Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review

Finally. It’s been a bit busy in my life lately. But here we go.

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (2015)

Directed by J.J. Abrams

Written by Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams & Michael Arndt

Starring Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Harrison Ford, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac & Carrie Fisher and the creator(s) of BB-8

Ok. So I’ve seen this one twice now. I think I will see it at least one more time in cinema. At least. It IS that good. It’s Star Wars. The original. Let’s just already forgot that prequels ever happened. Ugh. The Force Awakens is the real deal. So, thank you, thank you, thank you J.J. Abrams! You’re the man!

Where should I start? Ok, easy one, the characters. I loved it when seeing this on the premiere night everyone was cheering for all the comeback characters in the beginning but when the film went on, the new characters got their share of cheers as well. And deservedly so. Oscar Isaac as Poe is cool (almost) like Han Solo himself (well, not THAT cool but cool anyhow), John Boyega as Finn is a great addition of young, innocent child-like character who still has his secrets and Kylo Ren to me was a huge success! Very nice baddie. And all the new minor characters worked for me greatly.

It was a bit sad to see how old Harrison Ford has gotten or how Carrie Fisher has done something to her face but they still rock. But I’m so glad the main attention is focused on new characters. Especially Rey and BB-8, whom I, by the way and to upset a whole lot of people, find the best droid in the series. So, yes, he beats R2-D2. I can’t stop wondering how they do that. How a bunch of medal or plastic or whatever it is can be so much alive and relatable? It’s unbelievable.

And then there’s Rey. I already  read a perfect piece of Rey from Entertainment Weekly: “Rey is many things: a survivor, a scavenger, an isolated figure looking for community, a pilot, a mechanic, a warrior… and a girl. But her femininity isn’t a weakness. It isn’t a strength, either. In fact, it isn’t a thing. That is not only remarkable, it’s what makes Rey the most revolutionary thing about Star Wars: The Force Awakens and hopefully the thing that translates best as this phenomenon travels the globe.” I recommend you to read the whole article. It contains spoilers but it carries the whole meaning of Rey. Yay for Rey!

There’s been some vague complaints about the script in all around the world wide web. And yes, it’s silly, there are probably some holes in it (I don’t care now, we need to see the rest of the story before judging those) and some of the dialogue is cheesy as hell. But you know what, that’s the same case in the original trilogy and I love it! The tone is perfectly balanced the way it feels like galaxy far, far away. They tend to be overtly dramatic with too long pauses and gazes there but at least it feels true. And so much better than in prequels. Ugh… remember that love scene in Attack of the Clones… You don’t? Let me remind you:

See? The Force Awakens writing is Oscar caliber compared to that!

That I admit that the story could be a bit different. It is the only complaint that I have. But again, I think we need to wait for the rest of the episodes, to see how it rolls out. And ok, at least right now, the new music that Williams has composed is not as strong that the original one but I’m not sure if anyone is able to compose anything like that anymore? The second time I was watching the film, I really tried to pay attention to it but it was a bit hard to catch… What do you think?

All in all, Abrams and co have made a great film.  More than great actually. I believe we have a classic in our hands that will invite new generation to the galaxy far, far away. And I could not be more happy about it. I grew up watching Star Wars and I think everyone should. It’s a privilege. Welcome back!

Rating: ****¾ (out of 5)

P.S. I continued listening to the soundtrack and it’s actually quite good…