Close, but not quite great.

Rating: 7/10 (28 December 2016)

Sure the Star Wars prequels were some of the most disappointing things to ever be created, but you can't deny how brilliant George Lucas' creativity in world building kept the franchise alive with new races, locales, weaponry and characters. But creating atmosphere only goes so far, you need good writing, relatable characters and immaculate direction. So when Disney took Lucas' baby right off him, I was wishing, hoping and dreaming of a film made by directors who were fans of the originals, with a clear focus on giving the audience nuanced protagonists and antagonists. Fast forward a couple years and The Force Awakens was released under the helm of J.J Abrams. In short, The Force Awakens is unquestionably the best Star Wars movie we've seen in 30 years, and is an undeniably entertaining jumpstart to the franchise – but one certainly not without a collection of narrative flaws, missed opportunities, and predictable plotting.
The first thing that hit me is the drive for authenticity. The little use of CGI went a long way in creating a decrepit, used universe when compared to the ultra-cleanliness of the prequels. The set design of the village scene was all hand made. The creatures you see were all prosthetic. The pyrotechnics you see are actual eruptions of fire. We still see the trademark transitions and wipes, along with frequent call backs to the original films. To top it all off, the whole film was shot on 65mm film, giving it that similar, archaic texture of the original trilogy.
Carrying on with its strengths, the characters are actually compelling. They have an identity crisis between themselves, with their exteriors blossoming into realised character arcs. John Boyega plays Finn, a Stormtrooper for the First Order gone rogue, who forges a new path for himself with the Resistance. He was part of a regime that was trying to recapture its mighty past, with the First Order's ship, weaponry and armour mimicking the triumphant days of the faded Empire. His façade is that of a deathly soldier, but his morals are still somewhat intact. The scene where he takes off his bloodied mask signals his change; he abandons the nazi-esque establishment, sets a new hope in his cross hairs and helps Po escape. He fully sheds his armour to become a defiant soul amidst the lifeless, tyrannical empire. Kylo Ren is probably the best villain the franchise has to offer. His artificial voice, unnatural outfit and hilted lightsabre shows us his insecurities as a leader; he just wants to evoke the same power his grandfather had. He wants that overbearing nature Vader once had, with all the anger that manifests behind that mask. His confrontation with Han Solo is where Kylo reaches catharsis, he shows great pain, regret and unbearable anger as soon as his mask comes off, with red lighting signifying the evil that lurks beneath Kylo. He's not just a villain within the confines of a helmet, he is an actual, relatable human being. Rey is probably the most important one of all. Her headscarf and goggles are the first thing we see as she scavenges parts to keep her alive. Along with that, she lives in a downed AT-AT and speeds past ruins that tore apart Jakku long ago. Her entire life is shaped by the past which she has no control over. Its only until her force vision that she makes a choice of going into the unknown, building her into a powerful character with her own influence to shape events around her. They have their own personal confrontations with overcoming the past and creating a new identity for themselves.
Although the audience gets to relish triumphant return of Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, C3PO and R2-D2, there are many characters that needed fleshing out. Han Solo essentially becomes the father figure towards Rey, and his send-off was carefully dealt with in my eyes. However, characters such as Po Dameron and Captain Phasma are poorly utilised in the film. It's as if Lawrence Kasdan was forced to incorporate all these characters just because it's the first film in a new trilogy. Sure, there are tie in comic books and novels that cover the relationship between Po and Leia, but there were no subtle hints or clever lines to hint at branching story lines. Captain Phasma was the worst in my eyes, advertised to death as a bad-ass killing machine but only served as a butt to a joke in the end. I mean, when I first heard that Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian from "The Raid" films were in the film, I was excited to see their skills put to good use in a Hollywood film. Turned out that the entire scene was a bit of a let-down. We really don't need action sequences every five minutes. The CGI Rathtar felt numb, the way the Kanjiklub members were picked off were clichéd and it felt like a weak excuse to show what the pair have been up to over the years. There was no character progression at all during this scene.
On the other hand, I absolutely loved Dan Mindel's vision of the universe. Bright colours, energetic camera moves and spectacular shot composition all add up to make a visually authentic world for the audience to delve into. The score, although unnoticeable at first, quickly become breath-taking when used in certain scenes, especially Rey's theme, a beautiful introduction to the character among the vastness of Jakku. With that being said, it does mimics a lot of story beats from the first film. J.J never reaches the heights of escapism like Lucas once did, mostly because Disney wanted a regurgitation rather than something built from ground up. All in all, Force Awakens is definitely a fun time to be had. Great characters, sublime cinematography and practical effects give a healthy jump start to the franchise, albeit with no time for character interactions and many missed opportunities.