My “Force Awakens” review *With Spoilers*
My “Force Awakens” review *With Spoilers*
As a traditionalist wary of changing the beautiful past, I
was skeptical going into theater to see Star Wars The Force Awakens last night.
Having been burned before (I still have not picked up the pieces from that animated
Hobbit prequel to my beloved Lord of the Rings classic) it is understandable
that I would be critical when change comes to great things of the past.
Though I was never as invested in Star Wars as I was with Lord
of the Rings, I was still invested. Star Wars is after all a legendary series
with light sabers, lasers, space travel, and eastern religion. Who would not like
that? Exactly. Everyone likes Star Wars and I am no exception to everyone.
But it was more than the “newness” that made me hesitant for
the much anticipated film. George Lucas had stepped down and Disney had stepped
in—not maybe my prescribed recipe for success. The cherished characters had now become really old, which always brings challenges to any resurrected series.
How do you adapt and move on while still keeping Star Wars, Star Wars? The pressure
was on for Director J.J. Abrams.
After watching the movie and having some dialogue with
friends, I have come to the conclusion that I really liked The Force Awakens.
Both new characters Finn and Rey were great additions to the series, and I will
have no restraint rooting for their successes in the future. Rey especially was
a great female lead role (one that I was slightly skeptical of beforehand) who
was strong and yet maintained a youthful femininity.
The effects and visual were top notch as expected—and could
never be “overdone” because, after all, it is Star Wars. The music was
tremendous, harkening back to older themes; and what was perhaps most important
is that it all felt like Star Wars. The scenes looked like Star Wars. The
characters looked like Star Wars. Star Wars was back.
In fact, the plot was about identical to Episode 4, but I didn’t
mind: A droid carrying top secret information is being hunted by the “Empire”
and finds a force sensitive youth. The youth proceeds to escape a future of
drab mediocrity on an arid planet and rendezvous with none other than Han Solo and
Chewbacca. Together they get roped into a galactic conflict and destroy a colossal
weapon with multi-planet disintegrating technology; while throughout, the force
sensitive youth discovers the force and a higher calling.
There is a strange feeling that we have been here before,
but I found it nostalgic rather redundant. I think most will agree with me.
Hopefully with the success of this movie, the next episode
can be a little more free to expand and venture into the new. While I like the
old, I want to explore new planets, see new innovations in Star Wars
technology, and meet new characters. The new series has achieved its goal: it
has earned my trust—and that says a lot.
Thoughts and Questions:
·
How did it
come to this? How did the grand ending in episode 6 (with the establishment
of the New Republic) crumble so quickly and the Empire re-emerge in the form of
the First Order? Poor government policies? Leadership vacuum? Crumbling of the
family unit? I think the film did a good job bringing viewers up to speed, but I
need more details.
·
Kylo Renn was very disappointing. Let me get
this straight, this bad guy who has impeccable mind extracting power, can stop
lasers in mid-air, can force choke and force push with Darth Vader like
fury—this bad guy is humiliated with ease by a young girl who has never wielded a light saber before in her life?! I guess light saber duels are not one of his strengths. Disappointing.
· Also, keep the mask on Kylo.
· What is with the Empire and destroying planets?
If I was an evil Sith Lord, I would want to control and subdue planets—not blow them
all up. What will they do when all the planets are gone? To me more planets = more dominion to conquer!
· I am really amazed at how quickly Rey picked up on
this whole force thing. In the Old Republic, jedis would train a lifetime (with
master apprentice relationships), and only the most elite of elites could
reasonably stand up to their dark side counterparts (Remember even Yoda and
Mace Windu could not even subdue Darth Sideous). Rey not only reads Kylo Renn’s
mind—but (as previously stated) practically slaughters him with a light saber
the first time she uses one. Either the force is really, really strong in her—or
this is all a stretch.
·
I am okay with Han Solo dying. He is old, and if
you got to go—getting brutally stabbed by your evil Sith-son is a great way to
go.
·
Who is Rey? There has to be more to this
character. (After talking with friends after words, I am convinced she is Luke’s
daughter).
All you Star Wars nerds, let me know your thoughts in the
comments.
One theory I thought interesting on Rey and why she is skilled enough to take down Ben is perhaps she was a padawan/student of Luke that Luke saved from Ben when he turned against the light side. Hence she would have some training, and Ben was hurt and mentally unstable from his encounter with Chewy and Han, but I still agree, she should've lost, but maybe not as badly as I first thought.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the mask (Severus Snape anyone?). But I had the same question about the New Republic/Resistance. There was a Republic fleet, but also a Resistance fleet? How do they interact, who is the government now?
ReplyDeleteExactly! Where did the power go? Whose fault was it? Why does history keep repeating itself?!
DeleteThe Finn comment is interesting. The first order gets their Storm Troopers not by cloning, but by stealing kids and conditioning them to fight. That seems pretty horrifying. They should go wherever they are doing that in the next movie.
ReplyDeleteAs for the government, this takes place around 30 years following the last movie. To brainwash all these Storm Troopers, the program would have had to start pretty early. The Empire was likely never totally defeated and new leadership arose in the outer portions of the galaxy that used full tyrannical power over these planets to build the manpower for these new Storm Trooper legions. Perhaps the New Republic reformed as a Confederacy fearing the overreach of the executive, leaving it unable to muster the resources needed to defend against the New Order.
Also, to answer your question "Why does history keep repeating itself?", straight-up eastern religion. History is an endless cycle of repeating patterns. Glad I didn't live back then, far far away.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think you may have left out one of the biggest questions! Who is this giant Wizard of Oz like character who is telling Kylo Ren what to do? When will we find out he is actually a midget who has a tiny voice altered to make him seems more evil than Darth Sidious ?
ReplyDeleteI think the design of Ren's lightsaber points to his lack of skill in the area, never before have we seen a hand guard on a lightsaber.
It may be the obvious solution to think Rey is Luke's daughter dude to the helmet she likes to where and her knack for the force, but maybe she is of force virgin birth as well.
Also, what is with the short names for everyone? Poe, Finn, Rey, maybe a lack of creativity. Did Han Solo really name his child after Ben Kenobi?
I have so many questions.
Yeah who was that giant, deformed Sméagol? More details would have been beneficial
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