just have the Resistance cripple the thing instead of destroy it. That way it could have come back next time as an increasingly-escalating threat.
Even though I can let a most of the reruns cataloged at the start of this review slide, some of them are borderline inexcusable. For example, I can't believe that yet another "all-powerful" battle station gets trashed, apparently with the same level of effort that a kid uses to dismantle an erector set. At least the Death Star in Star Wars got some proper build up; here we're just told that Starkiller Base is bigger, badder and "moar betterer" then anything that came before it. A part of me was really hoping that the screenwriters would subvert expectations and just have the Resistance cripple the thing instead of destroy it. That way it could have come back next time as an increasingly-escalating threat.
Preach, brotha! The Abram's philosophy of "bigger = better" gets worse and worse with every new Star Trek / Wars move, culminating in the truly atrocious and schlock-y Rise of Skywalker.
The other thing that's a tad lazy is the ludicrous amount of coincidence that occurs in the story. Even though we're talking about the surface on an entire planet here, BB-8 just so happens to cross Rey's path. At least in Star Wars R2-D2 and C-3PO had to schlep all over hell and creation to get to Owen's moisture farm. Not long after this incredibly fateful meeting, Finn crashes within walking distance of Rey. The Millennium Falcon is also conveniently sitting around collecting dust on Jakku. Han unwittingly takes Rey to the one place in the galaxy where she can experience her ancestral recall / psychic residue episode.
The other thing that's a tad lazy is the ludicrous amount of coincidence that occurs in the story. Even though we're talking about the surface on an entire planet here, BB-8 just so happens to cross Rey's path. At least in Star Wars R2-D2 and C-3PO had to schlep all over hell and creation to get to Owen's moisture farm. Not long after this incredibly fateful meeting, Finn crashes within walking distance of Rey. The Millennium Falcon is also conveniently sitting around collecting dust on Jakku. Han unwittingly takes Rey to the one place in the galaxy where she can experience her ancestral recall / psychic residue episode.
The Rise of Skywalker exhibits even more egregious examples of slap-dash, assumptive and illogical storytelling. Abrams never seems willing to put in the hard work as a screenwriter to make his films substantive and worth revisiting. Instead he chooses to subject the audience to an unrelenting battery of hollow story beats and CGI to keep them from dwelling on the constant parade of inanities.
There's also plenty of stuff that either gets glossed over or feels rushed. From time to time I really wanted J.J. and company to just SLOW DOWN for a few seconds and explain a coupla things. For example one character miraculously reappears back at the Resistance base looking no worse for wear. Very little happens at the beginning of the film that hints at Rey's potential. Luke's lightsaber, once impossibly lost on Bespin, just turns up like spare change in the couch cushions.
There's also plenty of stuff that either gets glossed over or feels rushed. From time to time I really wanted J.J. and company to just SLOW DOWN for a few seconds and explain a coupla things. For example one character miraculously reappears back at the Resistance base looking no worse for wear. Very little happens at the beginning of the film that hints at Rey's potential. Luke's lightsaber, once impossibly lost on Bespin, just turns up like spare change in the couch cushions.
Since the full story hadn't been told yet, I initially looked at these gripes as nit-picks. But, as they say, hind-sight is 20-20 and I now know that these plot holes were never given the consideration and respect they deserved. And that's why I'll never understand the mentality of sequel apologists. Either the sequels were literally the first movies they ever saw and they made an impression because their brains were undeveloped, or they just blindly love everything with the words "star" and "wars" slapped on it.
Then there are a swarm of questions posed by the film itself. The New Republic still appears to be in power so why are the good guys called "the Resistance"? Shouldn't they be called "the Army"? How widespread is the First Order? Did Ren start the whole thing up or was it Snoke? How did they manage to build such a massive battle station without the resources of the entire galaxy behind them? And if the lion's share of the galaxy still supports the New Republic, how does the First Order expect to generate sympathy to their cause by blowing up a bunch of planets?
Sadly, none of these questions were ever properly addressed in the two sequels. As such, my initial rating for this film continues to plummet. We're getting into prequel territory levels of bad here, folks.
