Return of the Empire

Rating: 8/10 (17 January 2016)

The Force Awakens, the long-awaited almost mythical episode seven of the Star Wars saga is finally upon us. I held off from writing this review for quite some time as I digested the film and tried to distill my feelings about it. I've got such strong feelings for the original trilogy from being a kid, that would it live up to the expectations I had in my own head? This was the holy grail being realised at last - real, and new Star Wars at last.
Only, it's kind of new. Prequel-bashing aside (it's just easier to forget them than pan them), Star Wars is a strange beast as it was solely the IP of one man (George Lucas), the architect of the Saga. So without his input could this really be considered Star Wars... or the biggest-budgeted fan film of all time. There's a good argument for both sides, and for another time.
The film starts off in familiar territory. A droid contains vital information to the Rebellion (now called the Resistance) that they must get at all costs to stop the dark shadow of the First Order (the successor to the Empire) creeping across the galaxy. Cue a simple Rey (Daisy Ridley) resident of a desert planet, and Finn (John Boyega) a deserting stormtrooper thrown into the mix, and you get the general idea. Not to mention the big bad that is Adam Driver's Kylo Ren, a Darth Vader fanboy intent on retrieving the stolen map. Soon, Rey and Finn have crossed path's with Han Solo, after stealing the Millennium Falcon and escaping from the planet Jakku. So that's it, all the pieces are in place for an adventure. The main quest of the film being the search for Luke Skywalker.
The Force Awakens is a slick, well-directed piece of no is a slick, well-directed piece of nostalgia that mostly is successful in updating and breathing life back into the franchise. Whilst no risks have been taken with the story ope whilst no risks have been taken with the story (It's flimsy at best) what we do get is very entertaining. Director JJ Abrams, has done a fantastic job in recapturing some of the magic of the original trilogy. He oversees a young and talented cast that make the most of the material they are given. In particular Adam Driver's performance as the brooding, torn Kylo Ren is a joy to watch. In some scenes he stalks the screen with such animalistic ferocity that there is a constant underlying sense of danger and unpredictability about his character. Considering in most of his scenes he is wearing a mask, his body movement alone gives enough character over to be menacing. That's not to say he steals the show, Daisy Ridley's performance as Rey is enjoyable, likable, and you find yourself rooting for her. Without question she is the new series primary protagonist, and even though she's just a sketch at the moment, I am looking forward to seeing where they go with her character. It's the same with John Boyega's Finn. He's little more than a soldier who doesn't want to kill, he just wants to escape from the First Order, but realises there are some fights you cannot run from, so he winds up with the Resistance.
Harrison Ford's return as Han Solo, along with Chewie are a welcome addition to the film. Along with Finn, they provide the comic relief and dry humour that they provided to the franchise in the past. Ford plays different type of Solo, still at his heart he is a swindling hustler, this Han Solo is weary and tired, and since we last saw him he has gone through a large emotional upheaval. I didn't buy the scenes he shared with Carrie Fisher returning as Leia. I can't say her performance was bad, but neither was it anything, she delivered her lines she was there as the figurehead of the Resistance, and little else.
The action scenes in this film are where Abrams really shines. He knows how to pace and choreograph battles in space and on land. If you've seen his version of Star Trek you know what to expect. Star Trek would be a worthy comparison for this film. Out of the two films I would have to say I enjoyed Star Trek more. On my first watching of The Force Awakens I came out of the cinema not really knowing whether I enjoyed it or not. It's fun, entertaining, pops along at a good pace, it has everything you would expect from a Star Wars film, but that's the problem with it, it's too scared to do its own thing. Disney have aimed this movie at the nostalgia market, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, it works it reminds me of the original Star Wars, but you don't feel like the story is being progressed. I just hope when the next episode releases we're not going to be saying the same beats from Empire Strikes Back being played out.
John Williams is on top form returning to score this film. I'm not even sure it would be possible for him to produce a bad musical score for Star Wars.
Overall, JJ Abrams has not produced anything revolutionary, he's traced over what we loved about the originals and added some new flavours. He's done a good job, he's done the job he was hired for, and he's left the franchise in a good position for when it's handed over to Rian Johnson for Episode VIII.
A good film, worth seeing at the cinema if you can, but don't expect anything new, but it's still entertaining and rewarding in its own way.