With such a massive release like Star Wars The Force Awakens there’s always a huge weight of expectation, especially from the die-hard fans that were along for the intergalactic ride when the original first arrived back in 1977. Years of anticipation have had us all on the edge of our seats since the sequels were first announced and now it’s finally arrived it’s safe to say that we’re pretty pleased that the legacy of the greatest movie series of all time has got a solid reintroduction for a new generation.
It may not be the faultless classic we were hoping for, but it has more than enough quality to make it a credible return for the series with family fun being at the heart of its Disney-controlled intentions. However, there are definitely a fair few nods to the genius of the original Star Wars series and while this skims the line of being a little too close to home, it does help it feel much more grounded in the canon than The Phantom Menace, Attack Of The Clones and Revenge Of The Sith.
The story works very hard to bring everything together well and bridge the divide from the end of Star Wars The Return Of The Jedi. It starts things off in typical form with the excitement of the opening intro text rises up onto the screen with the epic brilliance of John Williams’ music thundering in the background and instantly you’re hooked to the potential of the film.
The rest of the movie doesn’t disappoint with a well crafted screenplay from Lawrence Kasdan, J. J. Abrams and Michael Arndt that sees us introduced to a new set of heroes and villains as the battle between the dark and the light is brought back to the big screen. As usual, our review of The Force Awakens is about as spoiler free as it gets, so we’re not going to go into the details of the story itself except to say that it’s a strong mix of old and new that full justifies its own existence from start to end.
The old order are in good spirit, with Harrison Ford, Carry Fisher and Mark Hamil doing well to breath new life into the much-loved characters of Han Solo, Leia Organa and of course Luke Skywalker and it is a joy to see them back on the big screen together. While Fisher looks a bit too polished in the movie, she does have one of the most emotional scenes in the film and it’s at this point that you’re swept up in the new family melodrama that the movie presents.
We were a little worries that Harrison Ford would be a little too cheesy from the brief snippets of him in action in the trailers, but his performance was perfect Solo with good comic timing, an adventurous, roguish spirit and one of the greatest bromances of all time with his Wookie pal Chewbakka. There’s not much to say about Mark Hamil, except that he looks the coolest of the three returning stars, but you’ll have to see the film for yourself to understand why.
However, it’s the new faces that light up the sci-fi space opera, as was the case when the original films first arrive in the late 70s, and they’re the key to the idealistic romance, fast-paced excitement and brilliance innocence at the heart of the film. Daisey Ridley and John Boyega (Attack The Block) are the fuel behind everything that is great and good about the film and they’ve got a very natural interplay as the burgeoning friendship between the scavenger Rey and the runaway Stormtrooper Finn begins to blossom.
Overall, J.J. Abrams’ (Star Trek Into Darkness) direction is hard to fault as he’s crafted such an exciting return for the franchise, but there are a few minor instances where you can’t help but wonder if a scene needed just a couple more takes. For us, the majority of these relate to Oscar Issacs (Ex-Machina), who plays Rebel pilot, Poe Dameron, with a bit too much gusto at times, which doesn’t seem very natural against all of the other performances.
We love some of the new characters that have been added to the Star Wars universe, especially the wise words of stubby space pirate, Maz Kanata, played with balanced vocal poise by Lupita Nyong’o (Twelve Years A Slave). Kanata’s castle is a clever nod to the cantina on Mos Eisley from Star Wars A New Hope and with the inclusion of lovable characters from the previous films in C-3PO and R2-D2 it’s easy to feel as though you’re in the same universe as the one that George Lucas gifted us all nearly forty years ago. We’re also big fans of new droid, BB-8, with its roller ball action and almost manipulative emotion as it tries to fulfill its mission.
On the dark side of the equation you’ve got the seething mass of emotional turmoil and conflict that is Kylo Ren, played brilliantly by Adam Driver (Inside Llewyn Davis), who broils with erratic menace and wild power. We’re not 100% convinced by the presence of Supreme Leader Snoke just yet, although the majority of this is that he looks a bit too much like an oversized CGI reincarnation of Lord Voldemort, but we’re hoping that the body movement skill of Andy Serkis (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) can make him more engaging in the next two movies.
One of the major triumphs of the film is the way in which Daniel Mindel (Star Trek Into Darkness) recapturing a similar cinematography style to the original films, with much less gloss and CGI than the Phantom Menace trio. This includes a return to more traditional special effects and model work and as a result the majority of things feel real. This is then finessed with a little well placed CGI to create a very impressive looking film that feels every bit the sequel to The Return Of The Jedi it needed to be. The only area where it feels like this balance was lost is on the visualisation of Snoke, who is quite clearly a CGI creation and as a result he stands out a little from the rest of the film. He’s big and intimidating, but the look just isn’t in keeping with the overall style that has been achieved.
Any small negative we’ve mentioned in our review pales in the shadow of the massive entertainment value that Star Wars: The Force Awakens delivers. It’s not quite perfect, but it’s not too far short of it and the excitement and fun that it instills in you as you watch it unfold is priceless. We went with the 3D viewing options and it definitely added to the experience with everything from the intro words to lightsabre strikes and the Millenium Falcom jumping out of the screen to wow the audience, but either way it’s a forceful return to the big screen and we loved every minute of it.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens review: 4.5/5
