Movie Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Directed by J.J. Abrams     Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

My daughter's fiancé took me to see the new Star Wars film on the 24th, an early Christmas present. I've seen all the others and this new one is a worthy addition to the series, bringing the adventure and excitement of the original Star Wars to a new generation.

All of the major stars of the original - Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher - reprise their roles. Chewbcca, R2D2 and C-3PO also make an appearance.

Much of the story is derivative - almost a straight copy from the original, but with some interesting twists. Here is a comparison:

• original - droid R2D2 has secret message from Princess Leia, leader of the Rebel Alliance
• The Force Awakens - droid BB-8 has secret map disclosing the location of long missing Luke Skywalker

• original - has a funky band of aliens playing jazz on strange instruments in a saloon
• The Force Awakens - has a funky band of aliens playing jazz on strange instruments in a saloon

• original - the evil Empire is set on inter-galactic domination
• The Force Awakens - evil group called the New Order is trying to establish domination

• original - evil Empire opposed by Rebel Alliance, led by Princess Leia
• The Force Awakens - evil New Order opposed by the Resistance, led by General Leia

• original - evil Empire's army is a bunch of white-armoured storm troopers
• The Force Awakens - New Order's army is a bunch of white-armoured storm troopers

• original - evil Empire battle leader is a black-outfitted, masked man named Darth Vader
• The Force Awakens - New Order's battle leader is Darth Vader's grandson, Kylo Ren, also masked and dressed in black

• original - the Rebel Alliance is aided by a smuggler, a McGyver-like resourceful jack-of-all-trades named Han Solo
• The Force Awakens - the Resistance is aided by a scavenger, a McGyver-like resourcesful jack-of-all-trades named Rey

• original - the evil Empire has a terrifying weapon called the Death Star which can destroy planets
• The Force Awakens - New Order has a terrifying weapon, a planet converted into a weapon called Starkiller Base - bigger and badder than the Death Star

• original - climactic battle scene in which rebel fighters destroy the Death Star 
• The Force Awakens - climactic battle scene in which the resistance fighters destroy the Starkiller Base

Sheesh! It's almost a rerun! But wait. There are differences. There are new characters, the most important being Rey, wonderfully portrayed by relative unknown Daisy Ridley. Harrison Ford was a relative unknown in the first film as well. And like Ford, I believe Ridley will become a huge star. She has that same spunky appeal that Harrison Ford had in Star Wars. 

Other newcomers are the previous noted Kylo Ren and BB-8, but most importantly John Boyega as Finn, a Storm Trooper who refuses to kill anyone in a village massacre ordered by New Order. Finn is black, a man with a conscience going against the New Order and defecting, helping out the Resistance. He is also a potential love interest for Rey. Though nothing develops in this film, he is obviously devoted to her.

During the movie, Luke's old light sabre is discovered by Rey. She hears it calling to her, and it seems she has something of the Force within her. How and why is not revealed. The last scene in the film is significant and offers a hint. (I may be speculating here.)

I enjoyed this film a lot. It brought back memories and a lot of endearing characters. It neatly ties up the transition between the old generation and the new generation. And like a jelly doughnut, it leaves you hungry for more!

That said, there are some issues I have with the film, and indeed with the first film. It takes place in a very technologically advanced world with space ships able to travel at warp speeds, laser cannons as weapons, and so on. Such an advanced civilization needs an advanced economy, and a technologically brilliant business sector. But nowhere in either movie do we see any evidence of this.

Ordinary people in both movies are nomads living in tents, frequenters of hip jazz clubs, scrap dealers, scavengers and generally a less than prosperous society. These people are clearly outliers. Just as poor people in our slums have cell phones, so these people have some familiarity with technology. But it is slim at best. They dress in rags. They live hand to mouth. I don't get it.

Can a command society such as the one run by New Order be as technologically advanced as it is? Can the Millennium Falcon really be repaired by a man, a woman and a wookie with a wrench? And people still fight with weapons that look like guns and that they point at each other and shoot with? Weaponry, and more importantly, defense systems, haven't developed beyond that? The economics of Star Wars makes absolutely no sense to me. 

But with suspension of disbelief on that account, it is still a grand tale of good versus evil, of freedom fighters battling totalitarian forces.  I rate this four out of five. 

Oscar prediction: The original Star Wars was nominated for eleven Academy Awards and won seven - Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound, Film Editing, Special Effects, Music (Original Score) and Sound Effects (designated as a special achievement award). The movie was truly revolutionary for its time. How will this one fare? While it is every bit as masterful as the first in all these areas, I can't predict if it will be nominated for any of them. However, I think Daisy Ridley has an outside chance for a Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress nomination. Possibly a win. This gal is dynamite and a future superstar. And John Boyega has an outside chance for nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

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Movie Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens