There are landmarks in cinema history then there are landmarks in pop culture. The Star Wars franchise has without doubt magically combined both worlds and the enormous global behemoth has continued to grow throughout the generations. Endless productions of toys, video games, clothing, collectibles, novels, comics, re-releases to special edition Blu-rays etc etc. Even if you have no interest in films or simply don't care full stop, you've heard of Star Wars. It's unbelievable that a small nerdy sci-fi idea on the verge of being shoved to the bottom of the corporate bin for being "too geeky for audiences" has taken to the hearts of millions of people. People who grew up watching the original trilogy have fond special memories, a huge chunk of glorious happiness from their childhoods that never went away. Many of these people were hurt by the 3 follow up prequels for being out of tone and a poor recreation of what they love. Style over substance, poor cheesy dialogue, Hayden Christensen being more wooden than Noah's ark, Jar Jar Binks being a useless bumbling idiot. I don't hate the prequels. They were my first introduction into the Star Wars universe. I did and still find enjoyment in what was a clear step down from the original galactic brilliance. This new film is a chance in these fan's opinion for redemption, a clean slate. Bringing back the old Star Wars magic that had undoubtedly vanished. Fans demanded a new film to rewrite the wrongs and not to leave the saga on sour terms. And three years ago it was announced Disney bought Lucasfilm for $4 billion. Their wish was granted. Pandemonium erupted out of control. Star Wars 7 was coming. Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher were coming back. The promise of practical effects, proper old school lightsaber duels, a villain to match Darth Vader, no more political trade federation snoozefest garbage. A dream scenario for fans. Then last Christmas the first teaser trailer dropped online. The internet exploded. Speculation and theories sprung up within minutes. I've never seen so much pure adrenaline and raw excitement over one thirty second teaser. People went mental. If there's one big criticism of marketing teams in studios it is feeding fans too much information. They'd be shit at planning a surprise birthday party. However, the marketing team for The Force Awakens need pay rises. Every trailer and TV spot has been of the highest quality. Ticket websites were not so impressed. The public quickly crashed their home pages within minutes. I'm used to buying tickets for popular events over the internet, it's an essential part of 21st century life. But trying to purchase opening night tickets for this film had been bloody hectic. I had to go for plan b. It involved painfully rugby scrumming through a queue of people at the cinema. Carnage. Made Christmas shopping look like a Caribbean holiday. So finally, after all the sweaty nerd build up, the time has come. It's now upon us, Here we go.....
Our new adventure begins with John Boyega's character Finn, a stowaway Stormtooper, escaping from The First Order (The New Empire) after discovering the horrors that his masters inflict on the innocent civilians of the planet Jakku. After stumbling into a local scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley) the two embark on a quest, along with some help from familiar Star Wars characters, to discover their true purpose in life, seeking redemption and fulfilling a parallel burning desire to become greater than what they have become. A very basic plot summary I know but I can't give away too many little gems and clues because it'll ruin the overall experience. What I can tell you though is after all the over saturated amount of theories and speculation bombarding across the web and the pain of having patience worse than a toddler in a car journey, this film is superb. Within the first ten minutes of the film we were back to the classic Star Wars vibe. The sense of adventure that had been vapourised from the prequels has returned. The new characters are well written and have personalities that you care about. The acting has vastly improved from previous installments and the shoddy green screen CGI has all but gone. The actors can actually be allowed to act instead of being told to match the tone of an Andy Murray interview. Our new main heroes Rey and Finn ooze charisma, have fantastic chemistry, seamlessly blending in with the Star Wars family. Oscar Issac as Po Dameron, a talented pilot in the resistance fleet, brought energy to the film and had the lovable rouge element. The little droid BB-8 had the personality that R2-D2 once brought to franchise. Imagine if RD-D2 and Wallie had met. That's BB-8. Cute but badass. The old beloved characters, Han Solo, Chewbacca and Leila bring back the nostalgia without getting too sappy and mushy. A big criticism I had of Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was that he didn't play the character Indiana Jones very well and his commitment to reprising the role had been lazy. This fear got blasted into deep space oblivion. He was magnificent. So many one-liners without trying to steal the show and bringing surprising amounts of emotion to the character. His scenes with Carrie Fisher were engaging and heart warming. Both characters had been through so much conflict and pain since throughout the 30 years that they've been absent from our screens. So sad! I was thinking to myself "Don't tear up Middleton, it's not that bad". Tough to do I tell yer! If you've seen the trailers you will know that the main antagonist is Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). The "new Darth Vader". Besides the costume design and the voice, look at that lightsaber. If I was ten years younger I'd be begging Santa for that. His character was the biggest surprise. He isn't the typical cliche, "I'M THE BAD GUY AND I'M EVIL FOR NO REASON." The best villains are the ones with understandable motivations of what they're trying to accomplish. Kylo Ren's backstory was explained perfectly and without giving away spoilers there was emotional stakes behind his character, similar to Vader in the original trilogy. You feared this guy. His control over the dark side was raw and vicious. Uncontrollable and chaotic. Loved him.
I think when Disney announced they were doing their first Star Wars film, their first objective wasn't necessarily about making money but to bring fans back on side and erase the memories of the prequels. I don't blame them. These fans felt like were sliding back down the snake all the way to square one. George Lucas went from a Luke Skywalker hero to a Jar Jar Binks stinkbomb. Fans were crying out for redemption. A director with the experience to bring back the old times, rewind them to the golden era in the 70's and 80's. To a favourable vote of confidence by fans, J.J. Abrams was appointed director. He brought Star Trek back from the depths of extinction. He was the clear choice for the job. They say how much a football manager is under pressure to succeed straight away. This was nothing in comparison to J.J's weight of expectation. If he didn't win over the fans, nobody could. And he has, and some. The Force Awakens has beautiful real sets, action that looks stunning and engaging fight sequences that don't feel choreographed and fake. The extra effort of practical effects will always beat any complex CGI creation. The humour injected in the script was flawless and witty. People were roaring with laughter and it created so much fun and enjoyment and that's what is at the heart of Star Wars. It's not about being complicated and brain challenging for the purists to pick apart every possible flaw. It's a big long hug keeping you warm, secure and loved. My only slight niggle with the film was that there are too many conveniences towards the third act of the film that couldn't be glossed over no matter how much you tried to clear them from the back of the mind. But that's me being a little pretentious and picky.
The Force Awakens is what the fans wanted. An incredible set up to the new Star Wars Universe that successfully introduced us to wonderful new characters whilst bringing back the beloved characters from the past to create this superb film. The passing of the torch is in clear progress and this film is the perfect early Christmas present. Star Wars is back and breathing once again. Well done J.J. Abrams!
9/10
