Well, here we are.
It honestly feels surreal to be writing about this film at all. There's been so much speculation, rumour, excitement, and buildup around it that it almost felt too good to be true. But now it's here, and I was actually lucky enough to be part of a school trip to go see it early on Friday. Seeing this movie on release day was farfetched for me at best, but it still happened, and in those moments while we all sat in the theatre, the lights went down, the Lucasfilm logo appeared, and that all-too familiar fanfare began, I knew I was in for a good day.
And oh boy, was it ever.
This was, in all honesty, one of the most fun movies I've ever seen, and one of the best theatre viewing experiences I've ever had. I know there's the danger of just losing myself in fanboying and excitement, but this movie was legitimately amazing. This is probably my new favourite Star Wars film, and in terms of ranking, I would tie it with Empire Strikes Back. It doesn't surpass it simply because there are some moments in this movie that I wish had been slightly different, whereas I believe that Empire Strikes Back is perfect. But I can say for sure that I've never felt as happy and as engaged in a film than in The Force Awakens.
I'm going to be very careful with spoilers here, though. I do still want to get my thoughts out on spoilers, so I'll make a separate post for that. For this review though, don't worry, it'll be totally spoiler free.
The best thing about this movie is exactly what I hoped it would be, and that's the bridging between the original trilogy and this new trilogy that this film is kicking off. I found that the elements from the original trilogy that they introduced were perfectly woven in. There were a ton of references and jokes, but never too many that it felt forced. Speaking of jokes, this is definitely the funniest Star Wars movie out there. All of the jokes landed perfectly for me, both the quips and the humour that simply came from characters reacting to things. But in contrast to that, this movie also brings back the darkness to Star Wars, there's no prequels-esque kid-friendly stuff. This movie is for the whole family, but it has plenty of moments that hit very hard.
The look of the film was also stunning. In general, it just looked beautiful, and the aesthetic of the original trilogy is definitely back. The old, used, lived-in feel of the galaxy is so familiar, but this movie also has a lot of updates that make it feel new. That's actually a good way to describe this movie in general; everything feels old but new at the same time. For example, Jakku looked like it was just going to be Tatooine with another name, but they actually differentiated it in some cool ways.
But this movie isn't entirely original, and I won't pretend that it is. The biggest complaint I can think of for this movie is that it does have a lot of parallels with A New Hope. It hits a lot of the same story beats, and so it gets a bit predictable at times, but that never took me out of it. In fact, the changes that were made around the skeleton of A New Hope made it feel fresh in a lot of ways. because I always knew there would be some parallels, just to play it safe, so I hope that Episodes VIII and IX can go their own way. Also, this movie has a very Star Wars plot; it's simple, it's fun, and it's a space adventure for all ages, which is what Star Wars is all about. The trilogies continue to rhyme, just like George Lucas once said. But it makes a lot of sense, since this is essentially the film re-introducing the Star Wars universe, so there would be some familiar territory visited.
And the music. Oh my Force, the music. John Williams has done it again, with another awesome soundtrack to punctuate every moment just as it needed to be. I hope that all of these songs will become just as famous as the songs we all know, like Duel of the Fates. I don't know any of the specific track names yet, but I'm getting them very soon. They are a bit less memorable then songs we all know, but we've only had about two days of them, instead of decades. Also, the music isn't focused on as much as it was in the original trilogy, it's more in the background, but also enhances everything.
I didn't expect to be more attached to the new elements than the old ones, but I was. I expected the highlight of the film to be the old cast, to be seeing Han Solo and Chewbacca flying the Millennium Falcon again. But actually, I loved the new cast even more, and when the old characters started to show up, it felt more like a bonus than anything. The movie really does follow these new characters, and thankfully, it was a very personal story as well as a huge galactic adventure.
The cast of this film is probably the highlight for me, the new characters especially. I'll stay vague so that nothing is spoiled about their journeys, but what I will say is that they're all great characters, not just actors. They all have unique and likable personalities, and bring a fresh and relatable energy to the galaxy. John Boyega is probably the most infectiously energetic of them all, and he had the most interesting backstory. You can just feel his love for what he's doing the whole way through, and the journey he goes on is pretty well done. Daisy Ridley is the one who steals the show, though. She said that on the fist day of filming, JJ Abrams told her that her acting was wooden, but I guess she changed it up drastically, because she was amazing. I want her to be the next big thing in Hollywood after this, because she really deserves it. And Oscar Isaac is perfect as the cocky, self-assured pilot. He's essentially the new Han Solo, but they give him enough moments to separate him from Han, and give him his own identity and place in the Resistance.
And BB-8 is, thankfully, also awesome. He even gets the best joke of the movie.
Daisy Ridley steals the show, but I just can't stop thinking about Kylo Ren. What they do with his character was so unexpected and so new, and he's the most human and layered villain that Star Wars has ever had. They could have easily made him a Darth Vader clone, and there were a couple of scenes that made me think they might, but like so many things in this film , it went in a completely different direction. His look, his voice, his lightsaber (holy crap that thing is so awesome holy crap), and Adam Driver's performance sold Kylo perfectly.
