Arguably one of the more popular films to come out in recent years has been Star Wars: The Force Awakens which relit one of the most beloved film franchises in the world. Taking place thirty years from when Return of the Jedi ended, The Force Awakens brought back several old favourites as well as some new shining stars in this first instalment of the ‘sequel trilogy’. Currently it is the third highest-grossing film in cinema behind James Cameron’s Titanic and Avatar and was treated to a record-breaking opening weekend before Avengers: Infinity War premiered in April 2018.
The Force Awakens breathed new life and energy into a hallowed franchise that does a stellar job at resurrecting old pleasures and showed promising potential for the future. The space-opera spirit of George Luca’s original trilogy can still be found in each scene and J.J. Abrams is still able to incorporate his own unique style into the franchise making this film one of the most celebrated in recent years.
This is exactly what Abrams was picked to do. Already a master at directing reinvented sci-fi epics like the reimagined Star Trek franchise as well as the Mission Impossible series gives testament to his deserved reputation as Hollywood’s reboot master. This also showcases his hardcore fandom, having seen A New Hope when he was just 11. The result is a sci-fi epic that none of us could’ve ever imagined, ticking nearly every box on our wish lists.
While many argued that it rehashes some of the content of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, that’s perfectly fine when this storyline introduces new diverse characters with large roles and a greater impact on the story. Despite a chilling opening, introducing the remnants of the Empire, here called The First Order on the planet Jakku, the central characters of this trilogy are introduced in small human ways.
One could argue that Rey’s (Daisy Ridley) character is almost a carbon copy of Luke Skywalker from A New Hope, orphaned as a child, dreaming of a life among the stars until a droid comes along and changes her life forever. Fortunately, this is not the case as Rey quickly establishes herself as a self-sufficient loner with excellent fighting and survival skills and feisty individuality to match. Furthermore, Finn (John Boyega) is a fresh First Order stormtrooper who witnesses the atrocities of Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) first-hand. War is hell and Finn’s fresh trauma leads to him rebelling against The First Order by breaking out ace pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and later forming an alliance with Rey to aid The Resistance in stopping The First Order and find Luke Skywalker.
The feminist and racial-harmony overtones of these two new leads are clear, but never overbearing. Ridley and Boyega form an amazing connection as they grow on each other and the audience, showing incredible talents that make the cynical prequels seem like a distant memory. Though the original Star Wars trilogy has included prominent female leads and African-American heroes like Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), the focus was never entirely on them and until Return of the Jedi, neither of them were shown playing a major role in the story with Leia needing to be saved in nearly all her scenes and Lando being a reformed traitor who managed to destroy the second Death Star. Thankfully, The Force Awakens is willing to explore more diverse characters and their stories in this new opening to the franchise.
As with any Star Wars film, there are vast worlds rich with alien life and cultures. And with each of these worlds, there is a marvellous battle ready to take place, be it in the sky with several ships trying to blast each other to ash or intimate one-on-one duels to the death. The climax of this film is particularly thrilling with the final duel being effective and emotional, something every Star Wars fan should find compelling and marvellous. When it comes to the one-on-one fights there are few cuts and excellent choreography which contrasts completely with most fights from the Marvel Universe. While the editing in each is fantastic, when it comes to a climactic or prominent fight scene, fewer cuts are preferable as it becomes easier to see what’s going on.
In addition to this, the ending of the film is wonderful – filmed on Skellig Michael off the western coast of Ireland – setting things up for the next instalment. In the end, Abrams still hit so many notes that fans have come to expect from this franchise, rejuvenating it to become an exotic cinematic masterpiece.
Overall Score: 9.5/10
Jacobs Reel Reviews 