Agile, cohesive, dramatic and definitely entertaining, Episode VII brings the franchise to a new generation, proving that the Force does not abandoned Star Wars

Rating: 8/10 (19 May 2020)

This seventh episode of the intergalactic saga arrives to expand the universe created so far, bringing new elements and taking advantage of everything that technological evolution can extract from this type of story, besides, of course, bringing the whole atmosphere of the initial trilogy back. to the most excited fans. Of course, the fan of the franchise would already be satisfied just to see familiar faces, like Han Solo, Leia, Chewie and many others, but he will be much happier to receive new characters to fall in love. It is especially exciting to see Harrison Ford and Carrie Fischer together again on the scene, so many years later, as Han Solo and Leah and to see how their relationship has been in the past few decades and their troubled relationship with their son and how it has affected them. Not to mention seeing Solo again aboard the Millenium Falcon, the most incredible old scrap in the galaxies. The introduction of the Millennium Falcon acts differently: it is the rescue of the tone of Episodes IV, V and VI, which would also work with the objective of introducing the figure of the mentor in The Awakening of the Force, an essential element for the Hero's Journey , that the feature film follows to the letter (too much). Fans will also be ecstatic to meet well-known spaceships and robots, such as C-3PO and R2-D2, but they will also be delighted with the new BB-8 which is a mix of R2-D2 and Wall-E in a most beautiful version.
The new younger protagonists of the franchise are also fans as well as the public and grew up listening to stories about the legends Han Solo and Luke Skywalker, who fought epic battles against the old Empire. More towards the end of the film, Luke is shown as a practically ancestral figure - the legend becomes reality when he removes his hood and becomes human when his left eye begins to show signs of a tear. We feel the full weight of Star Wars history here, through the iconic character in whose face we see all the memories that return.
In fact, it is very good to see the young Englishmen Daisy Ridley and John Boyega as Rey and Finn on the scene. They are characters that generations will love from now on, as it was with the Original Trilogy and not with the New Trilogy. Leah may have been one of the first strong female characters in fictional cinema and it is interesting to see Star Wars once again bringing that aspect to Rey, a natural heroine, strong (physically and mentally), intelligent (knowing how to fight to survive on her home planet , in addition to showing deep knowledge of mechanics, spaceships, and how to fly a spaceship), sensitive and kind-hearted (for example, by not accepting to sell the BB-8 droid, which could earn you food for a long time), agile and does not need to be led or saved by a man, showing it again and again on the scene.
Finn is also interesting because he does not want to fight the battles of the First Order, for which he has been trained all his life. Finn knows that not wanting to join them was the right thing to do and he needs to build up the courage to take action that will make him have to flee his former allies. He is the most human in stormtroopers, who, until then, were shown as almost machines, following orders blindly. This confidence and courage that Finn acquires throughout the film is very well explored, including several moments of comic relief. Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron also completes the new team as the best pilot of the Resistance. The actor exudes charisma and stars in an incredible escape sequence from the base of the First Order destined for Jakku to recover the droid and still commands the final attack at the final climax. Lupita Nyong'o - Oscar-winning actress for 12 Years of Slavery - is in a totally digital character, Maz Kanata, but who through movement capture demonstrates great expressiveness, not to mention the voice work.
On the side of the First Orde, we have Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), a complex and very well developed villain. Unsteady, he wants to follow in Vader's footsteps and fears he won't be as bad as his grandfather was in the past. Ren's figure is already beginning to be worked on in this opening sequence, something that will deepen in the rest of the film. Notice how he crouches down to talk to Poe, a very representative action to put him on the same level as the other characters. The figure of Vader, with slow movements, perfectly controlled is deconstructed, in this man who wants to mirror his grandfather we see impulsiveness, emotions out of control, especially uncertainty. In addition, he was directly responsible for the disappearance of Luke Skywalker, when he turned to the Dark Side of the Force under the influence of Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis - underutilized but which should be highlighted later). The conflict with his parents who still believe he has salvation, who could bring their son back to the side of the Light yields great moments, including one that will break the hearts of the public and a certain Wookie. General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) rivals Kylo Ren for command of First Order troops and is also highlighted. The actor created an evident and frightening parallel with Hitler and so many other dictators that we have seen throughout history - his speech on the basis of the First Order is chilling. On the other hand, Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie) has a less important and interesting participation than promised.
The film is not without its problems, however. There is no great gravity in the actions of the First Order - an organization that despite following in the footsteps of the Empire appears without much explanation, something that must have been thought of in order not to alienate potential new fans too much. And the most serious of them are also derived from this need for repetition. In the original Star Wars and its sequels, there are a number of very hasty and overly innocent solutions to problems much bigger than the protagonists. It is no different here. When the resistance of the New Republic discovers the existence of a weapon capable of making the Death Star pale, it only takes a few minutes and the opinion of a sanitation operator to discover exactly how to destroy it. There is, of course, an attempt to expand the proportions of the threat that this new technology poses to the galaxy. Unlike the Death Star, the Starkiller Base does not need to be close to its target and can reach several points at the same time (how this works or even the question of reloading does not come into question, it is the same as asking why the lightsaber has a limited blade size or because all planets have an atmosphere capable of sustaining human life). The excuse, however, does not work, even characters, such as Poe Dameron, saying that it is not a repetition of what Han, Leia and Luke lived so many years ago.
The technical part of this new episode is exquisite. On the soundtrack, Abrams acknowledged that there is no Star Wars without master John Williams. Not only is it amazing to hear the original theme or Leia and Han's, but the new themes also stand out, especially Rey's, at the beginning of the film. As I said before, the new times with visual effects that have an incredible level of realism are very beneficial to the franchise and leave the viewer, finally, immersed in the story. J.J.Abrams and his visual effects team deliver a job far from artificial effects, especially from episodes I, II or III, or even later modifications in the Original Trilogy. The director seems more interested in creating a world that is plausible, although full of creatures of all kinds, ships and everything, than to be placing giant digital creatures everywhere. We do not see an excess of creatures that seem inserted in the scene, especially as seen in episodes II and III, just to justify George Lucas' statements that for the first episodes there would not be enough technology in the past and that he would only adapt the new stories when possible.
"The Force Awakens" by JJ Abrams came to invigorate the franchise with a welcome wave of energy, warmth and excitement after the ill-conceived prequel cycle and delivers exactly what you want: a very fun adventure wrapped in epic mythology, a perfect amount of fan service that triggers your geek synapses, and a final suspense as it paves the way for future sequels. In the end, despite copying A New Hope almost entirely, The Force Awakens manages to acquire a soul of its own, but leaves much to explain about the plot itself, such as the origin of the First Order and the outcome of the original characters. It is cool to create mystery, but it is frustrating to create that expectation in the viewer. The solution is to wait until 2017. It is a safer bet by Disney, which shows all its strength through the work of acting for the entire cast, directed by JJ Abrams, who very well knows what is necessary for us to be involved in the drama displayed on the screen and, of course, out of respect for all mythology created since 1977. Agile, cohesive, dramatic and definitely entertaining, Episode VII brings the franchise to a new generation, proving, once and for all, that the Force does not abandoned Star Wars.