Star Wars: The Force Awakens has taken the world by storm. Before I wrote this review, I wanted to watch the film for a second time in a theatre – this time, in 2D, yet it was sold out more than two weeks after its opening night.
One of the most appealing aspects of the new film is the way in which it intertwines nostalgia for the original trilogy, which was released between 1977 and 1983, with a new story. The echoes between the original movie and The Force Awakens are especially strong, making it feel as much a reboot as it is a sequel to Return of the Jedi.
This 2015 offering begins in the same grand way that every other film has – with Star Wars covering the screen and John Williams’ powerful score filling the theatre (Williams is now 83, yet his composition is as strong as ever). In this movie, the new baddies, The First Order, as well as the Resistance (still led by Princess Leia), are looking for a map that will lead them to Luke Skywalker, who has cloistered himself away after one of his Jedi’s-in-training turned to the dark side. It is premier Resistance fighter-pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) who tracks down the map from Lor San Tekka (played by screen legend Max von Sydow). Yet, as soon as he retrieves the map, storm troopers and their General, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) arrive and slaughter the villagers and capture the pilot – but not before he puts the map in the safekeeping of his trusted one-of-a-kind droid BB-8, who then escapes with the map and runs into scavenger Ray (Daisy Ridley) in the desert. He tags along with her on the planet until Poe escapes with the help of a stormtrooper with a conscience, Finn (John Boyega) – who sees the pilot as the only one who can ever fly him away from the evil First Order.
During their escape, they are shot down, splitting the two up. This brings the lost Finn into the hands of Ray and BB-8, who firstly attack him after seeing him wearing Poe’s iconic jacket but then befriend him when he helps them escape from the villainous attackers. Their only exit is on the now junky Millennium Falcon, which is then tracked down by its previous owners, Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew). With a little bit of convincing, the young twosome and their droid are able to talk the veteran smugglers into taking them to the Resistance to deliver the map.
They stop on planet Takodana and meet up with cantina owner Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong’o) to find safe travel, yet are soon attacked by the dark side. Ray is kidnapped by Kylo Ren, who transports her to their weaponized planet, that uses a sun’s energy to destroy solar systems. He soon learns that the force is strong within her. This leads Finn, Solo and Chewbacca on a mission to rescue the young woman as well as to help lower the shield of the near impenetrable base so that Poe and the rest of the pilots can destroy the monstrous weapon.
After a devastating battle, which consists of air fighting as well as intense action between Ren, Han, Finn and Ray, we are left with a battered but victorious crew that learn the location of Luke with some help from his droid R2-D2. To conclude, we watch Ray find the reclusive last-living Jedi, returning his long lost light saber to him as the screen goes black – forcing us to await the next film.
First and foremost, even before I turn our direction to the nostalgia factor of this motion picture, I would like to highlight the excellent casting of the new generation of heroes and villains. Their performances are superlative. Okay, this is where some of the nostalgia creeps in. Daisy Ridley is absolutely mesmerizing as an amalgam of a Luke Skywalker and Han Solo character. Her life on a desert planet with no parents (and a strong level of Force within her) is especially reminiscent of the original Jedi-to-be, while her tech savvy knowledge, knack for getting along with Chewbacca and flying the Millennium Falcon is more along the lines of the original Han Solo character. Oscar Isaacs also echoes a young Solo, as his depiction of a brash, cocky and quick-witted pilot who is confident that he can talk the talk is very evocative of the original smuggler. Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren is a younger, more tempered version of the Darth Vader character. John Boyega’s character is the only one that feels new and original.
Peter Mayhew, who plays Chewbacca in the Star Wars films, with Filmizon’s Nikolai Adams
Then, miraculously, we get to watch the original cast of Anthony Daniels (who voices C-3PO), Peter Mayhew (who now only voices Chewbacca), Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford, who basically leads the story after the first forty or so minutes. It is hard to believe that all of the stars aligned so that each and every cast member from the original returned thirty eight years after the first Star Wars was released. Yet, it is not only nostalgia that helps these old icons win the day, but it is also their skill at bringing these legendary characters back to life. Ford still perfectly encapsulates the brash, fast-talking Solo and it is still magical to watch the humour that comes from his relationship with his first-mate Wookie. It is just as entertaining to watch Ford and Fisher share a mixture of jabs, regrets and passions together. Lines that they utter, such as when Han mentions that she has changed her memorable bun-do or when Leia exclaims that he has not changed his jacket, bring us fondly back to the original saga while also displaying how much things have or have not changed in the thirty plus years that we have not seen these characters. Hamill, who has more of a cameo than a role, seems to be setting up as a new Yoda-type figure. There is also a cameo from Warwick Davis, who played Ewok Wicket in Return of the Jedi (and plays Wollivan – who is in the cantina at Maz Kanata’s castle). Finally, there is also an uncredited vocal cameo from Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Ray’s vision sequence, adding an ode to episodes 1-3.
On top of the return of the original characters, the script, which was written by Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi scribe Lawrence Kasdan, as well as director J.J. Abrams and screenwriter Michael Arndt, both borrows and pays homage to the original story. The tale generally follows a similar plot to the original while also throwing in clever odes to trash compactors, Darth Vader, the phrase “I have a bad feeling about this”, a new cantina bar scene, a shocking murder much like the Obi-Wan Kenobi death in the first film and numerous other topics that were touched upon in the original saga.
Composer John Williams continues to add to his original score, exquisitely inserting nuanced touches as well as writing new compositions where needed. It feels as grand and powerful as ever, truly exemplifying the fight between darkness and light by way of his talented orchestra.
Director J.J. Abrams also does a superb job with the film. His use of shadow and light adds subtlety to several scenes and his film does not suffer from any of the visual effects that bothered many a viewer in the second Star Trek flick. The scenery must also be highlighted. From desert landscapes and plush green planets to dark forests and historic-feeling rock formations, there are so many beautiful locations, both real and CGI’d, that make us feel like we are really witnessing this vast universe.
There are also excellent little cameos and roles from great actors like Lupita Nyong’o (who plays the large-eyed, aged and very wise bar owner), Andy Serkis (who plays the Supreme evil leader Snoke), Domhnall Gleeson (who plays the Nazi-ish General Hux), Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie (who plays the dark Captain Phasma), Lost star Ken Leung (who plays good guy Admiral Statura) and Simon Pegg (who plays the sleazy junkyard dealer Unkar Plutt).
Any time an iconic story and legendary characters are re-hashed there is a fear of ruining the legacy of the original films. Yet, in the hands of director J.J. Abrams and writer Lawrence Kasdan, along with the actors from the original Star Wars and an excellent cast of new characters, we have a film that looks sharp, sounds crisp, and feels nostalgic in the best of ways. Though it cannot be considered a fresh take on the Star Wars universe, it truly exudes what made the original films the best in the franchise (recapturing that magic once again). So, join the force of fans making their way to this powerhouse of a movie and join Han Solo in uttering the now oft used line, “we’re home”.