Star Wars: The Force
Awakens ? 5 out of 5
I?ve been a lifelong Star Wars fan since I was barely able
to develop conscious memories. The first
home video I remember watching was the original; A New Hope, and the first film
I can remember seeing in the theaters was Return of the Jedi. I played with all the toys, read all the books
in the now-defunct Expanded Universe and read all the comics from Marvel?s old
run and Dark Horses? tremendous work after that. I
played every video game and will even admit that, while I didn?t enjoy
everything about them, I am a fan of the prequels. My body has Star Wars-themed tattoos all over
my body including the Mandalorians? mythosaur skull and symbols from the Sith,
Jedi and Black Sun. My parents, whether
by accident or on purpose, set me on a path to be a serious geek for the Star
Wars universe and I own toys and collectibles for it, been to a few conventions
on it and have geeked out over shaking hands with Peter Mayhem. When Disney purchased the property from
George Lucas three years back and announced that they would make more films, I
flipped with excitement. That excitement
reached a boiling point for the seventh episode in the mythology with The Force Awakens. My expectations were high but I
walked in with no doubts that I was going to be entertained. I was completely wrong?it was even better
than what I hoped for!
**Don?t worry?there won?t be any spoilers here**
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| Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures I want a BB-8. No, not the smartphone controlled one but a full size, fully autonomous one. |
30 years has passed since the Rebellion destroyed the second
Death Star. From the ashes of the evil
Emperor, a new order has risen and threatens the new Republic. To combat these forces, the Resistance is
formed but to help stop the First Order once and for all, they need the help of
a powerful old ally. Their greatest
fighter pilot; Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) is sent to retrieve a map to help
locate this man but the evil user of the dark side; Kylo Ren (Adam Driver),
uses his forces to stop him and take the information for himself and deliver it
to General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) and the all powerful Supreme Leader Snoke. However, Poe hid the information in the
little (and freakin? adorable) droid; BB-8.
The droid ends up befriending a struggling junker on the planet of Jakku
named Rey (Daisy Ridley) and a runaway stormtrooper named Finn (John
Boyega). Together, they team with Han Solo
(Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) in order to get the information to
General Leia (Carrie Fisher) and the rest of the Resistance before Ren and the
First Order use their superweapon to destroy all that oppose them.
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| Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Boyega seems like a cool guy. I think we should be best friends. |
I?ve been not-so-patiently waiting for Episode VII since
they released the first photo of the table read. Since then, I?ve watched every trailer and TV
spot they released and read all the new canon books and comics released (and I have to say that every book Marvel has done with this now
official expanded stories is gold and I don?t miss the Expanded Universe). Money and timing prevented me from seeing the
film the day before and on the release date but after soaking in all the glory
with my eyeballs (that were wide as plates the whole running length) the wait
proved to be worth it.
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| Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Dude...Marvel, Captain Phasma needs her own series. Please, please, please! |
The Force Awakens is, to put it simply, amazing! The film made me laugh, it made me cry on
several occasions but, most of all, it transported me back to when I was a kid
and my mom and dad would throw an old VHS copy of Episode IV into the VCR. J.J. Abrams visuals and the story that he
helped craft was the perfect mix of honoring the adventures Han, Leia, Chewie
and Luke took back in 1977 and paving a new road for new journeys with the likes
of Poe, Rey and Finn?and, of course, BB-8.
In a world of cynicism and jaded pessimistic world views, The Force
Awakens made me remember what it was like to first see the galaxy far, far away
and filled me with joy and the child-like sense of wonder. The fairy tale-esque vibe that Lucas created
almost forty years ago was all here and it made for an incredible theater experience.
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| Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures At one point, every single one of these troopers hit their heads on a door. |
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| Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures What happens if Ren sneezes in that helmet? |
The visuals are gorgeous and every second is filled with the
familiar whimsy and eccentricities that we?ve come to expect from this
reality. The action is fast-paced and
exciting. Whether it?s battles with
blasters or screaming TIE fighters in dogfights with X-wings, the action
supplied is more than satisfying and griping.
The returning old characters filled me with nostalgia and the new
characters were all intriguing and fun.
I can?t wait to learn more about the likes of Kylo Ren, Rey and Finn in
supplemental books and comics and to see more of them in the upcoming
episodes. The performances from everyone
from the returning favorites like Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher
to the new faces like Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and the more
digital features given life to by performers like Lupita Myong?o and the
incredible Andy Serkis were rad and I really lost myself in their
characters. John Williams? score, as expected, is
exactly as it should be, complimenting and enhancing every scene and making
them more emotional and important. And, finally, the mixing of practical and
digital effects was seamless and simply magical.
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| Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Yes, Chewie and Han, you're home. And so am It because that's what The Force Awakens felt like. |
Even though I am a super obsessed Star Wars fan, I tried to
be as objective as possible while experiencing the film so that I can admit if
there was anything I didn?t enjoy. Heck,
I will admit that I wasn?t a fan of Hayden Christensen?s performance and I didn?t
like Jar Jar in the prequels but I couldn?t find any real faults in The Force
Awakens. Granted, there were a few lines
of dialogue that felt a tad awkward but there was only a line or two and, in
the grand scheme of emotional scenes and epic space action, this was a drop in
the bucket that was barely even noticeable.
Hell, I?ll even admit that there?s one point in the story that dragged
but this was only for a few minutes and is just another drop that is barely noticeable
among the rest of the amazing qualities this film threw at me moment after
moment.
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| Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures The Force is strong in this movie! |
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| Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Play this for the full effect with this visual. |
Maybe I sound like an overzealous fan that is only focusing
on the positive but Star Wars: The Force
Awakens is what a Star Wars movie is suppose to be. The story may feel like it was told before
but it got that right blend of being familiar and new at the same time but it
also did a great job of setting up this new trilogy and ending on the right
point of being satisfying and leaving me salivating for the next one. Additionally, the film is truly very fun
because of genuinely funny scenes, cool new characters and its stellar
action. The film also has some awesome
cameos littered throughout the film that only enhances the viewing experience
to something more than just an exciting film.
Finally, unlike the prequels, this film just felt like it belonged in
this established universe. I?m not
saying that Episodes I-III don?t feel like Star Wars films but there visuals
were so drastically different than what was seen in A New Hope, The Empire
Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. I?m
not saying the prequels don?t feel like Star Wars films?far from it?but Episode
VII feels like it is the natural progression from Episode VI.
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| Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures I know it's a weird thing to get excited about but inter-atmosphere dogfighting is awesome! |
I went into Star Wars:
The Force Awakens with high hopes and had those hopes met and
exceeded. I knew that when Disney
purchased the property that the series would be in good hands because The Mouse,
for all his flaws, knows his audience and knows how to give them what they want
and, alongside J. J. and his team, they delivered something incredible. My excitement level is just as insane for
Episode VIII as it was for this one but, at the very least, I get to see Rogue
One: A Star Wars Story next year. Now, the real question is: How many times am I going to see this one in
the theaters?
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