I'm happy for the younger generation.

Rating: 8/10 (17 December 2015)

I was a kid in the early '80s when I first saw Star Wars. I remember how it felt. I got to see the unaltered theatrical versions, the original movie magic. When Lucas introduced the prequel trilogy as well as the altered versions of the original ones almost 20 years ago, suddenly the magic was gone. Everything was not only digital, but shallow, dull and passionless. I felt for the kids. And for myself, because when it comes to Star Wars, I always want to be a kid. With the prequels, I became a critical adult. There was no magic. There was no wonder, no joy, no heartfelt moments.
I have just seen Episode VII: The Force Awakens, and let me tell you: I feel like that kid again. This movie has sense of adventure, likable heroes, genuinely funny moments, excitement and heart. Yes, heart. I got choked up and teary. I feel happy, but not only for myself. I feel happy for the kids who get to see a real, good Star Wars movie in a theater. It's been over 30 years since the last time that happened.
That said, I can criticize this movie like an adult. I love it, but I can also see the machinery behind it. The structure is very familiar. If you know episodes IV-VI by heart, you will recognize almost every scene being a rehash of some of the old ones. I'm not only talking about throwbacks and winks (of which there are plenty), but the general scene composition and acts themselves. Our new heroine is pretty much a female Luke Skywalker too, so things are extremely familiar. It can be said that there is very little new to this movie, and it will bother some people.
I could easily take the overabundance of familiarity without getting bothered. It didn't feel as though director Abrams was out of ideas or ambition. It didn't feel like a cynical cash-grab. It felt like the movie was making me comfortable and setting my worries aside. The movie was saying: "This is what you love. Here it is. Welcome back".
I really liked the actors. I had concerns before seeing the movie, but they were soon put to rest. Daisy Ridley as Rey was excellent. Even though she is basically a female version of Luke Skywalker, she feels natural. She is extremely likable and nails her part. She had a few exciting and heartfelt moments too. John Boyega was just right, and even surprisingly funny. Adam Driver was great as Kylo Ren, and Oscar Isaac was fine as the hotshot pilot. The torches have been passed, and the torchbearers are chosen well.
But what about the old cast? Was Harrison Ford tired? Harrison Ford was one of the highlights. He wasn't phoning it in, and I just loved how Han Solo felt like Han Solo, instead of Harrison Ford playing Han Solo against his will. The least recognizable was Carrie Fisher's Leia, but she was good as well, delivering a warm performance. I won't say anything about Mark Hamill to avoid spoilers, but I loved what I saw.
The characters played off of each other. Many quips and fast exchanges. It felt, at times, like an old Indiana Jones movie where characters would have lots of back-and-forth. This movie knows when to relax with the dialogue and when to take it more slowly and carefully. Everything feels natural and fitting to an adventure movie like this.
We get to see Chewie, C-3PO and R2D2 again. All of it feels natural, none of it is crammed in just for the sake of cramming it in. Chewie was excellent and he got to see some nice action, but guess who was simply great? BB-8, the small cutesy droid. There is plenty of humor involved with BB-8, but it doesn't annoy you. I thought of Wall-E at some point, because it felt like BB-8 had that same kind of innocent charm. No Jar-Jar Binks material here, don't be afraid. All of the cute moments are genuinely cute.
The pacing is fast. It's not too fast so that you will understand what is happening, and it does give the most important scenes a little breathing room, but when it starts it never stops. It's an adventure movie and it feels like it. It will not bore you with some space politics, and it takes itself just seriously enough hitting that sweet spot that is very easy to miss.
Williams' music is excellent as always. There were probably some new tunes, but they didn't stick with me like the old themes - which are naturally used here too. I will see this movie many more times, so we'll see if I missed some gems.
Is this movie a masterpiece? As much as I like it, it is not. It is a masterpiece of winning the audience back and pleasing a crowd, but not as a construct of art. In these kinds of movies, many things will breeze by since the focus is on the adventure and simple character moments. The story isn't very intelligent or even that elaborate. The nostalgia factor - even though I loved it - can be considered as playing things too safe. I like this movie, but I don't have to lie about it.
How to summarize? The movie is extremely familiar. It's the first of a new trilogy, so not all questions will be answered. Still, it managed to feel like a whole movie of its own, and won be back from the cynical dark side where the prequels had driven me. I felt excitement, I felt joy, and as I left the theater I was both satisfied and eager to see the next installment as soon as possible. That is a great accomplishment. The next episode will have to tell a new story and be a little bolder, but right now...I feel like I'm home.