Review by Bob Ignizio
By now it’s a pretty safe bet that anyone reading this has
either seen STAR WARS EPISODE VII: THE
FORCE AWAKENS, or at the very least is aware that the film exists, that it
is a continuation of the STAR WARS
series that takes place some decades after RETURN
OF THE JEDI, and that most people who have seen it have enjoyed it. You
probably also know that several characters from Episodes IV through VI return
for this installment, while several new characters are introduced to carry the
torch going forward. And outside of the spoilers that critics have been asked
not to mention, you probably know most of the plot details. So no need to
rehash that here, in this somewhat late review.
Instead, let’s just jump right into a critique of the film.
Overall, THE FORCE
AWAKENS is a satisfying film. One can never say with certainty how anyone
other than him or herself will react to a film, but so far it does seem as
though the vast majority of STAR WARS
fans are happy with what they got. Certainly this reviewer was. That said, the
film is not without issues.
The chief problem with THE
FORCE AWAKENS is also one of its chief assets; it’s familiarity. Not only
are old characters back, but old plotlines, as well. In its broad strokes, this
is essentially a retread of the very first STAR
WARS, the film later subtitled EPISODE
IV: A NEW HOPE. Actually, not just in its broad strokes. Very few plot
points in THE FORCE AWAKENS are
without an antecedent in the earlier film. As Joe Bob Briggs always said, the
secret to making a good sequel is making the exact same movie over again. Hey,
it worked for FRIDAY THE 13TH.
Even if THE FORCE
AWAKENS is a textbook example of script recycling, it nonetheless proves
highly entertaining. That’s due in no small part to the new characters and the
actors playing them. Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac make fine new
heroes for the audience to root for, and Adam Driver gives us a more emotionally
complex and sympathetic villain that Darth Vader was (at least when audiences
first met him in A NEW HOPE). As for
the old cast, Harrison Ford’s Han Solo is really the only one who plays a major
role, but it’s everything fans could have hoped for. Ford even seems like he
wanted to be there, something that can’t be said about a lot of his film roles
in the last few decades. But yes, Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), C3PO
(Anthony Daniels), R2D2 (Kenny Baker), and even Luke Skywalker (Mark
Hammil) are present in varying degrees, too.
Of course, the film also makes considerable use of special
effects and delivers a number of thrilling action scenes. We’d expect no less.
Thankfully, it’s not the mind numbing overkill of the prequels in this regard,
though. Director J. J. Abrams paces his film well, giving us plenty of
character development and plot between the space battles and lightsaber fights.
If you’ve never been a STAR
WARS fan up until now, this isn’t going to change your mind. However, if
you’re like me (and a good many others) and felt disappointed by the prequels
and George Lucas’ incessant tinkering with Episodes IV through VI, this is a
welcome return to the “lived in universe” feel and classic storytelling that
made us fans in the first place. There’s no way it can have the same impact
that seeing the original STAR WARS
in a theater in 1977 when I was a mere 7 years old did, but on its own terms it’s
pretty damn entertaining. 3 out of 4 stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment
We approve all legitimate comments. However, comments that include links to irrelevant commercial websites and/or websites dealing with illegal or inappropriate content will be marked as spam.
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.