A step backwards, into the right direction

Rating: 8/10 (17 February 2016)

A step forward isn't necessarily a step in the right direction. This idea is exemplified no better than in the seventh episode of the Star Wars saga. Where the original trilogy was like a man in his prime, and the prequels a sad but fruitful mid-life crisis detour,"The Force Awakens" plays like a franchise at peace with what it is.
One of the big issues of the prequels was the awful casting of both Anakins, which makes the excellent casting of this film all the more welcome. Rey (Daisy Ridley) takes the Anakin/Luke mantle as the destiny ladened hero, but is less wide-eyed and whiny than her predecessors. Finn (John Boyega) is a conscientious objector who teetered a little too far to the jokey side of the force for my liking. Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) is by far the most interesting of the new characters, as his crisis is unique among his lineage, which is depicted in a great scene involving a backwards, perverse anti- prayer to his late grandfather. Also, Domhnall Gleeson has one killer "Triumph of the Will" moment, in which several stormtroopers surely had to wipe the spit off of their visors. But the boon of this film is Harrison Ford, who breaks out the wily smirk of Han Solo so well that I wonder if Harrison Ford is actually played by Han Solo.
Like this year's "Creed," "The Force Awakens" carefully positions its steps into the footprints of its beloved forefathers. This should come as no surprise, considering J.J. Abrams' last film, Star Trek Into Darkness, did much of the same. This is done surely as a result of drifting away from the path and being beaten for it. While it's disappointing to cover a lot of the same territory, I didn't mind so much, as the familiar, surface events--death star, plans in droid, evil puppet-master--took a backseat to some of the more unique elements, of which there are many. Predictability isn't a bane to a film, just as surprise isn't an advantage. If Princess Leia pulls down a zipper from the back of her head and reveals herself to be a banana, I would be very surprised but very sad. Also, I like the "meet the new boss, same as the old boss" idea present in the film, in that history repeats itself, and that generations never truly build on the successes or missteps of their forebears.
Just as Rey returns Luke his old light-saber, essentially passing the baton back to the older generation, "The Force Awakens" does the same, taking a step back into the right direction.