DISCLAIMER: This review will contain minor spoilers of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” If you prefer to have a completely spoiler-free viewing of the movie, do not read past the following paragraph — You have been warned.
I’ll admit, when I first heard about “The Force Awakens” a year ago, I wasn’t that excited. True, I was addicted to “Star Wars” as a child: I could name almost every ship, weapon, and character in the movies; I played “Battlefront” until I was undefeatable, and I even read a few of the books. Yet my prior history with the franchise felt like just that — history. It had been years since I'd dived into that world, and I was uncertain about opening a new chapter. As time wore on and more extensive trailers were released (while still keeping the plot of the movie surprisingly well-hidden), I couldn’t help but get my hopes up, something I try to avoid with sequels and adaptations. But now I can happily say that my fear was unnecessary, because “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was absolutely fantastic.
One thing everyone knew was that this latest installment in the franchise featured both old favorites and new characters among the cast, though the question was to how well they would mesh. Would the veterans overshadow the newbies, or would the long awaited return of Han Solo, Princess Leia, and Luke Skywalker be nothing more than glorified cameos? In my opinion, the cast was quite well balanced. The new characters, namely Rey and Finn, were given plenty of time to establish and develop their characters; the first part of the movie flips between them until they unite, and then the action really kicks off. Rey and Finn are brilliant additions to the series; they represent qualities of the original trilogy while being different enough to make it clear that time has passed in the “Star Wars” universe. Both are talented and capable, though in different areas (Rey is great with machines and Finn has extensive military training). Nevertheless, they are also prone to human weakness, fearful of accepting what fate seems to have in store for them. Actors Daisy Ridley and John Boyega are perfectly cast and develop a wonderful chemistry together, which is key to any dynamic duo.
As for the veterans, their screen time in the movie is equal to their time in the trailer: Han Solo and Chewbacca appear most often, Leia has a few scenes, and Luke is almost nowhere to be found. While I understand Luke’s absence from most of the film (the search for him is a major part of the plot), it would have been nice to see more of Leia in her new role as General Organa, though I understand that the focus had to be on establishing new characters and progressing the plot. Nevertheless, Harrison Ford, Peter Mayhew, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill make great use of their screen time, bringing the characters to life once more.
“The Force Awakens” also has a greater focus on secondary characters than previous films in the series. Most notably, Resistance pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and pirate Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong’o), two characters it would have been easy to use to progress the plot and then exterminate, make it through to the end, with the hope of future appearances. Moreover, Poe develops a great friendship with Finn after their escape, possibly implying a larger role for him down the road. I would have enjoyed more of Captain Phasma, the storm trooper rocking the chrome armor in the trailers; she may be the one character over-hyped in the trailer in comparison to her role in the film. Again, this film had to focus more on Rey and Finn to get the story going, so some characters had to appear less. Admittedly, my desire for more Captain Phasma is probably driven by my love of the actress that portrays her, “Games of Thrones” star Gwendoline Christie.
Of course, a review of the characters wouldn’t be complete without mention of the new Sith, Kylo Ren. Unlike with past Sith, Kylo depicts a more ambivalent aspect of the Dark Side of the Force. He is determined to remain a Sith, yet he feels a call to the Light. While this inner struggle makes Kylo Ren less intimidating than Darth Vader, it adds a layer of humanity to his character and promises an interesting character arc. Adam Driver does a good job of switching between stoic Sith and emotionally torn human being as the story progresses.
One worry I had going into this film was the new robot, BB-8. I am not a fan of the wacky side character whose sole purpose is comedic relief and messing up to protagonists’ plans, and I feared this role would be filled by the droid. However, I was surprised by how much I loved BB-8; it won me over the moment it tried to follow Rey home like a lost puppy. Compared to previous droids, BB-8 is much more mobile, allowing him to keep up with human allies fairly well, even in the heat of battle.
Speaking of comedic relief, “The Force Awakens” has a great balance of action and humor. Characters aren’t too serious to crack a joke or have a little fun while fighting off the First Order, which led to several moments when the theater I was in bursting into laughter. Let me tell you, it is a wonderful thing to hear a theater light up with laughter when a movie intends it to. I am a big fan of the action/comedy combo, and “The Force Awakens” is the best example of this that I have seen in a while.
Overall, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is a worthy sequel to “Return of the Jedi,” and a promising start to a new era for the franchise. The characters, the story, and the humor blend to create not just an excellent “Star Wars” film, but an enjoyable film in general. If you were at first apprehensive like me, have no fear: The Force is strong with this one.
