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Ten years after the lesser Star Wars prequel trilogy wrapped up with the mostly solid if not perfect Revenge of the Sith, George Lucas' ever-popular space opera saga gets yet another trilogy in the making, this time in the hands of J.J. Abrams, the man behind the magnificent Super 8 and the equally enthralling Star Trek reboot.
This time, he reunites most of the original cast members (including Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, and yes, Peter Mayhew as Luke, Han Solo, Leia, C-3PO, and Chewbacca, respectively) while introducing a welcome host of newcomers. These include Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and even Lord of the Rings' Andy Serkis. Rather than relying on the mostly CGI approach of the prequels, Abrams also opts to use models, bizarre aliens, and lots of action as well as surprise twists out of nowhere.
Abrams had a difficult task with this film, as it would have to serve as a reminder to audiences why they fell in love with Star Wars to begin with, as the prequels did nonetheless did leave a stain on its reputation. Fortunately, he got this one right.
This is a much more spirited and lively entry than the likes of The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, emphasizing humorous byplays between its characters as opposed to dazzling visuals. The special effects, of course, are fantastic -- and thankfully they achieve a better balance of practical sets and digital wizardry. The overuse of CG on the prequels often provided those films with a glaring, artificial look, to the point of distraction. This blended approach is thankfully an improvement. As impressive as the visual effects are, they never get in the way of the story.
More importantly, the acting is consistently great from everyone involved: something that could never be said for the prequels. Both Ridley and Boyega get into their roles and exchange rapid-fire chemistry in the same manner as the original, and of course Ford, despite being older, obviously hasn't lost his swagger and badassery as Han Solo. Although villains Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine are missed, the mentally unstable, bad-tempered Kylo Ren (Driver) makes for a compelling villain. His big boss, Snoke, (Serkis), while menacing, doesn't get a lot of screen time to stand out that much, but that's a minor quibble.
Some have quibbled that the plot line for The Force Awakens is mostly a retread of A New Hope, what with the usual destructive space weapon + secret map + hidden weakness formula as well as a little bit of The Empire Strikes Back. In that aspect, the movie is probably the least "original" of the movies. But the end result of a movie isn't measured upon its originality or derivativeness, but in its execution. While the prequels were not guilty of repeating themselves, they still suffered from stiff acting and dialogue. On that level, this movie improves on both of those weaknesses by far. The return to the jokey banter atmosphere is more than welcome, and while there is humor, it's never of the juvenile kind.
All in all, The Force Awakens was a glorious comeback for Star Wars, and it's up there with one of the series' best. Any criticisms of derivativeness is ultimately defeated by the film's overall entertainment value, and there is plenty in store. It's both a great movie and a promising start to the sequel trilogy.
Ten years after the lesser Star Wars prequel trilogy wrapped up with the mostly solid if not perfect Revenge of the Sith, George Lucas' ever-popular space opera saga gets yet another trilogy in the making, this time in the hands of J.J. Abrams, the man behind the magnificent Super 8 and the equally enthralling Star Trek reboot.
This time, he reunites most of the original cast members (including Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, and yes, Peter Mayhew as Luke, Han Solo, Leia, C-3PO, and Chewbacca, respectively) while introducing a welcome host of newcomers. These include Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and even Lord of the Rings' Andy Serkis. Rather than relying on the mostly CGI approach of the prequels, Abrams also opts to use models, bizarre aliens, and lots of action as well as surprise twists out of nowhere.
Abrams had a difficult task with this film, as it would have to serve as a reminder to audiences why they fell in love with Star Wars to begin with, as the prequels did nonetheless did leave a stain on its reputation. Fortunately, he got this one right.
This is a much more spirited and lively entry than the likes of The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, emphasizing humorous byplays between its characters as opposed to dazzling visuals. The special effects, of course, are fantastic -- and thankfully they achieve a better balance of practical sets and digital wizardry. The overuse of CG on the prequels often provided those films with a glaring, artificial look, to the point of distraction. This blended approach is thankfully an improvement. As impressive as the visual effects are, they never get in the way of the story.
More importantly, the acting is consistently great from everyone involved: something that could never be said for the prequels. Both Ridley and Boyega get into their roles and exchange rapid-fire chemistry in the same manner as the original, and of course Ford, despite being older, obviously hasn't lost his swagger and badassery as Han Solo. Although villains Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine are missed, the mentally unstable, bad-tempered Kylo Ren (Driver) makes for a compelling villain. His big boss, Snoke, (Serkis), while menacing, doesn't get a lot of screen time to stand out that much, but that's a minor quibble.
Some have quibbled that the plot line for The Force Awakens is mostly a retread of A New Hope, what with the usual destructive space weapon + secret map + hidden weakness formula as well as a little bit of The Empire Strikes Back. In that aspect, the movie is probably the least "original" of the movies. But the end result of a movie isn't measured upon its originality or derivativeness, but in its execution. While the prequels were not guilty of repeating themselves, they still suffered from stiff acting and dialogue. On that level, this movie improves on both of those weaknesses by far. The return to the jokey banter atmosphere is more than welcome, and while there is humor, it's never of the juvenile kind.
All in all, The Force Awakens was a glorious comeback for Star Wars, and it's up there with one of the series' best. Any criticisms of derivativeness is ultimately defeated by the film's overall entertainment value, and there is plenty in store. It's both a great movie and a promising start to the sequel trilogy.