Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Release Date: December 18, 2015
Cast: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson
Director: J. J. Abrams
Studio: Lucasfilm Ltd., Bad Robot Productions
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Genre(s): Space Opera, Epic
Rating: ★★★★★
Review Spoilers: Low
IMDB | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia
When a movie like Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres, a movie with so much buzz and promotion surrounding it, actually facing the music can be the hardest part. Will it live up to expectations?
There can be no doubt that after the success of the original trilogy, the prequels’ release sixteen years ago came at a severe disappointment. Whatever your gripe with the prequels may be, it’s undoubtedly a lesser series. So after being fooled three times in a row, it’s understandable why some might be just a bit apprehensive.
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Yes.
It’s totally does.
Abso-freaking-lutely.
Going in with as little exposure to the film as possible (I stopped tuning in after trailer 2 dropped to keep some of the mystery), The Force Awakens was a non-stop emotional roller coaster. I didn’t grow up with the original trilogy, in fact, I watched them for the first time when I was in high school (feel free to use that against me should you disagree with my opinion). I had followed the prequels like any kid growing up in the early 2000’s, but it was a paltry introduction into the mythos.
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However, I never got it. Perhaps for the die hard fans, for the ones who have been theorizing for months, for the ones who have been pulled into the hype with impossibly high expectations, something will disappoint, that’s an inevitability. When you see a scene so many times, you begin to formulate ideals in your mind and when they don’t play out, it becomes a bit of a letdown. But there’s so little wrong with The Force Awakens.
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It’s exhilarating to watch newcomers Daisy Ridley (Rey), John Boyega (Finn), and Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron) on screen, bringing new fan favorites to life while interacting with the ones we know and love. Finn and Rey are endearingly wide-eyed, representing the very beating heart of the film. They embody many of the finest traits of classic protagonists and it not only makes them easy to root for, but with their complexities, it makes them almost instant heroes.
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While the plot goes strong on the themes and motifs that we love, it also is an image of history repeating itself. It can be a little repetitive to see them replay some of the same impactful storylines with new characters, but I wasn’t complaining. Dealing in equal parts humor and emotion, The Force Awakens more than makes up for any short comings in a few plot pitfalls.
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The decision to turn characters like Han Solo and Luke Skywalker into characters of myth, and the jedi into urban legend, makes it the perfect landing ground for the beginning of a new series. Instead of being thrown into deep talk about the morality and ethics of the force or the scientific aspects of midichlorians in someone’s blood (cue my deepest eyeroll, not even 7-year-old Therese bought that), it’s a story about discovery. For newcomers, they’re meeting characters of legend, both in the fictional world and in our real one.
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An awakening. (Oh yeah, I went there.)
Final Thoughts: There will be naysayers and negative Nancys, but The Force Awakens does everything right, taking on the challenge in bringing a dearly loved series back to the big screen. With all the heart and soul of the series we love, it’s undoubtedly set to be a favorite for the years to come.