It’s been less than a month And Star Wars:The Force Awakens has already made over a BILLION dollars world wide, supplanting “Titanic” as the 2nd highest grossing movie of all time…And I’ll be honest – I’ve seen it twice already(!) Still, there is a surge of fans, old and new that are excited by this film, which is even garnering even critical acclaim. True, it’s a “sideways” remake of the original Star Wars film, but that hasn’t stopped people from loving it. And for good reason – there’s a lot to like, especially after a lackluster trilogy of Prequels… (SPOILERS)
A FEMALE LEAD
Traditionally the Star Wars movies has been all about two generations of the Skywalker Family (Luke and his father Anakin). And for the most part ( even though there was the “feisty” Princess Leia, and the hapless Queen Amidala) it’s been the “Bro Show” in that part of the galaxy for over 30 years… Luke Skywalker , Han Solo, Obi Wan Kenobi, Chewie and Lando – not to mention the various principals from the Prequels have been overwhelmingly male… This helped make a killing in the “boys” toy aisle, but left a lot of girls dissatisfied with their role-playing options at the playground.
Fortunately the powers that be did start to weave in dynamic female characters like Ahsoka Tano, and Ventress in the Star Wars:Clone Wars cartoon, as well as Hera, and Sabine on the Star Wars:Rebels show. Still , they weren’t in the movies – and even though there are also Star Wars comics and novels, if it wasn’t in the movies it didn’t count. Maybe we have “The Hunger Games” to thank for the character of Rey, since “The Hunger Games” movies not only made Jennifer Lawrence a bankable star, but showed that both male AND female viewers would go to the theater and watch a Sci Fi/Adventure with a Female Star. Imagine that.
THE MOVIE WAS FUN
After 3 Star Wars movies of Heroes being out witted, outmatched, and out-shined by the villains… The Force Awakens was a welcome return to some basic story telling principles: A reluctant protagonist gets in over his/her head, using their skills while answering the call to adventure; in order to thwart the plans of the antagonist. Finally, after succeeding they come to accept their new place in the world/universe/dojo or whatever.
Not only does that description fall in line of the original Star wars Trilogy but most decent action adventure movies as well. And for good reason – we want to identify with a hero’s struggle and SUCCESS, not be bummed out by their ineptitude and failure(s). Star Wars :The Force Awakens has us cheering for Rey and Finn as they delve deeper into their own adventures.
THE ACTING/DIRECTION
Again, while the Prequels made Natalie Portman, Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor look wooden on screen, the Force awakens is a breath of fresh air when it comes to the actors performances. Natalie Portman actually had a hard time getting work due to her performances in the Prequels, only to later got Oscar nominated for her work in Black Swan. The normally charismatic Sam Jackson went for two Movies before actually having anything to do in the Prequels, spending most of that time looking bored in the background…This may be due to George Lucas’ notorious reluctance to working with actors. Even in the original Star Wars, the actors complained that the only acting directions they would receive from Lucas were “faster and more intense…”
Compare that to MOST of the characters in the Force Awakens (sorry Capt. Phasma), as nearly everyone manages to make an impression on the screen; bringing warmth, visceral emotions, humor and humanity to their roles. The acting was natural and entertaining keeping the audience ‘s disbelief suspended for the entirety of the film.
PRACTICAL EFFECTS
JJ Abrams made It a point to utilize practical effects/costumes over digital effects as much as possible. BB-8 was an actual REAL remote control robot. Millenium Falcon interior/exterior? REAL. Cantina Aliens? REAL. Maz Kanata was motion captured ,so I’ll let that slide. There were no digital Jar Jars or Alien Diner cooks in this movie and as a result, my eyes could rest easy – never falling deeply into the “uncanny valley”of CGI characters.
NEW LIKABLE CHARACTERS
Rey, Finn and Poe are likable heroes: Rey was allowed to be smart and fallible all at once, (as well as gullible )- falling for Finns Resistance Fighter charade but being sharp enough to fix and fly the Falcon and hold her own in a fight. Meanwhile, Finn wasn’t the greatest fighter, but he overcame his anxiety and fear of the First Order and didn’t hesitate to risk his life and go to bat for his newly acquired friends. And even though we didn’t see him a whole lot, Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron was a fun sarcastic jack ass that happened to be an ace pilot.
Kylo Ren was great at being an obnoxiously bad brat. He didn’t have the calculating, confident menace of Darth Vader…but was an insecure young wannabe who knew he couldn’t live up to the hype of his grandfather. All told these are characters with personalities that you could relate to and understand their motivations, unlike Qui-Gon Jinn, Padme Amidala and a Young Anakin Skywalker.
NEW MYSTERIES
Where is Rey’s family? Who the heck is Supreme Leader Snoke? What family was Finn taken from? What has Luke been doing all these years in seclusion? What’s next in store for the characters? I guess we’ll just have to wait until 2017 to find out…until then you have ample time for multiple viewings and conjectures! Have fun!!