Star Wars: The force awakens succeeds in its desired goal of not just being better than the prequels, but also making audiences love Star Wars movies again. This is a return to form for the series that helped to create our modern blockbuster obsession. No longer filled with lifeless CGI or cringe worthy dialogue, this is 2 hours filled with spaceship battles, lightsaber duels, and charming characters.
This does not mean that it is without its flaws. There are moments where the improbability of a scenario can be felt, as people happen to be in the right place, at the right time to fit with plot needs. Large portions of the film also follow story beats of the original trilogy, which can at times make it feel like the movie is less a sequel, and more like a remake. The score also feels weak, as though John Williams was almost sleep walking through the movie. There are plenty of the original trilogy themes, but it seems as though he relies on them a bit too much, and when new themes appear they don’t have the same exhilaration as the ones we are so familiar with, coming up more timid and slow than the familiar trumpets and drums were used to. However the good far outweighs the bad.
The cast alone is worth seeing this movie for. All three of the new lead actors, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, and Oscar Issac, have the skill to control the screen whenever they are in a scene, holding their own against franchise alumni, like Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher. However it is Adam Driver who steals the spotlight from his new costars. His turn as Kylo Ren is filled with the familiar, calm, darkness that James Earl Jones brought to Darth Vader, but with the feel of someone pulled apart by dividing forces, in a way that neither Jones, nor Hayden Christensen, ever brought to their appearances as the dark lord of the Sith.
Ford is also a welcome presence. His performance as Han Solo is exactly what fans were hoping for, sliding right back in to the role like a well-worn pair of shoes. It is both a welcome relief, and an excellent way to introduce the new characters in a way that honors the movies that came before and the fans who have been with the series for years.
What makes the Force Awakens work, not just as a movie but as a Star Wars movie, is that it stands on its own two feet. While imagery and plot points may have been borrowed from the original trilogy, there is no point where the film stops itself simply for a reference to the original films. Any references, of which there are very few, feel natural and fit well in the story. It’s a pattern which has been repeated in other reboots of this past year, like Mad Max: Fury Road or Jurassic World, to great success. They are movies which lovingly exist in the same world, and may even feature familiar characters, but feel no need to bring back old fan favorite moments or lines just to appease a select few.
It is in this regard that J.J. Abrams proves himself as a director. This movie is not just a fan getting to play in his desired playground, it is a fan recognizing what makes that playground so special, while not trying to recapture its magic. He puts away his usual lens flares and booming soundtrack to focus on the traditional Star Wars screen wipes and action. He recognizes what George Lucas failed to with the prequels. The fans don’t want a Star Wars movie about interstellar politics, they want a movie about the people affected by them and how they fight to survive.
Is the Force Awakens the game changing film that will redefine cinema as we know it, like A New Hope before it? No, but it is a fun and exhilarating movie, which returns the beloved franchise to its roots, focusing on the excitment and adventure that the Galaxy far, far away is supposed to be filled with. Despite the occasional slip up the movie should be a delight to both fans young and old, and a welcome return to a home we never really left. As one character says “This makes things right”.
4 lightsabers out of 5.
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