The other villains, General Hux and Captain Phasma, are pretty solid, but really don't have that much to do. I hope that they're given some more in the sequels. I was a bit disappointed in Andy Serkis' Supreme Leader Snoke, maybe it also had to do with him not doing much, but I found him a bit generic and non-threatening. Hopefully they'll be able to establish him as more of a presence in the future.
Another thing about this film is the action, which is yet another thing I can't really get into without spoiling things, but I will say that these are the best action sequences in all of Star Wars without a doubt. The space battles and dogfights are filmed with the same Star Wars cockpit angles we all know, but added a few more, and showed us more of the battles. They also wisely back up and show us as much of the action as possible, with quite a few long shots, mixing the amazing practical and digital effects.
The lightsaber fight at the end is the best scene of the film, and I won't go into it much, but I will say that they return to the rough, personal battles of the original trilogy, instead of the over-choreographed dances of the prequels. I also loved the way that the Force was used. They included the classic abilities, but updated, improved and added to them.
I think the one downside is that the CGI stands out because practical effects take up almost everything. The motion-capture characters, Maz Kanata and Supreme Leader Snoke, really don't look that great, and I feel like they could have been puppets or makeup as well. I actually thought that Snoke looked pretty bad.
But I think what really works for this movie, what makes me feel so happy to even think about this movie is the emotional side, I cried a total of 5 times in this movie, and that doesn't happen in every movie. This movie balances the nostalgia very well, as I've said, but the way they re-introduce some characters were perfect. And there are a couple of huge moments that just destroyed my soul, some of which had only small attacks on my heart, which got bigger, then smaller, then bigger again. I'm not sure if any movie will be able to affect me like this one has, or even if I can feel as emotionally satisfied with anything in my life again.
Honestly, I don't know if there are any detriments to this movie for me. The only "negatives" I can think of is that maybe a character or two didn't have enough to do, or maybe there were too many plot points taken from other movies, but really, this movie was exactly what I wanted. Maybe there were a few too many questions asked with no answers, but this is the first of a planned trilogy, so I'm sure those answers are coming, and I can't wait.
Was it the best movie ever made? Maybe. Will I have to see it again? Yes. Will I? Yes. Do I think it'll improve every time I see it? Yes.
As of right now, The Force Awakens is about as perfect as I could want, and I can't think of many ways to improve it. I'll get into my thoughts on spoilers in a separate post in a few days, so if you see the movie, keep an eye out for that. For now, I loved every second of this movie, from the opening crawl to the final wipe to blue credits over stars. It brought me back to the past and made me excited for the future, and JJ Abrams can finally breathe the biggest sigh of relief in his life, because everyone loves this movie so far, and I feel like that's not going to change, Seriously, Abrams did an amazing job, and this film only cemented him more as one of my favourite directors.
And oh boy, was it ever.
This was, in all honesty, one of the most fun movies I've ever seen, and one of the best theatre viewing experiences I've ever had. I know there's the danger of just losing myself in fanboying and excitement, but this movie was legitimately amazing. This is probably my new favourite Star Wars film, and in terms of ranking, I would tie it with Empire Strikes Back. It doesn't surpass it simply because there are some moments in this movie that I wish had been slightly different, whereas I believe that Empire Strikes Back is perfect. But I can say for sure that I've never felt as happy and as engaged in a film than in The Force Awakens.
I'm going to be very careful with spoilers here, though. I do still want to get my thoughts out on spoilers, so I'll make a separate post for that. For this review though, don't worry, it'll be totally spoiler free.
The best thing about this movie is exactly what I hoped it would be, and that's the bridging between the original trilogy and this new trilogy that this film is kicking off. I found that the elements from the original trilogy that they introduced were perfectly woven in. There were a ton of references and jokes, but never too many that it felt forced. Speaking of jokes, this is definitely the funniest Star Wars movie out there. All of the jokes landed perfectly for me, both the quips and the humour that simply came from characters reacting to things. But in contrast to that, this movie also brings back the darkness to Star Wars, there's no prequels-esque kid-friendly stuff. This movie is for the whole family, but it has plenty of moments that hit very hard.
The look of the film was also stunning. In general, it just looked beautiful, and the aesthetic of the original trilogy is definitely back. The old, used, lived-in feel of the galaxy is so familiar, but this movie also has a lot of updates that make it feel new. That's actually a good way to describe this movie in general; everything feels old but new at the same time. For example, Jakku looked like it was just going to be Tatooine with another name, but they actually differentiated it in some cool ways.
But this movie isn't entirely original, and I won't pretend that it is. The biggest complaint I can think of for this movie is that it does have a lot of parallels with A New Hope. It hits a lot of the same story beats, and so it gets a bit predictable at times, but that never took me out of it. In fact, the changes that were made around the skeleton of A New Hope made it feel fresh in a lot of ways. because I always knew there would be some parallels, just to play it safe, so I hope that Episodes VIII and IX can go their own way. Also, this movie has a very Star Wars plot; it's simple, it's fun, and it's a space adventure for all ages, which is what Star Wars is all about. The trilogies continue to rhyme, just like George Lucas once said. But it makes a lot of sense, since this is essentially the film re-introducing the Star Wars universe, so there would be some familiar territory visited.
