The Force Awakens (2015)
The greatest compliment paid to “The Force Awakens” is that its greatest characters are new. Yes, the story is familiar and the themes rhyme heavily with what we’ve seen before in the Star Wars universe, but the revelation upon exiting the theater is the new stars welcomed to the family.
Credit must be given to the casting work done and to the actors themselves, but it can’t be overlooked that for the first time since the 1980s, a Star Wars movie has a director that actually cares about his actors. George Lucas is a visionary, to be sure, but he did little to nothing to get the most out of his actors in any of the four Star Wars films he directed. J.J. Abrams does more than “get” what makes Star Wars beloved, he gets how the recipe needs to be concocted.
This film is funny — something that went missing all too often in the prequels — and the effects are brilliant. All that would have been a moot point had the story not lived up to the window dressing; thankfully, it more than captures attention and the imagination of its audience.
Daisy Ridley is a bonafide superstar, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac are wonderful and Adam Driver brings a vicious and personably baddie to the screen. The legacy characters are there (and it’s wonderful to have them back) but this is Star Wars for a generation that’s ready to embrace a new set of heroes. We’re lucky to have the cast we were given.
If there’s a criticism of “The Force Awakens” it’s that it’s too similar to the great movies of the franchise’s past. In the end, that’s a small quibble because the finished product tops all but the best of what has come before it. It doesn’t quite have enough to surpass “Empire,” but I’d defy anyone to say they had more fun watching any other Star Wars movie than “Awakens.”
For the first time in years, I can’t wait to go back to this universe. “The Force Awakens” is a surprisingly apt title given Star Wars not-so-literal naming history, but it speaks to more than an awakening in the mystical good-vs-evil way. J.J. Abrams and company haven’t just awakened the force, they’ve awakened Star Wars. We’re home.
