Imperfect as a whole but it gives 'Star Wars' it's dignity back...

Rating: 9/10 (19 December 2015)

I must confess that I am someone who is a huge 'Star Wars' fan. I know you hear the story so often that it blends together but seeing the original trilogy for the first time really cemented me as a fan of film. Abrams for the most part knew how to play me and for the most part I will be honest his fan service works like a complete charm. 'The Force Awakens' has concentrated moments of what made the originals so magical and they will surely please the hard core fans. When it comes to judging 'The Force Awakens' on it's own merits and not it's nostalgic joys than the film has some cracks, nothing crippling mind you but 'The Force Awakens' is an imperfect film to be sure. What it gets right though will make you believe in the force again.
My major problem with the film is that yes it is essentially a remake of 'A New Hope' almost narrative beat for narrative beat. I wouldn't have minded this as much if Abrams and crew had simply wanted to remake 'A New Hope' because if we view it with that lens it is one of the best remakes ever made. It being perhaps the longest awaited sequel of all time however well it's disappointing to see the same plot threads being revisited. My major problem is the portion of the film where the villainous First Order makes a new super weapon which is essentially a third Death Star. I'm sorry but that has been done twice and if this is truly a continuation than that plot thread is not nearly interesting enough to sustain the movie. That being said the film is kind of meta about it and Harrison Ford gets a great line saying that there must be a way to destroy it which gave me one of the biggest laughs in the film.
I was disappointed in that so much of it was like 'A New Hope' but there is one element where I'll be honest I thought the similarities to 'A New Hope' actually greatly helped the film. When Episode VII was first announced I immediately thought how cool it would be to see Mark Hamill take on the mantle of being Sir Alec Guinness. There is an Alec Guinness character and it isn't Mark Hamill it's Harrison Ford as Han Solo. It's a great subversion of your expectations and Harrison Ford gives one of the best performances he has ever given. Han still has a lot of fire and is a giant smart ass but he's older and wiser and more vulnerable. I love that we see him as an older man at the beginning of the story who like other older men tries to recapture the glories of his youth as a smuggler. Han is running from his destiny and when he confronts it Ford shows his talents. Hamill doesn't give the explanation of the force to the new characters, Ford does. It really shows a character that has organically evolved and yet still has what made us love him in the first place. Who would have thought Han Solo would be the perfect Obi-Wan?
The new cast is all extremely capable in their roles. I found myself saying like many people did that these are brilliant performances not just for 'Star Wars' but for any movie. Adam Driver is the standout of the new cast as the villainous and tragic Kylo Ren. Not since 'Empire' has 'Star Wars' had a villain with this much raw rage. You truly do feel frightened when he is on screen. I also like that he is not merely a carbon copy of Vader or Palpatine and has his own dimensions and actually is very insecure about his place in this universe. It makes him all the more unpredictable and fresh a character.
I think everyone going into the film was excited about seeing the major characters and technical elements again. 'The Force Awakens' does not disappoint in that regard. It truly is one of the more ambitious films that has come out in intertwining practical and visual effects. Do not get me wrong the film's world is majority C.G.I but the sets and characters in suits add to the film tremendously. Even if it's about 35% by my estimate I loved it and it made the world more real and thus easier to relate to the film and it's characters. Abrams is actually incredibly smart in using the exotic locales he filmed at to his advantage. He stages them in such a way that we believe they are fantastic. That's what the original trilogy did brilliantly and what the prequel trilogy did so horribly.
I must end the review by saying this and in order to do this I do have to indulge in a little bit of spoilers. Hamill's one minute or so of screen time was the most emotional moment of the movie for me. It showed Abram's master as a storyteller that even though Luke was not on screen he was really one of the chief characters of the film because his presence was so strong. I was worried. I stayed 100% spoiler free for 'TFA' and then the popular rumor of Luke turning to the dark side slipped through the cracks. I was mortified and was almost sure that Kylo Ren was going to be Luke. Seeing him in his grizzled old Jedi glory with the John Williams score kind of took my breath away.
For the first time since 'Return of the Jedi' Star Wars felt mystical again. I don't think 'The Force Awakens' was a perfect movie but that moment was pitch perfect. 'The Force Awakens' will please 'Star Wars' fans.