Too Nostalgic, but Still Good

Rating: 7/10 (2 April 2018)

With a series as beloved as Star Wars, anything is possible. The Force Awakens, the beginning of the sequel trilogy, is quite possibly the most anticipated movie of all time. The fact that it reeled in a record breaking $250,000,000 opening weekend in the U.S. alone is a testament to the popularity of this franchise. So, was it worth the wait? That's an interesting question. For many people, myself included, the nostalgia blinders came with the movie. The anticipation before the opening crawl and the euphoria that that classic opening note brought was an unforgettable experience. This movie brought out happy memories of watching the Original Trilogy for the first time, and the wonder and mystery that the galaxy of Star Wars brought us. However, the movie relies way too much on the nostalgia factor. The best and most memorable things about this movie (aside from that scene, of course) were the opening crawl, the appearance of the Millennium Falcon, the first appearances of the original characters (especially Han and Chewie), and the scene with Darth Vader's helmet. Aside from those things, it's a carbonite copy of the original 1977 movie, with the exact same story arc. There's very little originality, which is a massive detractor. Even the ships and vehicles are exactly the same, with a few exceptions. Of course, Starkiller Base is just another Death Star, even if the way it works is awesome. Even the character's roles feel recycled from the Original Trilogy. Rey is Luke (the desert dwelling, force sensitive protagonist), Finn is Han (The guy who tries to stay out of it but ends up coming back in), Poe is Leia (The one with the droid with the important message), BB-8 is R2-D2 (said droid), Han is Obi-Wan (The mentor who fought in the previous war), and Luke is Yoda (The Jedi who is now a recluse). While this is bad, it doesn't mean the characters are bad. They're not entirely recycled, but the roles they play certainly are.
This isn't a bad movie, though. There really is a lot to like. The new characters were pretty good. With Rey, they set her up as a very mysterious figure, one you wonder about regarding who she is and where she's going. While Force Awakens doesn't reveal any of that, it sets it up for later installments. (By the way, this review is judging TFA independently from Last Jedi). Finn goes from being a cowardly deserter to someone who stands up and fights for his cause. Poe's nothing to write home about. Kylo Ren is simultaneously the best character in this movie and the worst. He's the best at the beginning, when you first see him in the black armor with the hood up. He looks awesome. Without the helmet, he's not so great. BB-8 is just about the cutest droid/robot ever. Also extremely marketable. Snoke was great. Han and Chewie really stole the show, mostly because of how long its been since they had screen time together. And also, unlike with the Prequels, when you know what's going to happen, as you've probably seen the Originals, there's a feeling of suspense where you know the characters you've grown to love are in danger, and you desperately want to see them come out OK. Oh, and, you know that feeling when you really want to talk about a movie spoiler but you can't because not everyone saw it as early as you? Yeah. This really went into effect here.
Upon the first viewing of this movie, the nostalgia factor made it appear much better than it actually is. I thought this movie was a solid 9/10 after seeing it for the first time. It really isn't. It's still a good movie, though. Most of the callbacks to the original trilogy were welcome, the visuals are spectacular, John Williams continues his perfect track record, and most importantly, it got us interested in where they would take the series with the next installment.