As I walk out of the theater in the cold winter night of Iowa, I say to myself, leaving from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," this film, and the ensuing ones, are going to be great.
There is an old saying that is applied to a plethora of things, it goes "It's not your father's ________". The blank is, left to the imagination of the person saying it. This goes without showing that for Star Wars, as my father was about 13 or 14 when the first trilogy of the films came out. Almost 40 years later, I can definitely apply that to this new film.
Now, if you haven't seen any of the "Star Wars" films yet, your best option is to see the original trilogy before you see this. Forget the prequels, there isn't any mention of them in this movie at all. Once you've done that, you'll be ready for this.
The film brings us in the middle of a conflict right off the bat. The opening crawl does a great job bringing us to speed with what happens after "Return of the Jedi" and sets the beginning scene up perfectly.
The film is actually very much a resemblance of "A New Hope," in a few ways, with a pilot that is the best in the Resistance (Poe Dameron, played by Oscar Issac), and a character who is living on a planet that is covered by sand (Rey, played by Daisy Ridley). The Starkiller, is similar to the Death Star of the original trilogy, except think more devastating. These are some mirror images that fans will probably take notice when watching it, I noticed them and a few other things along the way, but that's about as much as I'll say.
The cast performance in the film is superb. The chemistry between Rey (Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega) is fantastic, as they seem to be playing off each other, and in some cases, it's almost like they're totally improving it. Harrison Ford returns as Han Solo, and he still seems the same as ever, being snarky, cunning, and sly as a fox, saving his skin, and Chewbacca's (Peter Mayhew) when they get themselves in a knot. My favorite performance however goes to Adam Driver, who plays the evil Kylo Ren. Ren is not your traditional villain either, he has a dynamic to him that makes him unlike any villain we've seen in "Star Wars" before.
The film also has, surprisingly, a lot of humor in it. There were moments were I found myself laughing at these little things that were in the movie. Whether it was Han's old antics or Poe's great ice breaker with Kylo Ren, you'll find yourself chuckling along.
The visual effects of the film are also something that stands out when watching. When the film was in the process of being made, JJ Abrams and his crew used practical effects as much as they possibly could, to emulate the first movies. While CGI and other special effects were used, it was really refreshing to see a return to the concept that brought the first movies to life.
Of course, it isn't "Star Wars" without the score by John Williams. The music, which features a few throwbacks, including the opening fanfare, and a slight return to Darth Vader's theme, it helps bring the movie together perfectly. It's nice to see that Williams' score return and help the older fans feel at home.
Overall, the movie is fantastic. It isn't going to be quite as long as the movies in the original trilogy or in the prequel trilogy, but at two hours and 16 minutes, there are times when you feel like some of the scenes may be rushed, or that the narrative seems a bit blurred, but once you realize that the film begins to tell a story that will be bigger than itself, much like with the original trilogy, it brings you in.
"The Force Awakens" will be loved by older fans and new ones, but one thing is definitely for sure, we're in for a big ride. With a few twists and turns, this movie succeeds in leaving you asking for more. The next installment comes out in May of 2017, and it'll have even more anticipation and excitement behind it that this one will.
***** (out of five)
