Episode VII is it the new hope for a beloved franchise tarnished by the prequels; or is it a rehash of A New Hope?
***THIS WITCH TRIAL WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS BELOW***
Who:Director: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill
What:
Science Fiction
Why:
Because Disney needs more money, I mean to continue the Star Wars legacy (and because the fans demand it!)
When:
Released 2015
Where:
The Star Wars Universe
When Disney negotiated a deal for Lucasfilm in 2012 it was a sure bet that they would be producing content set in the Star Wars universe. Sure enough the world was quickly informed that a new trilogy was to go into production following on the story from Return of the Jedi.
This announcement basically caused internet meltdown as fans went through all the mixed emotions that the thought of three new films invoked. There were articles both for and against continuing a saga that seemed to have told its tale and ended in a satisfactory way.
Of course the last time George Lucas produced Star Wars films the overwhelming majority of people lambasted the prequels that he made. The negativity was not without merit as the prequels did not have the same heart as the original trilogy. I don't want to go into what makes them bad movies but it is safe to say that the trepidation felt by many at the announcement of three further releases was probably warranted.
However as more news came out about what was taking place behind the scenes for these new entries the vibe suddenly started to become more positive. Announcing that J.J. Abrams was to become the director in 2013 was seen as a step in the right direction. The inclusion of Lawrence Kasdan also was viewed with much celebration, having been responsible for penning the script for possibly the most beloved of all the Star Wars films: The Empire Strikes Back. Excluding George Lucas from any involvement was also felt by many to be a good move, though not all agreed.
Of course there were also the rumours that the trio of Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher would be appearing too. This was later confirmed and fans went crazy at the thought of seeing their heroes back on the big screen together again.
So everything seemed to be heading in a positive direction as far as casting and crew were concerned. It is safe to say that every new announcement was scrutinised and picked apart by many Star Wars geeks and aficionado's who couldn't wait for that December 2015 release date. The hype was only increased as the trailers and footage hit the airwaves in the build up. Many fans were left drooling at the sight of Chewbacca and Han Solo; with Han uttering three simple words: "Chewie were home".
With anticipation at an all time high and ticket presales breaking records around the world how did the film measure up once it hit our screens?
Well I can say that it certainly feels a lot more like a Star Wars film than any of the prequels. The film moves along at a cracking pace but not to the detriment of the story. You are being told a coherent tale and importantly, are also given the time to get to know each character as you follow the action.
Abrams has got the emotional connection correct and given us people that you can truly care about. Gone from this film are all the stilted conversations and relationships that felt forced rather than natural; that were a major problem for episodes I to III.
A lot of this emotion comes from the excellent casting. We have Ford and Fisher returning of course, but it is the new breed of actors that are on board where most of the goodwill lies. There is hardly an actor that has been chosen poorly for the role they have been assigned.
John Boyega was very enjoyable in Attack the Block. Playing a character that could have been very easy to dislike due to his nature, Boyega injected some nice nuance to the role. In The Force Awakens he is able to up his game some more and really display his talents as FN-2187 or as Poe christens him: Finn.
Boyega provides some of the lighter moments of the whole film but at no stage do you think he is just there to bring out the laughter. His character has depth to him as he goes on a journey from dark to light. You can see that he wants to do what is right and you get fully behind him as he does so. His journey juxtaposes well with that of Kylo Ren who we will get to.
Poe might seem to be the new Han, with his easy going, wise-cracking ways and laid back appearance. His sense of doing good and sacrificing what is necessary to help the resistance shines through. If he is the latest version of a cool space cowboy then I am happy for him to take that mantle. Like with many of his films, Isaac is able to give his character more than surface material to work with.
Our main heroine Rey is portrayed by Daisy Ridley. Rey is most definitely not a damsel in distress; she won't need rescuing a la Princess Leia any time soon. For perhaps the first time Star Wars gets its first kick ass female lead. Leia had her moments and certainly talked a good game, but she was left in the background as Luke & Han took centre stage.
In no time at all Rey establishes that she is one tough lady who knows how to take care of herself without anyone's help. She might have been left alone on the planet Jakku but whoever left her there knew she would not end up in trouble. Again we have an actor at the top of her game. Ridley makes Rey instantly likeable and you are happy to spend time with this character that is central to the whole story.
While Rey has her strengths; there is also a vulnerability to her as well. She is a person with many layers and has such an interesting story with so much mystery surrounding her that speculation about her is bound to grow before the next episode is released. It is a clever ploy from the film makers in having her back-story to be revealed at a later date. Because Ridley embodies the character with so much spirit you want to find out more about her history.
Now we come to the dark side of the Force. General Hux is more your standard maniacal leader but is still serviceable as a villain. Captain Phasma I will come to later along with Supreme Leader Snoke.
The main adversary and the one who everyone was talking about after the reveal in the trailer of that crackling lightsaber being turned on is Kylo Ren. Ren is possibly the greatest addition to the roster of villains facing the resistance since Boba Fett strolled onto the screen. Darth Maul has many admirers but in all honesty that is mainly down to him looking like a cool foe rather than his actual character and traits.
