Star Wars : The Force Awakens - a tick in every box

Rating: 7/10 (24 January 2016)

Not that a tick in every box is a bad thing. But sometimes the fastidiousness of the ticking reduces our enjoyment. George Lucas opened the minds of the 70's to adventure laden science fiction - bundled romance, villainy, hope and an all-encompassing 'force' that just stuck with audiences. So much so that when he made his average prequels, a movie commentator observed that the movie does not even need to be watched for it to turn a profit; such was its success as a franchise. But we digress - post his landfall profit from his sale of this lucrative franchise to Disney, George moved away from the creative cockpit. The world has waited with bated breath over the past three years to see what J.J.Abrams can bring to the cantina table and the verdict is - he does not disappoint..too much.
Episode VII - The Force Awakens is everything that a moviegoer would want from a blockbuster - the return of characters beloved to fans, the continuance of a superb music score (more on that in the following paragraphs), a story that springs surprises and leaves us euphoric with a pace that sags in the middle but otherwise punches through to light-speed more often than not. At the same time, it would be remiss of anyone who has followed the original trilogy to not notice that 'The Force Awakens' is in fact more of an up to date remake of 'A New Hope' with the nicer bits of 'The Empire Strikes Back' and 'The Return of the Jedi' thrown in. Does that warrant the price of whatever you pay for an IMAX ticket - I would say go for it, especially if you're not an old fan and are new to the series (not that there are too many of you weirdos around).
The casting choices are excellent what with the trio from the previous trilogy showing their age. Peter Mayhew and company are back as Chewbacca, R2D2 and C3PO. The newer generation is represented by Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and a sublime Adam Driver. Daisy Ridley plays a desert scavenger who's destiny inevitably is what we are going to learn about in the movies to come. It is a little disappointing to see the brilliant Oscar Isaac restricted to a few scenes with a bit of smart trigger happy dialogue bits as is Domnhall Gleesons' General Hux. John Boyega plays his part well as a stormtrooper whos not convinced about his day job. There are a fair bit of cameos but Max Von Sydow's extremely small role as a possible force adept disappointed me. Maybe we'll get to see a bit more of him? A note on the CGI only characters - we never get to see Supreme Leader Snoke in person - he seems to tower over everyone in a couple of holo-transmits but Andy Serkis is once again relegated to mocap histrionics as is Lupita Nyong'o who plays Maz Kanata(another possible force adept?). Also before I forget we've got a female captain of Stormtroopers in Captain Phasma played by Gwendoline Christie. Which brings us to Adam Driver. We meet this new helmeted warrior who's working with the First Order,egged on by Supreme Leader Snoke . Without giving away too many spoilers, his portrayal of a wayward son tempted by forces he lusts for but realises are way beyond his control is brilliant. Petulance, anger, curiosity, helplessness and sheer menace ripple through in his performance. The crazy uncertainty of his on screen gives us a lot of tense expectation. Of all the positive additions to the new cast, Adam Driver stands out - tall, force-enabled and menacing.
This would also bring us to another positive continuance of the Star Wars saga - John Williams. In my fan-deluded view, I would venture to say his score is almost driven by the force. This story, as was 'A New Hope' plays out along the formula of a modern space opera and while Mr.Williams ensures we realise we are watching Star Wars, unlike JJ, he keeps this a creation of its own. Be it Rey's theme which is slightly melancholy or the track that accompanies a chase of the millennium falcon(did I forget to mention its possibly one of THE best flight chase sequences choreographed?), the music pops a very slight hint of a trumpeting fanfare or a melodic interlude on strings that will tap into your nostalgia. The score literally creeps through Kylo Ren's abductions and blasts through an X-Wing attack, it reminds you of Han and his royal love and gives you goosebumps when it flows into the Force theme. For want of a better word to describe this and without any intention of landing a pun - the music by John Williams is stellar.
To return to a story that has been well established and taken through a lengthy arc is always dicey. And when the fan base is skewed heavily in favour of a movie that has more man-boys(and women-girls) in its fan following, it does make sense to endeavour to please them. But is that the prerogative of an auteur is the question people are asking of JJ, would you rather not displease the fans and ensure the box office kicks or would you bring a little originality in? Ah well, the question has been answered to the pleasure of most(apparently), the mild discomfort of a certain number and the open scorn of a certain other demography. My verdict - 'The Force Awakens' is a good addition to the Star Wars saga but I would certainly not rate it on par with the mind-blower that I had expected. And yes, that does skew towards being judgemental - but I will side with those of us that yield ownership of a creation to the creator but appreciation of it purely to the patrons. After all, we are not talking about modernist art, we are talking about a well loved and established science fable.