The Force Awakens

Mark Swain reviews the new Star Wars film…

Now it’s fair to say I am a pretty big Star Wars fan. My love for the franchise began in the mid 1990’s when the original trilogy was receiving somewhat of revival which eventually lead to the original movies being re-released (abet with a few ‘changes’) in 1997. I was 13 years old which is around the time when cultural things really starts to resonant with a person, when you start to become the person you will eventually become. Star Wars was a huge part of making me who I am.

Over the 90’s and early 2000’s I absorbed every kind of Star Wars item I could get my hands on. Toys were bought, books were read, video games were played, graphic novels were looked at and the movies watched dozens and dozens of time. I was knee deep in the universe and can still name a large amount of characters from sight (IG-88 remains a favourite). So I was genuinely excited, as most were, when the prequel movies came out but having viewed them I was a little disappointed. Those movies aren’t without merit offering decent set pieces and interesting characters but lacklustre scripting and acting ultimately let them down. Some will argue they are terrible movies but I can’t agree with that sentiment, sure they weren’t as good as they could have been but sometimes the anger they get I feel is unjustified.

All of this rambling is going somewhere I promise. After the prequels stopped I kind of fell out of love with Star Wars and moved onto other obsessions. My knowledge waned as new TV shows were blocked on channels I didn’t have access to and things took a slant towards a younger demographic, I had grown up but Star Wars didn’t grow up with me. Then it was announced that a whole new trilogy of Star Wars films, proper films, would be made. This rekindled my love of all things Star Wars and I started to re-watch the movies in preparation for Star Wars The Force Awaken which I saw last Friday.

Firstly let me say I loved the movie and genuinely can’t wait to see it again. J.J. Abrams has stripped back the series to it’s nuts and bolts, keeping what worked so well and casting aside anything that didn’t. He understands what made the original trilogy so loved and replicates it well. The space battles are exhilarating with the camera swooping around following the action, all the music is brilliantly used with John Williams’ iconic score sprinkled throughout, the acting is very good in the most part and the script offers delightful nods to the original movies but still tells an engaging story which sets things up nicely for further movies which will follow.

The decision to bring back the older characters from the original movies raised a few eyebrows at the time but this decision proves to be a good one as it allows the movies to bring the new characters into the mix without them having the weight of carrying the movie. The acting by the veterans of series is pretty good (anyone who can get a performance out of Harrison Ford at the moment is doing something right) but it’s the performances of the newbies which is really pleasing.

Female characters in Star Wars haven’t always been the most three dimensional but in Daisy Ridley’s Rey the franchise finally seems to have found a female lead who can actually carry a film. Rey is plucky, handy in a fight and refuses to be anyone’s damsel in distress. Her early interactions with the films other main hero Finn demonstrate how confident and assured she will be. I do suspect Ridely was a little over awed by what she was getting into as her performance is a little inconsistent but I have high hopes for the character in the future. I was also impressed by John Boyega’s portrayal of stormtrooper-turned-good Finn who plays the role with a dorky kind of charm which makes the character instantly likeable. The new droid in the picture, BB-8, is also a delight offering much more character than a machine who is restricted to beeps and whistles should ever be able to pull off.

Star Wars is known for its huge battles which set the films apart from other sci fi actioners of the time and The Force Awakens continues this fine legacy. Abrams is an old hand at directing action sequences like this and he brings a real skill and craft to the set pieces. Abrams is clearly a Star Wars fan and knows exactly what the fans expect from the movie overall and delivers in almost every respect. Overall his direction of this movie is excellent and it should be to his credit that he has been able to bring together one of the most anticipated movies of all time to the screen which has been loved by the public and critics alike.

One thing the movie does perfectly is replicate the grubbiness of the original trilogy. Those 70’s/80’s movies had an air of taking place in a run down galaxy where everyone was leading a dank existence and this helps to connect the audience with the protagonists and their dreams for a brighter future (Star Wars was called A New Hope after all). The prequel movies had a Hollywood CGI shine to every scene and this was my major criticism of those movies, everything feels too clean, too new, too clinical. This new movie places the action firmly back in the shady universe we know and love. Whilst this is mostly a visual effect, the planets which are visited add to this as well. Each of them have a cold and neglected feel which helps to make them real and lived in. Special care was clearly taken to build these worlds and special mention should go to the people who find these unusual locations on our own world.

The story chugs along at a fair old pace but does feel a little old fashioned in places. There is something to be located in The Force Awakens and each clue the characters unearth brings them closer to the finding the missing, as movie structures go this one is as old as the hills but it can still work as a story telling device. As the film progresses it raises further questions (most notably around Rey and her background) which are never answered during this movie but leave fans anxiously hungering for the other parts of this new trilogy.

Does The Force Awakens work as a film for Star Wars fans? Definitely yes, a throwback to what made the original trilogy great with versatile actors makes for a winning combination. Does The Force Awakens work as a movie for people who have never seen or don’t like Star Wars? Probably not, a fair amount of previous knowledge is required to get the subtleties of the plot and the universe it takes place in. Without understanding that you are left only with a decent sci-fi romp that doesn’t drag or has an underlining agenda. Still watchable but not memorable.

As a Star Wars fan I would whole heartedly recommend a trip to see The Force Awakens. As a movie goer I would also recommend it but hardcore fans will get far more out of it than the uninitiated public.