Star Wars is back and it is sublime!

Rating: 10/10 (20 December 2015)

Remember how the original trilogy was all about the lovable and believable characters? In the Force Awakens the personae dramatis return as central to the main story and they are extremely likable in both their character and performance. The new leads, Ridley, Boyega, Isaac and Driver offer stellar performances, quite unequalled by the cast in the original Star Wars. Ford's performance is as great as you would hope for. His hawkish eyes show youth and gravitas. And the best, remember how in the prequels no one was amazed by the world they found themselves in, or the events or troubles they were confronted with? How the CGI had turned them into wooden puppets on a green screen? In this movie everyone is amazed by the world they find themselves in. A real world of real locations, real sets, real aliens and real effects. Rey, Fin, Poe, Han, and even Kylo Ren can express surprise at the marvellous world in which they find themselves, indeed like the movie audience itself should. Indeed, the intended response of the audience is very well reflected in the characters' response. It's absolute genius, and also the hidden success of the movie. And perhaps more importantly, the quality of all the characters is itself a reflection of the social and emotional makeup of the general audience. Each fan will encounter his or her own alter egos in the characters on screen. With the curious, inquisitive and mysterious Rey looking up at the sky dreaming of worlds she expects never to visit. The gentle and knightly, yet playful and amazed Finn trying to do good but also fearful of the responsibilities and consequences it involves. The adventurous Poe, flying his x-wing like any fan would, screaming and cheering of joy. And of course, the ultimate fanboy Kylo Ren, wishing to be 'that bad guy', obsessed with the imagery of the Galactic Empire and Vader: a type of fan many are all too familiar with. The banter between Rey and Finn, Han and Chewie is heart- warming and extremely enjoyable, and as some moments sublime. The atmosphere of the planets, from warm to cold, from light to dark, all reflected in the characters' emotions and the tripartite structure of the movie. Screenplay is great and cinematography excellent. Williams' soundtrack is also markedly different from the prequels, and more akin to the original trilogy, yet also excitingly different, with themes and motifs now more attuned to the movies characters than events and topography as in the other episodes. They are recognizable and very much attuned to the emotional stages of the characters in the different acts. I was also hardly upset by the similarities to a new hope. These were superficial at best. It was enjoyable how the movie twisted, turned and played with themes and motifs from the originals in a surprisingly creative manner. The character stories, around which the movie entirely revolves, are entirely new and fresh. Rey's story has never been seen before in a star wars movie, or as a female heroine, in any other movie for that matter. A female 'Arthur' indeed. Powerful, but perhaps also tainted by past, present and future, and at some points frightened and unsure of herself. Traits which Ridley performs stunningly with her rendition of Rey. Finn's story is also completely new to the star wars universe, and plays into the classical and late classical theme of the 'good soldier' with chivalric qualities., which naturally contrast to but also play into Rey's independence. Poe is THE pilot. Of course, every fan boy's biggest dream is of course to fly an x-wing. He brings wit to the story, and his character was perhaps a bit underused. However his story and role in the saga is are as yet still unclear, and are perhaps intentionally left obscure for later episodes to fill in. Kylo Ren is of course the new saga's 'gate keeper', frustrating the quests of the main protagonists, barring their way and chasing them when they cross the 'boundary' represented by the light. He character as a villain is new and fresh. A hero of the dark, tainted by the light, the natural antithesis of Rey, the hero of the light. As for the obscure backgrounds to the story itself: the movie aptly manages to reintroduce 'lacunae' to the story which are meaningful and mysterious like they were in the originals. In the originals, the political backgrounds of the story- empire, senate and republic-, the character backgrounds to Vader, Luke, Leia, Han and Obi Wan were intentionally mysterious and little effort was taken to explain these to the audience. The prequels took some of that myth away by filling in the blanks, often badly. The Force Awakens reintroduces the original trilogy's 'myth-making' by intentionally leaving much of what happened in the 30 years between ROTJ and TFA in the middle. Such conscious use of omission and lacunae allows much room for audience engagement, who are invited to fill in those blind spots themselves, and imagine for themselves how the story, characters and galaxy might have developed to state in which they are depicted in The Force Awakens. The force also returns to its more mysterious properties as in the originals. No more midichlorians and pseudo-science here. The Force returns in its magical form so beautifully depicted in A New Hope and Empire. It is my hope that the anthology movies, books and other media produced by Lucasfilm leave something of that mystery intact, because it was the mystery and lack of backstory which made the world of the originals so engaging in the first place.The last minutes of the movie were marvellously mysterious and deliver a scene never before seen in any star wars film to date. It definitely left me wanting for more and I am already beginning to feel that the waiting for episode VIII will be unbearable. Star Wars is definitely back and it is beautiful!