An Honest, Spolier-Ridden Review: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
Allow me to preface this review by saying I’m a massive Star Wars fan, study film, and have seen “The Force Awakens” multiple times now. The first time I watched it, I critiqued the movie from start to finish from a cinematic perspective. Every time after that I’ve viewed it simply as a moviegoer, and more importantly as a fan of the Star Wars saga in order to give it the fairest review possible.
I always like to begin with the good, get to the bad, then end with the good again, so here it goes.
First of all, if you’re a lifelong Star Wars fan — I’m talking beyond just the movies (tv series, comics, EU, etc.) — chances are you’re a purist like myself and made the mistake of expecting it to be the best ever. It’s not Episode V. For everyone else, you didn’t go into it with this mentality and probably enjoyed it without giving much thought to any mistakes.
The film is nothing short of a safe, setup movie for the rest of the sequel trilogy. It focuses primarily on character development, and does an excellent job re-introducing original characters, and an even better job introducing the new ones. The casting of the movie is exceptional, and the several nods to old flicks helped win over longtime fans who have awaited this movie for decades.
With that being said, the movie’s plot isn’t. Let’s face it guys… the movie is Episode IV with shades of I, II, and V in it. I mean, seriously, why is Star Wars so infatuated with destroying space stations and leaving ultra-important information with droids? The plot is a blatant copy of the original Star Wars which made the film feel more like a remake than an introduction to a new trilogy. Still, the movie is good despite, because it’s freakin’ Star Wars.
I had four issues, which may seem like few, except they might be the four most important parts of the film:
1.) The reveal of Kylo Ren being Han Solo’s son shouldn’t have been made during an easy, nonchalant conversation halfway through the movie. They might as well have written in the opening titles, “Kylo Ren, who also happens to be Han Solo’s ungrateful, asshole kid, is on a manhunt to discover Luke’s whereabouts.”
Snoke should’ve said Ren’s biggest test would be confronting his father without name dropping him. This would’ve forced the audience to guess his connection throughout the rest of the film. In my opinion, it would’ve created a more dramatic effect when he kills Han. Instead, it was one of the most anti-climatic scenes of the movie to me. Sure, cinematically both ways are correct, but I think my idea makes more sense. But, hey, J.J. Abrams was given $350Mil to make the movie and I wasn’t, so tough sh*t.
2.) Ren’s name being Ben was a total ripoff of the Extended Universe, where Luke’s son is Ben, who also happens to be evil. Han and Leia naming their son Ben without having any real relationship with him was weird to me. But, if you’re not a big fan of the EU you probably didn’t catch it and thought it was awesome. It was totally corny to me.
3.) C-3PO blatantly tips that R2D2 is holding the remaining pieces of the map to Luke like 30 minutes before R2 wakes up to reveal it. I don’t get the point of having a scene where 3PO tells BB-8 that there’s no possible way R2 would have it when he was put into hibernation by Luke himself. It’s the freakin’ climax of the movie! Why tip it?!
4.) The fight scene is written completely wrong. How the hell is a storm trooper and someone untrained with the force going to hold their own against someone who is? Kylo Ren got made to look like a joke, especially after he gets totally owned by Rey who had just discovered the force a few scenes prior.
Darth Maul beat Qui-Gon, Dooku beat Obi-Wan and Anakin, Vader beat Obi-Wan, Sidious beat Luke, but Kylo Ren doesn’t stand a chance against someone who isn’t even a Jedi yet?! There were plenty of ways to re-write it in both their favor. Weak booking, but great for Rey. It’s just hard for me to buy into Ren as the top villain now, but we’ve got two movies to go.
Now, back to the good. Rey absolutely steals the show and instantly became my favorite Star Wars character. I bought into her character from the get-go. The force “awakening” her was pretty cool too. There’s a big possibility she’ll be the strongest Jedi ever when it’s all said and done.
She, Finn and Poe are casted perfectly. The mystery surrounding who Rey is, along with her training with Luke should make for a MASSIVE Episode VIII. That’s the strength of this film — character development, which is the most important aspect of a set up movie. For those who weren’t high on it, you’ll appreciate this movie more once the saga is complete.
It wasn’t the best written film, but it’s action-packed, funny, nostalgic, and a must-watch for all fans. Star Wars is BACK!
Overall grade: 7/10
