Grab your popcorn and your light sabers as we travel to a galaxy far, far away. A galaxy of honesty, criticism, and praise. Just a few days ago, the newest Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens destroyed box office records by bringing in an estimate of $250M worldwide as of Friday, December 19th. Directed by JJ Abrams, the latest film in the franchise truly did not disappoint as it incorporated fresh concepts while still paying tribute to past movies. In this article, I will be giving an analysis of The Force Awakens. That being said, I would advise any of you reading this who haven’t seen the film to STOP READING RIGHT NOW as this article will contain a copious amount of SPOILERS. For those who have seen the movie, simply just don’t care about spoilers, or are really dying to know if Jar Jar Binks is actually a Sith Lord, I hope you find the following insights enjoyable and thought provoking.
The Plot
It’s been 30 years since the destruction of the Death Star and demise of Darth Vader. A military group known as The First Order has taken over the galaxy and seeks to bring down the Republic for good. In the midst of all the chaos, Leia Organa searches relentlessly for her brother, the last Jedi Luke Skywalker, so that he might be able to aid in defeating the dark side once again. Honestly, prior to seeing this movie, I actually had no idea what the plot was at all. All I knew was that they were bringing back actors from some of the previous films along with a few newbies. Having only seen the other six movies about once or twice, I must confess that I don’t even have that much of an in depth knowledge of Star Wars. That being said, I believe this film did a great with its interesting plot and relatability to fans of all levels. Abrams fantastically incorporated past characters and storylines, but did so in a way that wouldn’t cause newer members of the Star Wars fanbase to be completely lost. Yes, there were some things you wouldn’t totally grasp if you knew absolutely nothing about Star Wars to begin with, but even then, the exciting story succeeded in allowing everyone to follow while keeping the audience on its toes.
Critique
While the story of the film was for the most part free of plot holes, there were a few things that stood out. First, there was the opening scene, which focuses on a stormtrooper in the First Order who panics in the middle of a village raid after a fellow soldier dies. The stormtrooper, later known as Finn, played by British actor John Boyega, breaks down after returning to base as he realizes that The First Order is evil. And thus, the plot begins. While this was an interesting idea, there is just one main issue I have with this. If stormtroopers are conditioned to be soldiers from birth, given only a number for a name, why would this particular one have so much self awareness that his environment was corrupt? I could be completely wrong in this critique, but that was the first thing that didn’t make much sense to me.
The second problem was the issue of R2D2. I realize how difficult it must be to balance new and original characters in such a huge franchise, but R2D2’s purpose and role in the film didn’t completely fit. When we first see R2, we are informed that he hasn’t activated for several years and no one really knows why. But when it comes his time to fulfill something in the plot, he wakes up. While the tie-in was interesting, there was absolutely no purpose or motivation behind R2D2 suddenly reactivating.
The Cast
I believe the cast, especially the newer members fit quite well and did an amazing job with their characters. Finn (John Boyega) and Rey (Daisy Ridley) are the main protagonists of the film who certainly succeed in causing the audience to care as well as encourage them to achieve their goals. Not only that, but these particular choices for actors broke through casting stereotypes of the past. The relationship between the two worked and everything on the screen was believable. Also, previous Star Wars characters made appearances as the director brought back Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher). Overall, I really have no complaints as far as actor choices go.
The Writing
It’s no secret that the writing in the other Star Wars movies proved disastrous at times, but this was not the case in The Force Awakens. The writing was not only well done in regards to the plot and characters, but also very funny at times. The refreshing humor was definitely a nice surprise as it was not overdone and flowed with the other dialogue quite nicely.
Critique
The one critique I would have as far as the writing goes would have to do with something in the character development of the villain, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). It would have been nice to see this character better developed. I felt that some of what was written in for him didn’t seem consistent at times as there were a few moments that translated as being "out of character." For example, taking off his helmet so much. I could be wrong, but to an extent I feel Kylo Ren became too vulnerable to the audience and the other characters a little too quickly.
Conclusion
Okay, so Jar Jar Binks isn’t actually in the film, but that shouldn’t keep you from hightailing it to the theater! I would honestly recommend Star Wars: The Force Awakens to anyone as a “must see.” While this movie is not without its flaws, none of them were extremely distracting, or things that couldn’t be overlooked. No movie is perfect, but other than a few critiques mentioned, JJ Abrams did an amazing job as he successfully incorporated old and new aspects of Star Wars. May the Force be with you and your loved ones this joyous, holiday season.