And the music. Oh my Force, the music. John Williams has done it again, with another awesome soundtrack to punctuate every moment just as it needed to be. I hope that all of these songs will become just as famous as the songs we all know, like Duel of the Fates. I don't know any of the specific track names yet, but I'm getting them very soon. They are a bit less memorable then songs we all know, but we've only had about two days of them, instead of decades. Also, the music isn't focused on as much as it was in the original trilogy, it's more in the background, but also enhances everything.
I didn't expect to be more attached to the new elements than the old ones, but I was. I expected the highlight of the film to be the old cast, to be seeing Han Solo and Chewbacca flying the Millennium Falcon again. But actually, I loved the new cast even more, and when the old characters started to show up, it felt more like a bonus than anything. The movie really does follow these new characters, and thankfully, it was a very personal story as well as a huge galactic adventure.
The cast of this film is probably the highlight for me, the new characters especially. I'll stay vague so that nothing is spoiled about their journeys, but what I will say is that they're all great characters, not just actors. They all have unique and likable personalities, and bring a fresh and relatable energy to the galaxy. John Boyega is probably the most infectiously energetic of them all, and he had the most interesting backstory. You can just feel his love for what he's doing the whole way through, and the journey he goes on is pretty well done. Daisy Ridley is the one who steals the show, though. She said that on the fist day of filming, JJ Abrams told her that her acting was wooden, but I guess she changed it up drastically, because she was amazing. I want her to be the next big thing in Hollywood after this, because she really deserves it. And Oscar Isaac is perfect as the cocky, self-assured pilot. He's essentially the new Han Solo, but they give him enough moments to separate him from Han, and give him his own identity and place in the Resistance.
And BB-8 is, thankfully, also awesome. He even gets the best joke of the movie.
Daisy Ridley steals the show, but I just can't stop thinking about Kylo Ren. What they do with his character was so unexpected and so new, and he's the most human and layered villain that Star Wars has ever had. They could have easily made him a Darth Vader clone, and there were a couple of scenes that made me think they might, but like so many things in this film , it went in a completely different direction. His look, his voice, his lightsaber (holy crap that thing is so awesome holy crap), and Adam Driver's performance sold Kylo perfectly.
The other villains, General Hux and Captain Phasma, are pretty solid, but really don't have that much to do. I hope that they're given some more in the sequels. I was a bit disappointed in Andy Serkis' Supreme Leader Snoke, maybe it also had to do with him not doing much, but I found him a bit generic and non-threatening. Hopefully they'll be able to establish him as more of a presence in the future.
Another thing about this film is the action, which is yet another thing I can't really get into without spoiling things, but I will say that these are the best action sequences in all of Star Wars without a doubt. The space battles and dogfights are filmed with the same Star Wars cockpit angles we all know, but added a few more, and showed us more of the battles. They also wisely back up and show us as much of the action as possible, with quite a few long shots, mixing the amazing practical and digital effects.
The lightsaber fight at the end is the best scene of the film, and I won't go into it much, but I will say that they return to the rough, personal battles of the original trilogy, instead of the over-choreographed dances of the prequels. I also loved the way that the Force was used. They included the classic abilities, but updated, improved and added to them.
I think the one downside is that the CGI stands out because practical effects take up almost everything. The motion-capture characters, Maz Kanata and Supreme Leader Snoke, really don't look that great, and I feel like they could have been puppets or makeup as well. I actually thought that Snoke looked pretty bad.
But I think what really works for this movie, what makes me feel so happy to even think about this movie is the emotional side, I cried a total of 5 times in this movie, and that doesn't happen in every movie. This movie balances the nostalgia very well, as I've said, but the way they re-introduce some characters were perfect. And there are a couple of huge moments that just destroyed my soul, some of which had only small attacks on my heart, which got bigger, then smaller, then bigger again. I'm not sure if any movie will be able to affect me like this one has, or even if I can feel as emotionally satisfied with anything in my life again.
Honestly, I don't know if there are any detriments to this movie for me. The only "negatives" I can think of is that maybe a character or two didn't have enough to do, or maybe there were too many plot points taken from other movies, but really, this movie was exactly what I wanted. Maybe there were a few too many questions asked with no answers, but this is the first of a planned trilogy, so I'm sure those answers are coming, and I can't wait.
Was it the best movie ever made? Maybe. Will I have to see it again? Yes. Will I? Yes. Do I think it'll improve every time I see it? Yes.
As of right now, The Force Awakens is about as perfect as I could want, and I can't think of many ways to improve it. I'll get into my thoughts on spoilers in a separate post in a few days, so if you see the movie, keep an eye out for that. For now, I loved every second of this movie, from the opening crawl to the final wipe to blue credits over stars. It brought me back to the past and made me excited for the future, and JJ Abrams can finally breathe the biggest sigh of relief in his life, because everyone loves this movie so far, and I feel like that's not going to change, Seriously, Abrams did an amazing job, and this film only cemented him more as one of my favourite directors.
Comments
Post a Comment