I was eight years old the first time I saw "Star Wars."
Because my parents loved me, they showed me the original trilogy (Episodes IV, V and VI) first, even though the last movie of the prequels had just come out that year. In the fifth grade, my classmates called me "Star Wars Geek," probably as a form of bullying, but I wore the moniker with pride.
However, when I first heard the news in 2012 that Disney had bought Lucasfilms, and therefore the rights to "Star Wars," I was not pleased. Sure, George Lucas led us astray with Jar Jar and midi-chlorians (so you're telling me the Force is actually just bacteria!?), but I was convinced that Disney wouldn't do it any justice.
And then I saw the trailer(s). And then I saw the movie (twice). Three years later, and thirty years after the last good "Star Wars" movie, I am here to eat my words. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is fantastic.
Sure, it's not perfect, but it is definitely not bad, and that's a big step forward from the last few "Star Wars" movies we got. So what's so good about it, and what doesn't work?
The good:
1. The humor.
Wow, I forgot how funny "Star Wars" movies can be. Every single joke hit the mark, and it never felt campy. There was comedy, but it didn't turn the movie into a comedy. The best thing though is that there were no poop jokes. Hooray!
2. The (new) characters.
"Star Wars" is known for having some of the best characters in the entire cinematic universe (Darth Vader, anyone?) and this movie continued that trend. Many people have commented that this movie seems to be the "passing of the torch" from the older generation to a new generation. The movie's success hinged on whether or not the new characters were well-liked, since they were the ones whom the story focused on.
The old cast was split; Carrie Fischer as General Leia (that's going to take some getting used to) was solid, yet underwhelming, while Harrison Ford breathed new life into Han Solo (or maybe it was the other way around). But it was the new characters who shined, several of whom are now some of my favorite characters in the entire "Star Wars" universe. I cannot rave enough about Daisy Ridley as Rey. She is strong, her story is interesting, and she's supplanted Leia as my favorite female character. The new droid, BB-8, is a riot; he/she's everything R2-D2 was and more. But for me, the one who stole the movie was Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron. Man, is this guy charismatic. He's in it way too little for how awesome he is, and I cannot wait to see more of him in the next two films.
3. The beginning and the end.
The first ten minutes of this movie are amazing. The opening crawl sucks you right in and perfectly sets up the world you are about to be dropped into. The last shot of the movie gives the "Star Wars" saga its first real cliffhanger, and it just might be the best closing scene of any "Star Wars" movie ever.
4. The set-up for the rest of the trilogy.
For every answer "The Force Awakens" gave us, it brought up another three questions. This might annoy some people, but it's important to remember that there are two more movies left in the trilogy to tie up these loose ends. This is not a stand-alone movie and it was never made to be.
The not-so-good (but not-so-bad):
1. "A New Hope:" Take Two.
I am so happy that "Star Wars" is back, and I think J.J. Abrams did an excellent job capturing the magic of this franchise. However, if you've seen "A New Hope," you've seen "The Force Awakens." I personally don't have that much of problem with it, especially since this movie had to right the ship and get the franchise back on track following the prequels. This movie is safe; Disney didn't want to chance that the property they just spent $4 billion on would fail its first time out of the gate. Hopefully, this means that Episode VIII will deviate more from the originals, now that Disney has proven that they can make a good "Star Wars" movie.
2. It is not surprising.
Some of this is because it closely parallels Episode IV, but the movie was very telegraphed. Almost everything that was supposed to be a big reveal was very easy to guess. It did detract from my experience watching the movie, as certain scenes were not as emotional as they should have been because of their predictability.
3. It's rushed.
J.J. Abrams had two hours to jam in thirty years of history, set-up the new story, and introduce us to a boatload of new characters. Because of this, some things just are not explained very well, and a few characters are a little underused. But there are still two movies left to fill in some of these plot holes and flesh out the characters a bit more.
Overall, this movie was a great success. It's not better than the originals, but it doesn't have to be. It delivered on almost everything it promised, it gave us both new great heroes and new great villains (Kylo Ren is a complex and foreboding figure) and brought us back into the great galaxy of "Star Wars."
Grading on the scale that rates "The Empire Strikes Back" as an A+, "A New Hope" as an A, "Return of the Jedi" as an A- and all of the prequels somewhere in the C to D range, "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens" is a solid B+/A-.
