***Includes spoilers. You’ve been warned. See the movie already, why dontcha***
As I sat in the Kansas City airport with a pounding headache from the more than bountiful Halloween festivities of the weekend, my friend approached me with the best news I’d heard in a long, long time. “Hey, Mark, look at the newspaper. George Lucas sold Star Wars to Disney, and they’re going to make some new movies.”
My response: “Get the fudge outta here with that nonsense! That is way too good to be true.”
But it was true. It was oh so deliciously true, and I simply couldn’t contain my excitement.
Fast-forward to December 17, 2015. After three long years of long, eager anticipation…after yearning for every little snippet of non-spoiler info about the newest addition to the saga…after re-watching all the old movies again and again…it was finally time to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
I could feel my anxiety grow as I approached the entrance to the theater. My nerves were on edge as if I were back in high school and was getting ready to pitch in a big game (except instead of a cool, manly sport, I was nervous about a movie for nerds…whatever).
Are my expectations to high? Is it going to suck? Am I going to have to have to punch some jerk in the tummy for having his phone out during the movie? These questions and more raced through my head.
After settling into our seats (which were totally bitchin’ seats by the way…thanks Anthony!), my friends and I stared up at the massive screen with child like adoration and wonder. And then it finally happened. Quite possibly the most recognizable, in-your-face movie musical notes followed by quite possibly the most famous ten words in cinematic history brought the theater to life….
DUH-duh-duh-duh!
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…
After 135 minutes of not blinking one single time, the first chapter to this long awaited nerd journey came to a close. And it was g-darn fantastic!!!
Since I’d been looking forward to this movie for so long, I’d developed some pretty darn lofty expectations for it. During the weeks leading up to the release, I did my best to temper those expectations, but, honestly, it didn’t work at all. I entered the theater believing this movie was going to be one of the best flicks I’d ever seen. Fortunately for me, JJ Abrams and Disney did not disappoint me. Now I won’t go saying that this was my favorite Star Wars movie of the bunch, but dammit, it is hovering right near the top. Everything about it, from beginning to end, was very impressive.
It’s probably best to start with a brief(ish) plot synopsis.
Thirty years after the Rebellion’s heroic defeat of the Emperor in Return of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker has disappeared after a his attempt to reignite the Jedi Order has been foiled by an apprentice, Kylo Ren, who’s turned to the dark side. In his absence, a new evil power dubbed the First Order has risen from the ashes of the Empire. On the flip side, a faction of the new Republic, the Resistance, aims to defend the galaxy from the bad guys.
Both sides are searching for a map to Skywalker’s whereabouts in the hopes to tip the balance of the war in their favor. The First Order seeks to destroy him and the Resistance hopes to use his power for good. In the process, lots of people die and there’s explosions and stuff.
In my opinion, the greatest aspect of the movie was the wonderful mix of new and old characters. Not only do we get to experience one more ride with our favorite smugglers, Han Solo and Chewbacca, and other classic characters, but we are also introduced to several new extraordinary ones.
Finn and Poe are great additions to the Star Wars universe. Finn is a stormtrooper, taken from his family at birth and raised to be a ruthless killer. Despite his merciless training, he’s retained his conscience, refuses to fight for the First Order, and abandons the evil faction. We see him grow from a frightened defector who only wants to escape into obscurity to a bona fide hero.
Poe may be my favorite new protagonist of the bunch. A dedicated and daring Resistance pilot, he is one kickass combatant. He dusts a few stormtroopers with a blaster rifle in the opening battle sequence, resists rounds of tortuous interrogations, and shoots down what seems like thousands of TIE fighters in his X-wing. My favorite part about Poe is his personality. He is a very charming and funny character. In my opinion, he is like a friendlier, more visibly caring Han Solo.
Rey does a phenomenal job as an unsuspecting heroine. Stranded on a desolate sand planet (similar to another leading character we’re all familiar with), she is thrust into the middle of the action when she encounters Finn on Jakku. Once she is caught up in the middle of a deadly conflict, she is unwavering in her dedication to do the right thing. Not to mention, she can use the Force.
