Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) (English Language)

Review

135min

Genre:    Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-fi

Director: J.J. Abrams

Cast:      Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Harrison Ford…and more

Writers:  Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams , Michael Arndt … and more

-Synopsis-

30 years after the fall of the Galactic Empire, a new dark force casts its shadow over the galaxy seeking absolute power through the destruction of the resistance and hunting down the last remaining Jedi opposition. An encounter between a talented scavenger and a dissident Stormtrooper brings together an unlikely group of allies to stop this menacing “First Order” in yet another epic space adventure, 3 decades in the making.

Never has a film needed less build-up or background than the extremely long-awaited 7th cinematic installment of the ‘Star Wars’ saga, ‘The Force Awakens’. So after the unprecedented build-up and hype there’s only really one question to answer, does it live up to it?, and the answer is, for the most part yes.

Despite considerable constraints and the daunting task of getting the balance right between paying tribute to the series legacy and catapulting it into the 21st century, ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ is a triumph of blockbuster event filmmaking and a prime example of what a major studio can achieve with a passionate filmmaker that’s given the adequate source material, space and time to get the formula right, not mention some major $$$.

It’s clear that superfan and writer/director J.J. Abrams was constrained by new ‘Star Wars’ universe overlords Disney in how much he could deviate from a successful formula, the balance is indeed skewed towards recycling much of the narrative from the original trilogy and capturing the currently precious pop-culture nostalgia dollar. Which means that the story does often feel like a corporate box-ticking exercise.

But at the same time ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ is the perfect 21st century representation of the magic that made the franchise so popular, and Disney have allowed J.J. Abrams the space to work his storytelling magic and deft hand at ensemble cast handling.

Pretty much every main character in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’, both the original “Legacy” players and the new generation, get the chance to shine within a story with a very healthy dose of humour and charm. Which in the end is what made the original series so popular and enduring when you get past visuals and special effects, which quickly become obsolete.

So if you’re looking for a huge cinematic experience with laughs and thrills, featuring characters in a beloved and familiar universe, plus some new ones that intersect with what you already know, ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ will not disappoint.

In fact the only really disappointing element, aside from a few dark side character choices and a slightly overly familiar narrative, comes way before the film’s release in the form of many trailers, TV spots, magazine spreads and the general ubiquitous spoiler culture that surrounded the latest story in a galaxy far far away…

By the time you’ve seen ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’, you’ll probably already know what virtually every major character looks like, sounds like, what vehicles and landscapes to expect and have figured out the crux of the narrative.

It seems that audiences have gladly traded the wonderment of 1st time viewing exposition for a quick fix and the build up of anticipation, and studio marketing departments are only happy to oblige, but for us this had a negative impact on the enjoyment of the film.

With series sequels and spinoffs now scheduled over the next 4 years at least, the question will now be if Disney can keep relying on tried formulas and nostalgia or whether the franchise can now stand on its new 21st century legs, and if the slew of new ‘Star Wars’ films will dilute the magic and appeal of the franchise, for general viewers at least. Only time will tell.

But given the film’s already extraordinary, if expected box office success, coupled with potentially greater merchandising returns and the opening of ‘Star Wars’ themed lands at Disney parks in the near future, it seems that Disney’s massive 4 billion dollar acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012 might turn out to be the bargain of the century.

The Bottom Line…

Despite being slightly predictable and relying heavily on nostalgia, ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ is a thoroughly entertaining adventure of epic proportions that just about gets the balance right between the old and the new, reinvigorating and blasting a cultural phenomenon into a new era.

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