'Awakens' is Forced

Rating: 7/10 (19 January 2016)

Okay, let's get the fangirling out of the way, shall we? Ahem. "OHMYGOSH! A STAR WARS MOVIE! BY J.J.ABRAMS! I'M SO EXCITED! THE ORIGINAL CAST?!! DREAM COME TRUE! I LOVE HAN AND LEIA AND Luke!"
Now for the review: This movie was, not a huge disappointment, but it didn't wet my whistle in the same way the originals did. Or even the way the Star Trek reboot did. There was SOMETHING missing from this movie, but I'm not 100% sure what that is. It starts off promising, with the new pilot character teasing at the fact that he works for Princess, er, I'm sorry, General Leia. And then BOOM! Kylo Ren comes and you get to see the new Sith apprentice in all his glory, but then the movie kind of loses it from there. It spends way too much time with the new characters; getting to know them, seeing where they come from, and all of that is fine, but a little later on please. You know who I came here for. And When you finally get to see one of the three that you paid $16.50 to see you learn something that doesn't sit well. But you have to accept it and move on. Then you're in for two out of three characters and you're still hoping that magic will formulate and you will get the fourth Star Wars movie you've been waiting for. But alas that doesn't happen either.
The movie is just too conscious that it is a Star Wars movie and that the prequel series didn't sit well with the fans. Hearing that the prequels were too heavy and lacked a sense of fun this film is over saturated with jokes, making the characters seem not lighthearted but immature or just plain dumb. And the movie wants to show you that it respects its Star Wars history by paralleling the very first Star Wars movie, but it takes too much and it seems like a revamped more modern remake of the original instead of its own original story.
The new trio of heroes don't have the same feel as the original three, and I respect that. These are new characters, they should feel new. But they also don't seem to work too well together, yet. And I look forward to seeing them grown into a good team. But first they have to meet, because Poe and Rey don't during the film. They also tried a bit too hard to make Rey a bad-ass and to make Finn "worthy" or "redeemable." Giving us reasons to love them in black and white instead of letting us make up our own minds about them.
Kylo Ren was also a disappointment. The only character in the whole of the Star Wars Universe that has not only two loving parents, but quite literally a platoon of extended family that loves him, and he turns into the wimpiest baby bad guy ever. Trying to live up to a ghost of the past that he doesn't fully understand. Ugh. Side note: Captain Phasma was awesome! Now there's a bad guy I can get down with!
The three heroes of our youths-- Luke, Leia and Han are never together on screen at the same time, in one place and that is a huge slap in the face! They're who I came to see!!
Overall, I can see what The Force Awakens was trying to achieve, but it just didn't make it all the way there. I still have faith that the next installment will be better. 7/10