Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Starring Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher

Directed by J.J. Abrams

The Story:
Three decades after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, a new threat arises. The First Order attempts to rule the galaxy and only a rag-tag group of heroes can stop them, along with the help of the Resistance.
(from imdb.com)

The Synopsis:
I didn't want to give too much away in the story, so I just included what it said from imdb.com.

Before I begin, I just want to make it clear that I'm not a Star Wars "fanatic."  I never saw the original films until after I saw Episodes I-III, so I went in having no preconceived notions on how I would feel about it, whether good or bad.

That being said, "The Force Awakens" definitely falls within the top-tier levels of the "Star Wars" saga.

What makes it such a great film?  I'll discuss this by focusing on the following areas:
Casting, Mood, Direction, Action, Narrative.
All will be spoiler-free, so you won't have to worry. 

Casting:
Back in 1977, George Lucas released the first "Star Wars" movie to audience and critical acclaim.  Winning six Oscars, and nominated for Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (Alec Guinness) and Writing, it was a surprise hit on all ends, especially with the casting.

Lucas took then-unknown actors Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher and overnight turned them into household names.  Their performances made the viewers feel like they were really watching something incredible - with them being unknown, there wasn't the mantra of "oh, I'm watching so-and-so in a sci-fi movie," but rather it drew you in and made you really care for the characters, because they were just like us, only in space.

When Lucas returned with Episodes I-III, he threw away the concept of casting unknown actors and went for more seasoned vets like Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen.  This diminished the intimacy between audience and film as you were now thinking, "oh, there's Natalie Portman."  The casting choices there weren't as prolific as the originals.

With "The Force Awakens," J.J. Abrams returned to the old style of casting and brought in unknown actors Daisy Ridley and John Boyega as the two leads, and, like the originals, brought back that intimacy sorely missed in I-III.  Their characters were relatable, sensitive, humorous, terrified, and heroic, and since you didn't know their names from other films, you were pulled into the film more and had a stronger like and desire for them to fare well.

Plus, Abrams brilliantly united the franchise by bringing back Ford, Hamill, Fisher and the rest of the original cast, which brought the film full circle and united new Star Wars fans as well as those who longed for the nostalgic desire to return to a galaxy far, far away.

As far as the actual acting goes, especially compared to Episodes I-III, "The Force Awakens" is like a master-class on acting.  With I-III, all the performances were wooden, robotic, and lacking any emotion whatsoever.  With "The Force Awakens," the characters acted like...well...normal people.  From fast quips and one-liners to full-on emotional tones, "The Force Awakens" hit every note with the perfection of Beethoven.

Mood:
The mood of the original films was a fresh, new outlook on the science fiction film subgenre, and the actors relished in being able to bring to life a story that was just on paper, for people who have never seen anything like it before. 

With Episodes I-III, the audience has already been accustomed to science fiction movies and Star Wars as a whole, so it was tougher to get that mood back.  To this end, the newer Star Wars films failed to re-establish that child-like wonder that came from the originals, even for people like me who never saw the originals before.  After Episode III, I was wondering what it was that made the Star Wars series so great, and after seeing the originals, I found that missing piece of the puzzle.

Adding to the sense of mood was the luminous score by the brilliant John Williams, who hit all the right notes in all the right places, from the chill-inducing opening to the epic conclusion, he once again shows why he's the best in the business.

With "The Force Awakens," the mood returns to that of the originals.  The new cast members took their roles seriously and brought forth an uplifting, moving experience.  With the old cast returning, they relished in being able to once again bring their legendary roles back to the big screen.  Even though we've been through six films so far, "The Force Awakens" had that new mood once again, for both young and old alike.

Direction:
George Lucas was the visionary director of his time.  When he directed "Star Wars," it was something no one had ever seen before, and he was heralded (rightfully so) as one of the best directors ever.  When he returned for I-III, he seemed to just bring forward a so-so series that was missing the heart, and instead traded it in for special effects.

J.J. Abrams is already considered to be the next big thing in science fiction directing.  He's brought shows like "Alias," "Lost" and "Fringe" to the forefront of sci-fi television, and rebooted the "Star Trek" series into a set of films that's just as good as their originals.  So it was no surprise he brought "Star Wars" back as well, and did so in typical Abrams fashion - full of heart, grit, determination, passion, and style.

Action:
"The Force Awakens" hardly has a moment of downtime where action is concerned, which was something sorely lacking in Episodes I-III (I mean, how long WAS that race in Episode I?  Not to mention all the time wasted on that love story no one cared about).  From the first epic scene to the last, the action was amazing, unrelenting, and edge-of-your-seat.

Narrative:
Here is where I have a small beef with "The Force Awakens," and that is the predictability of it.  There wasn't a lot of surprises, but even in its predictability, it still felt fresh and new.  This is a nod to writers Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt, as they were able to not muddy the waters and make the film boring and dragged out.

Speaking of boring, another thing "The Force Awakens" did very well was not focusing on the entire backstory of everything.  That was another problem with Episodes I-III in that it focused WAY too much on narrative and story, where you really didn't care about what the heck was happening and were trying not to snore too loudly.   They were over-padded with needless dialogue, and definitely felt like they were dragging.

The Summary:
"The Force Awakens" actually FELT like a real Star Wars movie, and all but erased that bitter taste fans had in their mouths ever since 2005. 

The Score: A+