The Force Awakens – A Tour De Force in Science Fiction
12/23/2015
Written by: Tanner Banks
Here’s a message to all other sci-fi franchises out there: the king is back and better than ever. After selling for just north of $4 Billion (that’s with a ‘B,’ folks) we finally get to see what really happens after they blew up the Death Star… Again.
Going into the movie, I was skeptical, in all honestly.
Although I’d seen every Star Wars film before and had my share of lightsabers and badges in Battlefront (OG series, that is), I considered myself more of a Trekkie than a proper Jedi or Sith. I was cautiously optimistic about it because of what I’d seen about production. J.J. Abrams was very smart by bringing in former Star Wars screenwriter Lawrence Kasdanand to help write, and the Obi-Wan of orchestra John Williams to produce the score. J.J. surrounded himself by one of the best collections of talent I’ve witnessed to help with his Herculean task. So how was it?
Amazing. From the very first blast of the brass I was hooked right in before the text finished rolling up the screen. This film was a true masterclass performance from every party involved, and I’ll try my best to break down why the next trilogy has a chance to be the best. Before you aim your blasters at me, just read the whole review.
Plot: The plot of the movie was exactly what it needed to be. About two hundred minutes worth of material condensed and wrapped up into 135 minutes of action, humor, drama, and plenty of laser beams. As the first film of a trilogy, there are plenty of questions but few answers. Every character with a line had something meaningful to say. This was a no-fluff drag race from start to finish, with multiple moments that had me laughing, muttering “Oh sh*t,” and shedding a tear. Or two. Or three.
Acting: Nobody was acting in this film. Everyone was simply their character. The best way I can say this is that the worst actors were that way because they were only great. No throwing rocks into closets and pouting like a teenager, just real emotion. The acting gave the film something that was missing for much of the prequel films: heart. You really cared about all the characters. Nobody was one-dimensional, and everyone has an angle.
Characters: A mix of newbies and the old guard helped ease the transition for this movie and was a smart, safe move. Finn, Rey, and Kylo-Ren were all their own characters who are truly their own people. Nobody is a carbon-copy of the previous generation of Star Wars, but instead, bits and pieces of each of them. Finn is probably as close to what a Star Wars fan would actually be in the Star Wars universe as it gets. Rey is a bonafide, certified, sanctified BAMF. And Kylo-Ren? He is NOT what you thought he was. How? You’ll just have to go to the movie and see.
Special Effects: Because Abrams wanted to go back to the original as often as possible, practical effects were used as often as possible. Did it work? Hell yes, it did. I had my fair share of “Oh sh*t” moments because of the explosions, laser guns, and lightsabers. Oh, the lightsabers, they’ve NEVER looked so good.
Score: Classic Star Wars orchestra that could be performed as a standalone piece. Enough said.
Star Wars IV (The Complete Score) – Throne Room and End Credits
Overall: Go. See. This. Movie.
I’ll tell you now I’m going to see this about 3 more times before it goes on DVD and Blu-ray. No, this isn’t hyperbole, it’s really just that good. No, it’s really that great. Abrams made one thing abundantly clear: This ain’t your momma’s Star Wars. It’s bigger, badder, and more grounded. With not a Jar-Jar in sight, more action than a Saturday morning G.I. Joe cartoon, and enough magic to get into Hogwarts, this is a nerd’s dream come true. The hype is confirmed on The Force Awakens. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go get tickets to see it again.
Just in case you haven’t seen it, here is a spoiler-free trailer: