The Return of The Star Wars Franchise Is A Dream Come True

Rating: 10/10 (18 January 2016)

I really didn't think that there would be another theatrically released Star Wars adventure. The prequel chapters are so reviled, it is clear George Lucas was dejected and wouldn't make anymore movies and then with the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney, it became possible again. As with many others I'm sure, I grew up loving both the original 3 entries and the prequels alike for different reasons. The imagination behind the original trilogy is a feat itself and they redefined the cinematic experience. Are the prequels as good as the original trilogy? No, of course not. But they are still fun to watch and I loved them as a kid. Disney seemed to have put the right guy in charge, J.J. Abrams is a self professed fan boy and his reboot of the Star Trek franchise was completely refreshing and breathed new life into a largely dormant franchise. I went into this movie with high expectations but I admit, I went in wanting to love this film.
*Minor Spoilers Ahead* It is 30 years after the defeat of the Empire. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) has vanished and both the Republic (a democracy that has risen from the rebellion forces) and the First Order (basically a newly formed Empire) are both looking for him for very different reasons. General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) has dispatched her best pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) to the distant planet of Jakku in search of old ally Lor San Tekka (Max Von Sydow) who is in possession of an important piece of the puzzle to finding the troubled Jedi Master.
The plot introduction that I am providing is short but I went into The Force Awakens knowing almost nothing about the plot and I would recommend doing the same even though as I write this review, the movie has been out over a month. When talking about the plot, the criticism surrounding this movie is that the plot rehashes Star Wars: A New Hope too much. I didn't find that at all. The movie has a lot of callbacks to the original trilogy, there is no denying that but I found that The Force Awakens does an expert job of introducing new characters and bringing in a new story. There is the familiar but one of the things that this film is responsible for doing is rebooting the franchise for a new generation so there were bound to be similarities. I was wrapped up in the plot completely and even though I am a big fan I can still distinguish if the plot was underwhelming and to me it wasn't.
The best thing about the newest entry to the Star Wars franchise is the new characters it introduces, each of them are captivating and thoroughly entertaining. Rey is probably the most important character introduced here and she's a worthy heir to carry these movies. She's a good mix of Han's resourcefulness and Luke's raw power and technical prowess. She's brave, kick-ass and yet endearing. Finn is a little more comedic but there's nothing wrong with levity. He is an escaped storm trooper and has little experience with the galaxy outside of that so there's going to be difficulties. Although he's naturally funny, you understand his fear and although he's not as outwardly heroic as Rey you can sympathize with him, it'll be fun to see where his character. Poe is also a cool character, he's got serious skills as a pilot and he is an absolutely essential to the war effort. I do wish he was in the movie more but hopefully he'll get a little more screen time in later entries. Kylo Ren is a different kind of villain and that's a good thing. Whenever we have been introduced to someone who is a member of the dark side, they have been almost unstoppable, Kylo is a powerful warrior but his training isn't complete and he has more than a little doubt about what he's involved in. There are even more characters to talk about but I only have so much space (BB-8 is awesome too).
In a move that has become a franchise tradition, J.J Abrams decided to cast an unknown in the lead with Daisy Ridley playing Rey and it payed off. Daisy is excellent, she really establishes herself and between her and John Boyega, there is chemistry to burn. Boyega is really funny as Finn and he balances that with a fine dramatic performance, don't believe the reports that he's a Jar-Jar Binks style clown. Oscar Isaac is good but is in the movie less than the trailers indicate and Adam Driver is solid as Kylo Ren, especially how most of his performance has to be delivered through only his voice. Speaking about the older cast, Harrison Ford is right back to being awesome as Han. He nails it again as there is a good balance between acknowledging that Han is older but is still the old charismatic rogue that he was in the films previous. Carrie Fisher does a sound job as Leia but she's not given a whole lot to do. Andy Serkis and Lupita Nyong'o are both gratifying in motion capture performances. The only actor I had even a small problem with was Domnhall Gleeson as General Hux who I thought was over doing it at times but it didn't bring the movie down for me.
The special effects are well done, the 3-D works and although we don't get any unique planet designs, what we are presented with is still visually pleasing and more than enough to hold your attention. This movie is exceptional entry in an already historically loved series. I was ecstatic watching this movie in theatres and I have now seen it more than once and there hasn't been any drop off between viewings. This was my favourite movie of 2015 and if you have any attachment to the Star Wars franchise, odds are you'll end up loving it too.