Here is the bottom line on what will certainly and deservedly be the biggest movie of the year, and perhaps of the decade — the new “Star Wars” is terrific. It is lively and energetic, at times deeply moving, featuring thrills and laughs in equal measure.
Leaving all the technical categories aside; I see three potential major Oscar nominations — Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor for Adam Driver.
Director J.J. Abrams has accomplished a remarkable threading of a needle. There are several constituencies here that demand to be served; among them the true “Star Wars” geeks, who I think only comprise a relatively small portion of the actual movie-going public; and a group that I relate more closely to — those who saw the original “Star Wars” movies when they were first released and have a fond but rather vague memory of them. Many of us remember the last three “Star Wars” movies; I covered the press junkets for all three; and while it was a thrill to travel to Skywalker Ranch and meet George Lucas and other key members of the “Star Wars” team; those last three movie were, in a word, awful.
The new “Star Wars” movie provides an affectionate embrace of the original “Star Wars” trilogy and of course brings back a trio of characters we all remember. It is great to see Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, and Harrison Ford all back on the big screen. The new film, to a large degree is a Harrison Ford movie; as Han Solo is on screen as much as any character and is involved in some especially dramatic encounters.
Many directors say that casting is 90% of success, and Abrams has especially well cast the new characters. Daisy Ridley who is the new hero of the series, Rey, is a wonderful find and she is poised now to become a major international star with good reason, she has charisma to spare. But the real find of the movie is “Girls” star Adam Driver; so effectively bothersome in that series; is both menacing and moving as Kylo Ren, who can best be described as one of the “bad guys” with many, many more dimensions. There are certain scenes with Driver that are among the best dramatic scenes in any movie this year. He absolutely deserves Oscar consideration for his work in the film.
I suppose the non-human characters won’t get awards attention, but there are some consolations. BB-8 is the most fun droid you will ever meet and I imagine will be the best selling new toy of the Holiday Season. I don’t think Lupita Nyong’o will necessarily be given due credit for bringing to life the Yoda-like new character of Maz Kanata. But I really liked Maz and her very cool adjustable spectacles and eyes.
Speaking of which, the movie looks great. Abrams insisted the movie be shot on physical film because of the higher visual standards of the medium; and he made the right choice. The new “Star Wars” will stand the test of time for a variety of reasons; but the timeless and thoughtful look of film beautifully frames and accents the many special digital effects.
With one fell swoop of the light sabre, “Star Wars — The Force Awakens” reawakens and reignites not only interest in this franchise — the table is certainly well set for several sequels — but I hope reawakens and reignites interest in big screen movies. A film like this; which has just such a great touch and tone; as opposed to the often very heavy handed and over-the-top Marvel films; I think will invite repeat viewing. Of the many “lucky few” who have seen it, I can’t tell you how many say they want to see it again to perhaps take in particular points they may have missed or that simply demand repeat viewing.
“Star Wars — The Force Awakens” is a really good movie, and is really good for the movie business. If academy voters are smart they will recognize, as the general audience most certainly will, the films’ obvious qualities and raise it up to become part of the Oscar conversation. It certainly deserves to be there.
