Review // Star Wars: The Force Awakens

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Thirty-odd years after a young farmboy walked out into the deserts of Tatooine and gazed up at two moons hanging in the sky, a young woman on the planet Jakku sits down in a sand dune and dons a battle-scarred Rebel helmet, starring out into similar desert, pock-marked now by the skeletal remains of burned out Star Destroyers. In The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams returns us to the Star Wars universe, now far removed from the war between the Empire and Rebellion. Though the evidence of those dark days still litter the desert, they’re nothing but sources of scrap metal for the industrious young Rey, played by newcomer Daisy Ridley, who earns a meager living collecting parts from their cavernous engines. Like Luke Skywalker before her however, Rey’s lonely existence of hardship and toil is turned upside down with the arrival of a plucky little droid. Its name is BB-8 and, along with a nervous ex-stormtrooper named Finn, played by John Boyega, they set off on an intergalactic adventure.

Director J.J. Abrams breathes new life into the beloved sci-fi franchise with this thrilling, funny and invigorating space opera which tacks closely to the plot and feel of the first film in the franchise, A New Hope. Part sequel, part reboot, the new film delivers exactly what die-hard fans have been waiting for, especially after suffering through three prequels over-concerned with boring galactic politics and soulless CGI monsters. Fast-paced and character driven, the new film combines a perfect mix of thrilling action, heartfelt family drama and enough original trilogy nostalgia to please even the most picky Star Wars aficionado. 

As Rey, Finn and BB-8 head out on their quest we’re introduced to the myriad other new players who will populate this trilogy, including the wise-cracking Resistance pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), the temperamental and deeply conflicted villain Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), the squinty-eyed mystic Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong’o) and the looming overlord Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis). Also, of course, there are the returning favourites. Harrison Ford is his scruffy old self as Han Solo, Carrie Fisher trades her cinnamon buns and white robes for braids and a uniform as General Leia Organa, Peter Mayhew returns as the loveable Chewbacca and Anthony Daniels is as bothersome as ever as the gold-plated protocol droid C3PO. And then there’s Luke. Make no mistake, he’s back as well, but the less said about everyone’s favourite Jedi Knight the better.

Another member of the old guard who returns is John Williams, and unsurprisingly the 83 year-old composer delivers a riveting, if familiar, score. Because he has been with the franchise from the get-go, it’s easy to take him for granted, however his music has informed our emotional response to the Star Wars films more than anything. There are numerous spine-tingling moments in the new film where the thrill of his familiar refrain catches us like a tight hug. Complimenting the score is the wonderfully kinetic filmmaking of J.J. Abrams. The director has made his mark with sprawling, fast-paced action and that ability is on full display. X-wings and TIE fighters dart across the screen with dizzying speed during the film’s numerous aerial battles, and the film’s all-important lightsaber duel is simultaneously an honourable nod to the old, and exhilarating statement of purpose for the future.

If there is one complaint that is bound to come up it is that Abrams and his screenwriters have played things safe. The new film keeps it familiar where the plot is concerned, largely rehashing Episode IV to set up another dark vs. light storyline involving an overpowering villain (now called The First Order but still just as Nazi-esque as the old Empire) with a super-powered weapon going up against a plucky group of resistance fighters. But honestly, who really expected Disney to take the franchise in bold new directions? The similarities in plot are more than made up for by the fantastic new cast of characters, and almost add to the cyclical nature of the Star Wars universe. A universe in which Jedis rise from nothing at far ends of the galaxy, and the dark side of the force conspires against the light like natural phenomenon, unstoppable and eternal.

Also just like the old films the theme of family – both real and adoptive – is firmly at the core of things, injecting the action and adventure with true emotional weight. Whether it’s the long-standing yet little-changed relationships between the old characters or the new friendships forged in this first battle, the concerns of family and legacy provide a real point of connection for audiences. It’s easy to sympathize with Rey and Finn, both lost in the wide universe searching for people with which to connect, and their intriguingly ambiguous backstories promise many interesting discoveries in the future.

And boy are we excited about the future. While we don’t even want to think about waiting two years for the next instalment, it’s comforting to know that Abrams has provided the franchise reboot with a strong foundation. Like Rey spelunking through the skeletal remains of Star Destroyers, he has expertly stripped the original trilogy of parts in order to build a new and improved universe. Funny, touching, and darn good fun, The Force Awakens has certainly given the Star Wars franchise some long awaited new hope.

Reviewed by Evan Arppe.