Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Maybe Minor Spoilers?)

First things first, I absolutely loved Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens. The Force Awakens impressed me so much that I may very well watch it a second time. Rarely do I see a movie twice within the cinema. Heck, nowadays I seldom view a movie again after it leaves theaters. Furthermore, the latest Star Wars is the first movie that I have seen in a while that I feel compelled to write a review of the itself and not in conjunction with other movies and television shows. So with that ringing endorsement out the way let's get to the review shall we?


Spoilers. Spoilers - that nasty thing. How much does one reveal particularly for a hotly anticipated film such the newest installment in the Star Wars Saga? I found the consensus not to spoil the movie refreshing in today's day and age. Although what constitutes a spoiler? Is it specific detail or a generic event? By the time I saw The Force Awakens I already knew there would be some mimicry of the original trilogy. Social media proudly proclaimed how bad-ass the female character Rei is. So those type of spoilers I won't shy from. Since I saw the movie social media has started to reveal more details like Kylo Ren's face. If that's not a spoiler, I don't know what is. Those are they type of spoilers I will endeavor not to reveal.


As a Star Wars fan, I have a confession. I am one of those rare Star Wars fans who grew up with the original trilogy that liked the prequels. Granted, I had my problems but for the most part I could find something enjoyable in all of them. That said, I don't think I would have enjoyed Episode VII without the prequels. Not because the movie borrowed from the prequels. It didn't. Rather The Force Awakens painstakingly avoids every pitfall that prequels made. Excessive CGI? Nope. Mary sue characters? No, more than Luke Skywalker or Han Solo in the originals. Overwhelming cuteness? Yes, there's a bit of cuteness but the latest filmmakers realized that Star Wars isn't a kids movie but a movie that appeals to kids. Signs of an inexperienced, out-of-practice director? Nope. Everyone involved has been active in the movie business for quite some time. I suppose one reason I give Lucas a pass on the prequels is because he not only hadn't been a director since 1977 but the number was so small in total. In game terms, people were expecting a level 20 director. Instead they got a level 5.


One thing that the prequels did right Episode 7 does not is that there was an attempt to break new ground. The prequels greatly expanded special effects with the involvement of CGI albeit they did overdo the CGI. Episode 7 doesn't do that at all. As part of a franchise known for its ground-breaking special effects, there's nothing visually new that one hasn't seen within the last decade. Furthermore, there's no experimentation whatsoever. The Force Awakens plays it safe with the exception that the film is done with modern 21st century sensibilities. It has a strong, diverse cast. Which leads to the next point, Episode 7 borrows heavily from Episode 4: A New Hope. So much that they really should have given George Lucas a writing credit. For as sub-par as they were the prequels were original stories. I guessThe Force Awakens biggest accomplishment was the realization that that is what I wanted. So in a nutshell Bryan Singer should have waited until after Man of Steel before doing Superman Returns...


My other two quibbles were: how easy it was use a lightsaber. The West End version of the Star Wars RPG cries at the relative ease a lightsaber was used. So much for the base difficult difficulty setting... I was also irked by how quickly and how powerful a novice Force user was...


Before one doubts how much I loved Star Wars Episode 7 The Force Awakens:

• Loved the legendary actor Max Von Sydow's appearance! I probably was one of the few that gasped...
• Han Solo/Harrison Ford stole the show. Every scene that Han was in made that scene better than it otherwise would have been. Found myself anticipating further shenanigans in Episode 8.
• Rei - spoilers.
• The intermingling of the original cast and the new generation.
• Kylo Ren - the actor did a terrific job. A worthy heir to Darth Vader in more ways than one.
• Poe and Flinn - some excellent one-liners. Enjoyable battles.
• There's more but that involves delving too much into spoiler territory.

I think the biggest accomplishment is that I am excited for Star Wars again and that although Anakin Skywalker isn't a principal character that the Saga lives once more. After I saw Revenge of the Sith, I felt that the Star Wars story was completed. Sure, I watched The Clone Wars and read Death Troopers but I consider the former as redemption for some of ills of the prequels while the latter was more of a novel concept. My interest in the comics was because of the original cast involvement. Episode 7 as much as borrows familiar elements breathes new life into the Saga. Star Wars will endure; and my excitement re-energized.