The Force Has Returned

Rating: 8/10 (26 December 2015)

***Minor Spoilers Ahead***
After leaving the theatre following the opening day screening of the force awakens, I couldn't help but feel excitement at the prospect of witnessing the revival trilogy of the acclaimed franchise, which has remained dormant since 1983, to many. I being a 90s kid grew up with the abysmal prequel trilogy, which delivered mundane plots and lacklustre performances, mainly due to poor writing and direction. It wasn't until shortly afterwards that I came across the original trilogy, which showcased the true glorious nature of Star Wars.
With this instalment J.J Abrams delivers not just a solid Star Wars film, but a solid film in general, which stands on its own, but also stands as a worthy instalment in the franchise. The film also provided the thrills and adventure of the original trilogy and evoked a sense of retrospective, with many of the film's elements paying homage to the original 1977 film.
The cast of the film, which sees the return of the original trio comprised of Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill give us clever performances, especially that of Ford as Solo, who brings back the spirit of the original character while showing a sense of progress in the 30 years since his last appearance. The newcomers include Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac, who deliver brilliant performances and carry the film to new heights, being its new generation of protagonists. The conflicted nature of Boyega and Ridley's characters provide a great starting point for the story as it tells that of them facing their conflicts head-on. And last but not least comes Adam Driver, who gives us an exceptional portrayal of the film's villain, Kylo Ren. We see a positively flawed villain, who is also conflicted, and has reason and motivation for his actions, he believes he is justified as to him, his acts of violence and savagery are the right ones. His characters is a fresh take on villainy in the Star Wars universe, and in a peculiar way, the audience got to sympathize with his character and care about him essentially LIKING him. Midway through the movie the death of a major character, which happens to have a crucial connection to Ren shows a villain that is human.
The film has many action set pieces that were visually appealing and emotionally engaging as well, to me, the most engaging action sequence in the film was the lightsaber duel between Kylo Ren, Finn and Rey, the latter two facing the former. It was a coruscating, aggressive and primitive combat style. And far more impressive in comparison to the previous films in the series. Many have complained about Finn, being a stormtrooper, having the ability to face off against Kylo Ren and posing as a challenge against the trained dark warrior, wilder of the force. But many have failed to realize that storm troopers were trained and had adapted to square off against lightsaber wielding opponents, which is seen during the battle at Maz Kanata's palace, easily explaining Finn's ability to challenge Ren. And Rey, who defeated the dark warrior did so with the help of the force, acting as a guide. Remember that Kylo Ren had not completed his training as well, and hadn't faced another lightsaber wielding opponent in years, explaining his rusty combat skills
The film to many is seen as a rehash of the first instalment of the original trilogy and to me it certainly borrows elements from it and carries many similar plot devices and narrative beats, but the vast collection of new planets and characters topped with masterful editing and music completely makes up for that. We almost seem to forget about the similarities it shares with the originals because we are so invested in these characters and this world. And Han Solo's encounter with fabled space pirate Maz Kanata brings a new atmosphere to the film, that of fun and chaotic ambiance. Nyong'o's performance as Kanata was absolutely brilliant, bringing a sense of wisdom to this character rich in background, which I hope to further explore in future instalments.
All in all the force awakens acts as both a semi-reboot to the franchise and a sequel in that it explores new worlds, characters and story lines while keeping the classic feel of the franchise and revisiting its old characters. It also takes it (franchise) in a new direction such as the humour in this film, which was handled flawlessly, and in ways never before seen. The pace of the film was fast and the story progressed rather quickly for a Star Wars film, which may act as a flaw to some, but to most including myself, was handled well and the sense of adventure never diminished. The film could have benefited from, at certain points a slow down and take time to further explore interactions between characters but most members of the complaint collective must understand that this is the first of a trilogy and we have two more instalments to develop these characters and slow things down. But ending this on a high note like the film did, you will by all means enjoy this film if you are a fan of the originals, it is a zillion times superior to the prequels and considering the direction it has taken we can expect and amazing new trilogy! The future of this franchise appears to be in great hands! The young new cast had lifted the weight on their shoulders! Worry not Star Wars fans, the force had awakened indeed, and it's here to stay!