An Awakening

Rating: 8/10 (2 February 2016)

There was a palpable feeling of excitement in the theaters of America on December 18th, 2015. Fans alike, young and old crammed into their seats, adorned with light sabers and Darth Vader pajamas, waiting for that familiar melody and those bright yellow letters to engulf the screen again. Taken over by the Disney franchise, fans were interested to see if the company could uphold the reputation that Star Wars gained after nearly four decades of films. Eager and ready to be acquainted with beloved characters, new friends and a new adventure, the crowd was silent as the story commenced and our journey into space began once more. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the story of the restructure of a new Empire called the New Order, led by a merciless and lethal Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). In attempt to complete the work of deceased Darth Vader, Kylo Ren has planned to destroy entire solar systems at once with a newly designed laser. Only one thing stands in his way and it lies within a droid that has disappeared onto the dessert planet of Jakku after a battle. Rey (Daisy Ridley) a scavenger living on Jakku discovers and befriends the lost droid and learns of the vital information that it holds and its' mission to deliver the information to the Resistance. Both are sent running from storm troopers who have been on the search for the droid and are whisked onto an adventure with a rogue storm trooper known as Finn (John Boyega) in order to help the droid to complete his mission. The characters are thrown into battle between the New Order and the Resistance, as well as battling who they think they are and whom they truly are inside. American philosopher William James once stated, "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link". In the film industry, the same can be said; a finished movie is only as strong as its weakest actor, or perhaps its weakest director. J.J. Abrams, director of blockbusters such as Star Trek, Super 8, and Mission Impossible, has seemingly hit another ball out of the park with his latest work, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Abrams took on the trying task of attempting to follow in the footsteps of the original director and master Jedi, George Lucas, to create the familiar "galaxy far far away" that the world has loved since A New Hope in 1977. From the record-breaking income of two hundred and forty-eight million dollars during opening weekend in December of 2015, his attempt would appear to be a success. Being familiar with the concept of science fiction in film from his previous work with Stark Trek (2009) and Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013) could have aided Abrams in the creation process, but might as well have been his Achilles Heal. From film to film, though action packed and full of adventure, there was a lack of creativity and imagination, which transferred over into his directing of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Though the films surface amazed and entertained audiences alike, there was little backbone to its origin. It felt as if Abrams had picked apart the plot lines of the previous films such as A New Hope (1977) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and glued the pieces together as a hodgepodge mess, filled with similarities in story, predictable outcomes, and generally a lack of any original material. This inability to provide the film with new substance left the finished product feeling more or less copied, but with subtle differences here and there, proving J.J. Abrams to be the weakest link in the creation of this blockbuster film. Breaking a record isn't an easy thing to accomplish but Star Wars: The Force Awakens made it look like a walk in the park. In one weekend, it broke the box office record at two hundred and forty-eight million dollars of revenue. Perhaps its success was due to the restoration of a classic film brought back to life in a new light, or its interesting new characters and plot line. Whatever the reason may be Star Wars: The Force Awakens took the world by storm. On social media there have been stickers created from the movie to post in messages on Facebook, as well as popular Gifs of scenes from the movies. In addition, countless artwork inspired by the movie and the actors has been filling Instagram. Being bought by Disney made the merchandise practically explode in stores globally. From action figures, to clothing, to the recently released preview of Star Wars: The Force Awakens LEGO video game, there has been a positive cultural ripple affecting everyone from this film. In addition to the popularity among merchandise, the movie was even referenced in the long time standing comedy show Saturday Night Live. A skit was performed where Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) mashed together the concept of a popular television show called Undercover Bosses with his role as Kylo, spoofing on if Kylo Ren were to pretend to be an employee in the New Order. This film was not only a record breaker for the top grossing income film but the most popularly distributed and influencing film on a wide scale in years. So as the film concluded, tears were shed and laughs were shared. I personally found it enjoyable but in my gut I knew it was missing that something special that made the other films so exhilarating. I would recommend this film to Star Wars fans as well as those who have yet to be enchanted by the galaxy far far away. I can say though that even with its holes that Star Wars: The Force Awakens truly awoke the force in all of us once again.