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| "I will finish what you started" |
The greatest strength I can attribute to The Force Awakens is the colourful and fleshed out new characters that seem right at home within the larger Star Wars universe. Characters have familiar aspects, but with new twists that stop them from becoming stale. Rey has elements that we recognize from Luke Skywalker, but her hidden past provides a new angle into this type of character. Furthermore, the idea that, unlike Luke who was desperate to leave Tatooine, Rey had to be almost dragged kicking and screaming away from Jakku into this adventure was an interesting new take. The only complaint with Rey is that she sometimes feels too unstoppable. She can beat up a gang, pilot the Falcon, fix it, shoot Stormtroopers expertly, learn the force in record time and defeat Kylo Ren in a lightsaber duel. This is particularly noticeable during the duel, where both Finn and Kylo Ren receive injuries, and their duel feels raw and tense, only for Rey to later defeat Ren without so much as a scratch. It's not a huge deal, but it does take away tension and raise questions for how much could Rey improve in the sequels without becoming completely overpowered.
FN-2187, also known as Finn, is probably the most unique character in the film. A Stormtrooper with a moral compass, Finn quickly finds himself running from the First Order with Rey in order to stop their villainy. Perhaps the only real negative with the idea of Finn is that it reveals to the audience that Stormtroopers aren't all evil individuals and have their own thought process. The original trilogy never considered to show another side to the Stormtroopers, and therefore when Luke, Han and Leia blast a dozen of them, it's neither here nor there, because they're just the faceless evil minions of the Empire. The prequels used programmable robots for our heroes to cut down, so there's no moral grey zone there either. The problem Force Awakens faces is it literally opens the film showing us that not every Stormtrooper is evil, only to then cut into the same Stormtrooper who showed remorse for a fallen comrade mercilessly killing his ex-partners, blasting them with a TIE Fighter, running them through with a lightsaber and aiding in the destruction of an entire planet full of Stormtroopers, some of which, like Finn was, are just working in sanitation. Again, not a huge deal, but it was slightly problematic.and it could have been interesting to see Finn struggle with having to kill people he knows were brainwashed from childhood.
The absolute highlight from the new slew of characters, however, is undoubtedly Kylo Ren. Ren feels like everything we expected from Anakin Skywalker in the prequels and more. You can feel real conflict within the character, and the way that he discusses feeling the light side seducing him, much as heroes have felt the dark side, was an interesting flip on the status quo. In Return of the Jedi, the Emperor seems convinced that Luke murdering his father, Darth Vader, would turn him to the dark side. Kylo Ren finds himself tasked with a similar task in The Force Awakens by Snoke, and completes it. As we find out, the man once known as Ben Solo is tasked with murdering Han, both his father and a fan favourite. And unlike Luke before him, and even Vader when faced with killing Luke, Kylo Ren manages to go the extra step and abolish one of the few remaining ties to Ben Solo. It will be interesting to see where the character goes in Episode VIII, especially since the one remaining strong tie, Leia Organa, still exists. I, for one, hope he isn't redeemed. It would feel too much like a rehash of the original trilogy, plus killing Han feels a little bit too irredeemable. Either way, it's fascinating to consider where this villain can go, considering he is still evolving and his training is incomplete, unlike Vader who was pretty much constantly at the height of his powers in the originals.
Narrative wise, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has a few issues. One of the most common criticisms it is currently facing is that it feels a little too much like a Star Wars: Greatest Hits film than the next chapter, as it goes through almost every iconic moment from the classic films. From the catalyst of the plot being hidden data inside a droid, to a climactic battle to destroy a planet destroying space station, the story does little to differentiate itself from what we have seen before. For me personally, the biggest offender is the inclusion of Starkiller base, which is basically a third Death Star that is the size of a planet that can destroy five planets instead of one. As someone who already thought that Return of the Jedi's use of a second Death Star was lazy, this one was a step too far. The worst thing is that the film definitely does not need it. There's already enough going on in the climax of the film with Han's death and the battle between Kylo, Finn and Rey, that it's completely unnecessary to rehash this particular plot point. Hopefully, now that the franchise is kickstarted, the stories for Episode VIII and Episode IX can explore more new territory.
The film has a few more stumbles, such as the convenience of R2-D2 waking up at the end for no apparent reason, plus the entire CGI octopus scene was absurdly out of place, didn't propel the narrative at all, and should have undoubtedly been scrapped. But thankfully it's more fun than faults. Particular highlights include a spectacular Millenium Falcon chase filmed in IMAX, the breathtaking duel between Kylo Ren, Finn and Rey, and the climactic moment where Rey finally comes face to face with the legendary Luke Skywalker. The humour is also rather well done, such as scenes where Ren has a fit of rage with his lightsaber to the shock of nearby Stormtroopers, as well as Daniel Craig's brilliantly subtle cameo as a Stormtrooper that Rey performs a mind trick on. I also really enjoyed a lot of the secondary characters such as Poe Dameron, General Hux and the completely lovable BB-8, that promises a rich and strong Star Wars universe awaits us in future installments, although I expected a lot more from Captain Phasma who's one contribution to the narrative was to give in to the will of Resistance members who have her at gunpoint and lower the shields to Starkiller. The way her character was presented made me assume she'd rather die than betray the First Order, but hopefully we can see more of her in the future to make up for it.
In conclusion, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is an extremely strong entry into the franchise that should please fans new and old. Relying on familiar plot points a little too much holds it back from the greatness of the original trilogy, in my opinion, but it successfully lays the groundwork for the future of Star Wars. There is no denying, however, that The Force Awakens is ultimately an extremely fun film despite its flaws. It's the kind of film you'll want to see again and again just for the sense of escapism that the original trilogy once provided so expertly. The Force Awakens ultimately succeeded in its goal: Star Wars is back! Here's hoping the wait until Episode VIII in May 2017 isn't too daunting.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens - 8 / 10
