SPOILERS! IF YOU DON'T WANT THIS MOVIE TO BE SPOILED FOR YOU AND YOU READ THIS, IT'S NOT MY FAULT! YOU IGNORED MY WARNINGS! DON'T BLAME ME!
WITH THAT OUT THE WAY, LET'S TALK ABOUT ONE OF THE BEST FILMS I SAW IN 2015!
(BECAUSE I DIDN'T SEE FURY ROAD)
CONS
The story is a bit familiar, as some people predicted. And how does it feel familiar? It does take a few elements from the original trilogy. The droid is carrying secret plans. The villain is related to one of the heroes. The jedi-in-training has to go to a far-off place to find and be trained by one of the last jedi. The main character is stuck on a freaking desert planet because of their parents. The big wepond that can destroy planets. But now, it turns out IT CAN SPLIT UP! OH MY GOD! By the way, I'm glad that they called out the fact that Starkiller Base was just a bigger Death Star.
Now, I'm glad that Luke and R2D2 weren't featured a lot in the marketing, and that Lor San Tekka wasn't featured at all because they appear as cameos and if they were really played up, their roles would be disappointing. I bring this up in the "cons" category to explain to you that Captain Phasma, a character who was being built up as one of the main villains, did NOTHING! Everyone, including me, was under the impression that she would be the Boba Fett of the sequel trilogy the same way Darth Maul was the Boba Fett of the prequel trilogy. BUT SHE DID NOTHING!
There's a scene in the opening where a bunch of stormtroopers waste a village. Does she show up? Yes. AFTER ALL THE S**T WENT DOWN! You know that shot of her in the trailers where she's walking all badass like she's about to do something cool? You wanna know what happens in that scene? She gets tackled by Chewie! What do they do with her after that? They throw her in a trash compacter. So she's most likely dead. But she's confirmed for Episode 8, which means she could do something cool. So this is just a nitpick.
In fact, most, if not all, of my problems are nitpicks because the stuff that's good is amazing.
PROS
While the movie may be a bit unoriginal, so was the original trilogy. However, people tend to forget that because it was executed so well. And this was executed well, too. This is executed as an introduction to the new characters and a reintroduction to the old ones. And it works out great. However, if you don't agree with me, there's still a ton of great characters.
Kylo Ren is a fantastic villain and when he killed Han, he did what every villain should do. Make you hate him. I also liked how they made him a human being. To me, he's what Anakin should have been in the prequels. Finn was the most relatable character. When he tried to run, when he came back to save Rey (both times), and when he bragged at Phasma. In all those scenes, I thought "Yeah, I'd do the same thing in those situations". BB-8 was a great sidekick. He was cute and I love the scene where he finds R2D2 and he looks like he's nerding out. Dohmall Gleeson and Andy Serkis did what they had to do. Simon Pegg and Daniel Craig's cameos were funny. Poe seems to be the next Han (and by that I mean: The likeable badass). It's always great to see C3PO and Ackbar again. Leia is also a great character and Carrie Fisher is amazing. You can sense all the pain and devistation from her voice alone. In fact, she doesn't even talk when Han die, and she manages to carry all of those emotions with a single look. (BTW, just because Kylo Ren is named Ben Solo, it doesn't mean he was named after Obi-Wan "Ben" Kanobi)
But one of my favorite characters is Rey. Rey is just someone who wants to find her family (Five bucks says it's Luke). However, she gets caught up in this situation and she is great. The scene where she finds the lightsaber is fantastic. Another great scene is when Kylo Ren is trying to taunt her, and it turns out SHE has the force, and turns the tables on him. I just hope that she and Finn don't become lovers. Yeah, she kissed his forehead, but she called him "my friend" right after.
But Rey is only a close second to my favorite characters: Han & Chewie. Watching these two again is like magic. These two have great comradery. Han has great banter with Chewie. And considering Han's response to Chewie's roars, I'll assume Chewie had great banter with Han.
The movie has a ton of great scenes. Some of my favorites include: The first use of the death ray. Unlike Alderan's destruction, you actually see the people react to the ray and it's suddenly effective. Another great scene is Han meeting up with Leia and C3PO. The scene goes from heartwarming to hailarious in the blink of an eye. But my favorite scene was when Chewie raged out when Han died. The entire theatre cheered him on as he shot Kylo Ren, the stormtroopers, and then bombed the place. After Han's death, I needed that.
The effects are also amazing. The sound effects are great because they're done by Ben Burtt. The visual effects use both visual and pratical effects and it works out and their advantage. The film also has the best opening crawl. Mainly because I actually paid attention to it.
One last thing is that the fan-service doesn't feel forced in like in the prequels. They don't go "Huh? Ackbar, huh?" The only parts that seem questionable are the chess scene and the trash compacter line. But those scenes were funny.
VERDICT:
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a phenomal movie. The people behind that movie had one job and they did 100% right. Star Wars fans will love it. Casual fans will love it. Fans of the expanded universe will be pissed off when they find out the name of Han's kid. Again, most of my problems are nitpicks. And I'm beyond exited to see the future of the franchise. I can't wait for Rogue One to be the first good Star Wars prequel. I can't wait for the Han Solo film to be the first good character spin-off (Ever heard of The Battle For Endor? No? Good.). Honestly, the ending got me to say something I haven't said since the cliffhanger ending for Catching Fire. That Is "Crap! The movie and it's ending is amazing! I have so many questions! WHY DO I HAVE TO WAIT SO LONG FOR THE NEXT ONE?!?!?" J.J. Abrams had a lot of pressure making this movie. Now the pressure is on Rian & Colin.
9.5/10