There are some spoilers throughout this review. I’ve hidden a major spoiler while leaving a brief description of the plot visible.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Release Date: December 18, 2015
Directed by: J.J. Abrams
Screeplay: Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams, Michael Arndt (based on characters from George Lucas)
Starring: Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Mark Hamill
Rating: PG-13
Let me start by saying that yes, my expectations were high for Star Wars: The Force Awakens – as they should be. Yet, I left the theater a bit disappointed. But let’s talk about what I liked first.
The lead character, Rey, is this movie’s saving grace.
Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, is exactly the type of female character I love. She’s strong and independent, but not so much that her feminine side is gone. She’s a character that can and has been, taking care of herself for years. She’s a scavenger who just so happens to come across people (and a droid) in need. Instead of shunning them, she listens and lends her help while still being strong and intelligent. This movie definitely pushed that in some scenes between her and Finn, but she is still a wonderfully written character and Ridley does a fantastic job.
The other thing I liked was the cinematography. Now is when all the Star Wars movies should have been made. It’s a aesthetically beautiful film. Compared to the prequel trilogy, which was so heavy in green screen and CGI that nothing looked real, this movie focuses on real-life sets. Yes, there is CGI but the movie as a whole looks so much more authentic compared to its predecessors. Abrams did love to do some panning, which is something that got a bit distracting, but sometimes it displayed the beauty of the film and the power of today’s technology.
And that’s what I liked. Yep. I did say I left disappointed. So, let’s go into what I didn’t like:
The villain. Ah, the villain. An all-powerful, ominous and evil man set on galaxy domination. Or, a scrawny boy who has daddy issues and throws lightsaber tantrums.
Kylo Ren is the exact opposite of a villain to me. He’s a Darth Vader fanboy who is full of teenage angst. Whenever something didn’t go his way, he took out his lightsaber and frantically slashed it around, destroying whatever was in front of him (usually a wall of monitors). When I saw that, I saw an adolescent boy throwing a tantrum because his mom took his video games away, not a man who could kill people with the flick of his wrist.
With that said, he is a more complex villain. The film tries to humanize him by having him remove his helmet often and showing his internal struggle between dark and light. So, he’s complex, but they just went a little too far with his emotions. He is already in an important position within the New Order, he should have his shit together (pardon my language).
My next issue is with Han Solo.This is a huge spoiler so I’m blocking it out. If you haven’t seen the movie, don’t read it – you’ve been warned. View Spoiler »
My last issue is with the plot:
The Imperial Forces, led by Darth Vader, have a massive space station called the Death Star that blows up planets. Luke acquires two droids that possess valuable information. The Empire hunts for the droids, meanwhile, Luke helps Obi-Wan Kenobi return the droids to the Rebel Alliance. The Rebels use fighter pilots to destroy the Death Star. Victory!
Oh…wait…that’s the wrong movie. Here we go:
The New Order, led by Kylo Ren, have a weapon of mass destruction the size of a planet called Starkiller that can blow up multiple planets at a time. Rey acquires a droid that possesses valuable information. The New Order hunts for the droid, meanwhile, Rey helps Finn return the droid to the Resistance. The Resistance use fighter pilots to destroy the Starkiller. Victory!
Much better.
The biggest movie of the year, also the movie that made Harrison Ford one of the highest-paid actors. Did you know he’s making 34.7 MILLION DOLLARS + .5% of the movies profits from this – hot dog, he doesn’t have to work another day in his life! Any who, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, or Star Wars: A New Hope Reboot. Yep. It’s basically a reboot.
Looking forward, since this movie is the first of a trilogy, we don’t know the bigger picture yet. As a first installment, it was fun and action-packed but for me to enjoy the next movie, there needs to be more history about Kylo Ren and a more oringal plot. The cinemtagraphy and one character I enjoyed didn’t make this movie anything near what I expected it to be.
I’m always open for discussion! Please feel free to disagree with me! I want to hear your thoughts on this movie, whether you liked it or hated it.
Related: 18 major similarities from Entertainment Weekly
*Photos courtesy of starwars.com
8 Comments
While I loved the movie, I totally agree with your review. Spot on, lady! I loved the new characters, especially Rey! I also thought that the plot resembled A New Hope too much, so I hope they wow us with the next film.
Rey is the only new character I did like. She’s pretty bad-ass haha Also, it’s crazy how much the plot was similar to A New Hope! I hope they do NOT continue that with the next movie. Otherwise, I give up!
**SPOILER DISCUSSION COMMENT***
I think the reason behind Kylo killing Han was because it was his way of committing to the dark side at least that is the impression that me and my bf got from it.
We thought that as well, but that just wasn’t enough to justify it for me. They need to explain WHY he wanted to do that. What did his dad do that was so terrible for him to act this way? That’s one of my biggest issues because at the moment it seems like it’s more of Harrison Ford not wanting to do it anymore so they had to write him out haha.
I totally agree with the things you didn’t like! Every time Kylo Ren threw a hissy fit I just felt really embarrassed for him. Despite how mad Anakin got in the prequels, he never just threw a complete tantrum like a 12 year old. My other big issue was the “map to Skywalker.” Just… what? It seemed way too silly! Everyone keeps saying that you can’t say it wasn’t good until you see the next one and I really have to disagree. I feel like it should still stand on its own.
Tracy @ Cornerfolds
Also, with Anakin you kind of got the gist of WHY he was a little pissy at times. With Kylo Ren, they just kind of throw you a new villain that is supposed to be more “complex” but without giving any sort of explanation. The “map to Skywalker” was a bit odd as well. I don’t remember them even telling us why/where it came from (correct me if I’m wrong). Also, R2D2 just had that missing piece this WHOLE time? I’m pretty sure that it was Rey’s presence that awoke him – but it just seemed abrupt and odd.
I do see what people are saying about waiting for the next one. If you think of the first 3 movies, A New Hope does (literally) drop you into the middle of a story – but The Force Awakens is a sequel (not out of order like the first one – if that makes sense) so it SHOULD be able to WOW us without ANOTHER sequel.
I really really liked this movie. It was exactly what I hoped it would be. I was feeling nostalgic a lot, and I wanted to jump up and
down my chair.. I didn’t though.. Since I didn’t want to have to leave the cinema! LOL!!
But I definitely get your disappointment with Kylo Ren. Although it didn’t bother me that much, I can get the whole teenager throwing a tantrum part.
I also thought there was a lot of humor in this movie. I definitely laughed a lot. And the graphics were pretty amazing. I can’t wait for the next movie!! 😀
There were a few times they referenced the original movies and some good corny jokes – which was cool, but it just wasn’t enough for me to love it. I’m hoping the next one is just a more original plot with WAY more explanations. But I am glad you enjoyed it! Many people did 🙂