Bold casting, Round Droids *Do* Matter!

Rating: 4/10 (18 December 2015)

In the dark days of the late 1970's, when the original 'Star Wars' was cast and released, a different wind blew in the area of robot casting. C-3PO was played by a typical blonde-colored cyborg, whereas R2-D2's role went to the Oscar the Grouch's trash can wearing 'droid-face.' In these more enlightened times, J.J. Abrams flips the tables and continues his long trend of strong casting. Much like when he brought in a frat boy to play the camera holder Hud in 2008's 'Cloverfield,' Abrams's does the entire movie industry credit here by casting a Round Droid in the main role.
The casting of BB-8 could have gone to a cyborg-like robot. It could have gone to a HAL-the-computer or 'Whopper'-like robot. Abrams and Disney *could* have stuck to middle of the road and taken no chances and cast Haley Joel Osment as BB-8.
But instead, no, we have in 'The Force Awakens' a round-shaped robot playing BB-8. Even when, a few days from now, everyone forgets 'Awakens' and this movie becomes, rightfully, remembered as a nice re-introduction to the material that allowed Rian Johnson to make a great "Star Wars" movie, we will have a round robot cast in a "Star Wars" movie. And isn't that what all of this was about anyways?
Great acknowledgement is due to J.J. Abrams. The casting was his boldest choice yet. Every time I flip on my TV, there's that round robot playing a droid in "Star Wars." It's ground-breaking. Combined with Disney's mastery of necromancy in returning Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and Mark Hamill to the land of the living (and somehow reviving John Travolota's career), 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' is box office magic. And by magic I mean gold. Money. Piles of it. Stellar casting, even if, somehow, I feel a little nostalgic for the prequels and their fresh material.