The movie event that most of our generation has been waiting for these past ten years has finally arrived! The Force Awakens is now the third highest grossing film, just behind Titanic! Now owned by Disney, the seventh installation of the most popular movie saga of all time returns, and it’s the most beautifully made one of the entire series. First of all, let’s talk about the cast. Of course there are many original returning characters such as the smuggler Han Solo, Princess Leia Organa, and the furry beast himself, Chewbacca. To see the original characters return to their role in the new film is like lying down on your bed after being away on vacation for a very long time.
Not only does it feel like a triumphant return to experience these old, familiar faces, but they really help introduce the new characters into the Star Wars universe. The three new main characters are Poe Dameroon, Rey, and FN-2187 (or Finn as Poe nicknames him). Finn is an amazing character for numerous reasons! Finn is the first black main character in star wars, and he’s also the first Stormtrooper that we get to see that has decided to join the Rebel Alliance. One great Easter Egg in the film is his name, FN-2187, which references the number of Leia’s holding cell on the original Death Star.
You don’t need to be a die-hard Star Wars Fan-boy to enjoy this film. Of course the plot still relies heavily on lineage, the previous galactic wars, and the innate gift of the Force. However, Abrams does an amazing job of filling in all of the gaps for people who aren’t in-the-know about the previous films. He subtly lets the characters show their intentions through their actions and uses an acceptable amount of humor and stunning action scenes to move the plot along. The main villain of the film, Kylo Ren, is a new character that that leads a group of dark-siders who emerged after the fall of the Galactic Empire; they call themselves ‘The First Order’ and are eerily reminiscent of the Nazis. Unlike when we were originally introduced to Darth Vader, Abrams introduces and develops Kylo Ren’s character immediately. You hopefully won’t be on Kylo’s side, but you will completely understand who he is and why he is shown worshiping Vader’s helmet in the original advertisement.
The special effects are stunning in this new film. You can really tell that Disney has spent a small fortune on making this film. There is one scene where Kylo Ren stops a blaster shot in mid-air and suspends it for a long time before releasing it to strike a wall. The energy shot being suspended in mid-air and the visible force that he is using to stop the blast are polished unlike any special effects that I have seen in a film to date. Abrams used as many practical effects that he could in the film, and the minimization of CGI makes the film that much more believable and immersive. He even used real sparks when filming the lightsaber fight-scenes, which are the most visually pleasing in any of the films to date. The light-sabers crackle, spit flames, and spark everywhere now when they clash together. This isn’t just a new installment on the original space-opera saga, but rather a stunning visual creation and a thrilling, action-packed film.
