Friday, December 18, 2015

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)****1/2


Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens is the continuation of the saga started by George Lucas almost forty years ago. Since then the franchise has grown beyond its beginning to crave itself out a huge place in popular culture not only in the United states, but across the globe. There have been dark times for this franchise when it has lost its way (Episodes I, II, and III), but it has continued to thrive with three generations. The Force Awakens signals the start of not only a new trilogy, but new creative forces and new ownership of the Star Wars universe.

The film follows a trio of new characters Poe Dameron, Finn, and Rey (Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, and Daisy Ridley) each coming from a different background, yet they all find themselves on the same quest. Along the way they encounter heroes from the previous films such as Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) as they come in conflict with The First Order, a resurgence of the ideals of the Galactic Empire. Led by the Force wielding Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) they continue terrorizing the galaxy in that classic Imperial way. There are many winks and nods throughout the film that doesn’t seem like blatant fan service except at a few points in the film.

The Force Awakens is the film that we had hoped the prequels would be. The audience genuinely cares about the new characters as opposed to Episodes I, II, and III. People in this film are not as wooden as they were in those films and there are many contribution factors that could affect that fact. Poor acting, poor writing, performing in front of nothing but a green screen probably all contributed to that fact. This film harkens back to nonstop action and adventure that doesn’t turn down at all during its 2 hour and 15 minute running time. The story is a great continuation of Star Wars lore that develops patterns in the story, just like human history. We all keep making the same mistakes over and over again. The question is did we learn from them? That will be seen as this trilogy plays out.

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