Then there are a swarm of questions posed by the film itself. The New Republic still appears to be in power so why are the good guys called "the Resistance"? Shouldn't they be called "the Army"? How widespread is the First Order? Did Ren start the whole thing up or was it Snoke? How did they manage to build such a massive battle station without the resources of the entire galaxy behind them? And if the lion's share of the galaxy still supports the New Republic, how does the First Order expect to generate sympathy to their cause by blowing up a bunch of planets?
Sadly, none of these questions were ever properly addressed in the two sequels. As such, my initial rating for this film continues to plummet. We're getting into prequel territory levels of bad here, folks.
The first Star Wars also threw us into the story head first, but the set up was so simple and clear that we had a lock on the story right away. An evil Empire controls the whole galaxy and has the resources to build a moon-sized battle station. Check! The whole thing is controlled by a mysterious autocratic Emperor with a Sith attack dog. Check! And all those poor, hard pressed, clearly unfunded schmucks are members of the Rebel Alliance. Easy peasy!
Precisely! Upon re-watching The Force Awakens, you can't help but feel as if the most interesting story is the one that preceded it.
Yeah, yeah...I know, I know...we're just getting started and it's likely that these questions and many more will be answered in the next installment. But cynical, crusty ol' me can't quite shake the feeling that the answers are already out there...for the right price. Back when the prequels were coming out, I often felt sorely tempted to read the supplementary novels or watch some cartoon just to see what more gifted writers could do with George Lucas's fuck-ups. At least now I feel compelled to seek these things out just to complement the awesome. Well played, J.J. and Disney, well played.
Note: due to me instinctual unease over The Force Awakens, I never did buy any ancillary novels to try to find the answers posed by this film. Mainly because I think a movie should stand on its own without having to read some supplementary book to get it to make sense, and also because such blatant brand synergy smelled distinctly like mouse droppings I.E. Disney corporate greed.
Just know that for every one thing that irked me there were ten things that I loved, which is a pretty darned good ratio. For example, just thinking about the ending is enough to make me slavishly hooked for the rest of this series.
Yeah, yeah...I know, I know...we're just getting started and it's likely that these questions and many more will be answered in the next installment. But cynical, crusty ol' me can't quite shake the feeling that the answers are already out there...for the right price. Back when the prequels were coming out, I often felt sorely tempted to read the supplementary novels or watch some cartoon just to see what more gifted writers could do with George Lucas's fuck-ups. At least now I feel compelled to seek these things out just to complement the awesome. Well played, J.J. and Disney, well played.
Note: due to me instinctual unease over The Force Awakens, I never did buy any ancillary novels to try to find the answers posed by this film. Mainly because I think a movie should stand on its own without having to read some supplementary book to get it to make sense, and also because such blatant brand synergy smelled distinctly like mouse droppings I.E. Disney corporate greed.
Just know that for every one thing that irked me there were ten things that I loved, which is a pretty darned good ratio. For example, just thinking about the ending is enough to make me slavishly hooked for the rest of this series.
And therein lies the problem. As the end credits rolled, my enthusiasm for this film seemed predicated on what would theoretically come next. For a creative team entrusted with the biggest myth of the modern age, this set-up is an odd and restrictive launching point. When you (God forbid) watch all three of the sequel films together, you quickly realize that The Force Awakens is the alpha and omega of all the problems inherent in this trilogy.
And honestly, that's the highest praise I can give to The Force Awakens. I actually care again, to the point where I feel like a kid who's willing to wantonly fritter the time away just so we can all see what happens next.
And honestly, that's the highest praise I can give to The Force Awakens. I actually care again, to the point where I feel like a kid who's willing to wantonly fritter the time away just so we can all see what happens next.
It's so sad for me to read this, knowing that my enthusiasm and hope for the sequel trilogy would soon be dashed. I'm sure some people will call me a hater for not liking these movies, but I can't do it. I can't fake enthusiasm for something that's so patently and objectively bad.
But it wasn't always that way. At first, I was willing to overlook the flaws of this film, 100% confident that the production team had a vision, an arc...a flat-out great story to tell. I sincerely thought that a grand adventure was just about to begin.
But now I know better. The Force Awakens turned out to be the spring-board for a rushed, cynical, derivative, poorly-conceived attempt for a corporation to recoup its investment as quickly and safety as possible. And, in doing so, it proved to be one of the biggest and most misguided wastes of time and energy in cinema history.
Tilt: down.