Not gonna lie, when I saw the movie for the first time, I thought Kylo Ren was kind a of a whiny nerd loser. But just sort of. I mean he threw tantrums and couldn’t even kick a couple of novices’ butts in a lightsaber fight.
After seeing it again (okay two more times), giving it more thought, and reading what JJ Abrams wanted to accomplish with the character, I developed a new respect for him. He is a powerful, yet raw warrior who is conflicted by his origins (Han and Leia’s son). Just the opposite of Anakin Skywalker, he is a soldier of the dark side who feels the pull of the light. His complexity and vulnerability are the key draws to his character. I’m excited to see how he develops over remainder of this new trilogy.
Last but not least, Han Solo and Chewbacca straight up steal the show. This was my first new experience seeing these two on the big screen (not counting the re-released extended versions of the original trilogy in the late 90’s), and it was a truly magical experience. These are two characters that I spent countless hours watching, playing with their action figures, and even pretending to be them on occasion. This is no light cameo or simple nod to the original trilogy. They are right in the thick of it all and kicking all sorts of First Order ass.
The visual effects in this movie are simply phenomenal. Sure they use CGI, but the charm of this movie is the return to the greatness of the original trilogy with creative prop use and live-action characters. Instead of seeing thousands of cartoon-looking clone soldiers and droids duking it out, we have outstandingly costumed stormtroopers, humans, and aliens blasting each other to oblivion.
Visual affects preferences aside, The Force Awakens just has a bunch of sweet action sequences. We get multiple extended scenes of large battles between stormtroopers and a variety of good guys, ranging from Poe and his villager pals to Han Solo & Co. and other space pirates who’ve had their festivities interrupted at their favorite watering hole. You certainly get your fill of bad guys getting blasted in outstandingly executed, gritty combat engagements.
And if all the ground battles weren’t enough, we get to see plenty of truly spectacular dogfights. The aerial combat may be the best of the entire saga in my opinion.
Lastly, I really enjoyed the lightsaber battles. TFA gave us glimpses of some things we’d never really seen before. First we get to see Finn, a non-Jedi wield one of the weapons. We also get to see a Force-sensitive, yet untrained Rey and a weakened Kylo Ren battle it out. It gave the scene a sense of raw desperation for survival. Though these weren’t as polished as other lightsaber fights in the saga, they were suspenseful and exciting.
Simply put, this episode truly puts the war in Star Wars.
I know there have been a few gripes about The Force Awakens being so similar to A New Hope. So what. Sure it had all sorts of parallels to the original (Ex. Jedi-to-be hero living on a sandy planet who gets thrust into the action, world-destroying weapon that is fairly easy to blow up, etc.), but it was by no means a remake. It had its own unique blend of new and old characters and a plot worthy of building on the original trilogy. It was a great first chapter that paid homage to its predecessors and set the stage for brand new adventures.
And now to discuss the biggest spoiler of them all…the death of our favorite scoundrel. Based off interviews with Harrison Ford and other rumors I read, I had a pretty darn good idea going into this movie that Han Solo was going to die. The only question was how. As much as I didn’t like it, I was at peace with his character’s demise, but I hoped it was at least going to be a worthy death. And after some post-viewing thinking, I believe it was very worthy.
Han Solo is easily the most selfish protagonist of the entire Star Wars saga. That’s not to say he wasn’t a good guy or that he didn’t have the heart of a hero, but he was always looking out for ol’ number one. But this selfish man was killed trying to save his son from the evil grip of the dark side. Knowing full well that he was likely to fail and be killed in the process, he tried nonetheless. It was only fitting that his last gesture in the galaxy was a truly selfless act. RIP Han.
Phew! I think that just about wraps it up…even though I could certainly go on.
Overall, this movie was absolutely incredible. If you haven’t seen it yet (or if I haven’t already ruined it for you), drop what you’re doing and head straight to the theater. You will not be disappointed.