Ren is not Darth Vader, as much as he would like to be. What he appears to be is a petulant teenager with anger management issues that he is struggling to deal with. He is a person who has chosen the Dark Side but is wrestling with his decision. It is an invigorating reversal on the previously screened formula where both Anakin and Luke were being lured to the Dark Side.
While in Return of the Jedi Luke was trying to redeem his father and bring him back to the Light Side; here we have a tortured soul in Ren fighting his own convictions and Snoke trying to keep him as an ally for the forces of evil.
Adam Driver is excellent in the part. Abrams took the wise decision to allow Driver to remove his helmet which in turn allows him to fully express the conflict and emotions his character is experiencing while trying to keep his sanity together. Ren is very menacing when masked and that voice alteration is quite intimidating; but even with the mask taken off he is just as effective in creating unease in the people facing him.
Whereas Vader wore his helmet to preserve his life and cover up his deformities; Ren is fully human looking. Because of this, you get all the raw emotion he is portraying. As a result you are left with a person that you can't fully hate because he has many attributes that are so relatable. At this stage you are meant to feel empathy towards him as it is clear he isn't fully committed to the path he has chosen.
Not all the best characters in The Force Awakens are human though; how can we not mention BB8? Abrams and co. have possibly created the best droid this universe has ever had and that includes R2D2. That might be a controversial opinion but it is one that I am sure many will feel.
BB8 is what I think George Lucas was hoping for with Jar Jar Binks but got it so wrong. There are some great comic moments which BB8 has on screen and the laughs aren't drawn out to a length that would make them cringe worthy. For an inanimate object, they really do get BB8 to emote extremely well.
The design team hit the ball out the park with this cute droid. He isn't a computer generated creation either; this is a fully working robot that is actually interacting with the actors in the scenes he appears in. This helps those scenes feel more realistic as opposed to an actor looking at a tennis ball surrounded by a green screen with the visuals of the droid to be filled in later.
I have mentioned a couple of times the humour in the movie. The Original Star Wars had some great throwaway lines, particularly from Han. Those little moments are what helped give the film the warmth as it made its characters more relatable. Abrams pulls the same trick here by adding in some funny laugh out loud scenes whilst also including some far more subtle jokes too.
There is a great usage of a Jedi mind trick that brings out a few guffaws. In contrast there are throw away lines that dedicated fans will pick up on that raise a smile - a reference to a garbage chute being one example. There are plenty of nods to the original trilogy along similar lines. When I say nods I don't mean the scenes that feel like re-runs as I will soon come to them.
What you do get is a positive sense of nostalgia and you come away from this feeling like you have watched a proper Star Wars film. As a fan you can't help but get a tingle up your spine when the Millennium Falcon is first revealed. Likewise when Han and Chewbacca make their entry you want to cheer. Leia might not have an extensive role but she is a welcome return. The way they handle Luke's appearance leaves you wanting to see him more as well.
This has been made with the fans in mind; the team behind it have obviously looked at what made the original trilogy work and chose to give the fans more of the same. It is a great exercise in getting those old fans (and new ones) on board. The Force Awakens has laid a good solid foundation for this three film series to now take us where it wants too. It feels fantastic to be able to look forward to the next instalment.
The fear was always going to be: will this film turn out to be as bad as the prequels. Thankfully the answer is an emphatic no - but that is not to say that it doesn't have its issues.
Yes, this does go a long way to creating a good feeling towards the Star Wars universe again and that is something that I for one am certainly grateful for. There are scenes and events that happen here that fit well with what you would expect from a Star Wars movie.
That though is the main problem: far too much of what you see has been done before in a Star Wars movie. Not everything on offer has been ripped straight from what has gone before but there are so many repeated events that you have to wonder if what we are seeing is basically a reboot as opposed to a continuation of the story.
I am sure that a lot of the content has been designed to pamper to the fans. A lot of the criticism aimed at the prequels was that the mythos set before in the original trilogy felt ignored or was ret conned to suit the whims of George Lucas. As a result those films, whilst commercial successes, suffered critically and it is why a lot of diehard fans wish they never existed.
Abrams and co. have looked at what worked and decided to follow suit. However what Abrams has done in reality is rehashed (with some minor tweaking) parts of the previous storylines, mainly from episode IV. Instead of going into great detail of each one let us look at a bullet point list to see what has been reused from episodes IV to VI to create The Force Awakens:
- We start off with plans being hidden in a droid: BB8 as opposed to R2D2.
- Stormtroopers battle with Rebels before Kylo Ren enters once the Rebels have surrendered in much the same way as Darth Vader was originally introduced to audiences.
- Poe Dameron is brought before Kylo Ren as was Princess Leia to Darth Vader for them to have a brief exchange.
- The search is on to locate the droid with the plans much like the pursuit of C-3PO and R2D2.
- Poe is taken on board Starkiller base and tortured for the location of the plans by Kylo Ren again mimicking Leia's torture at the hands of Vader.
- BB8 comes under the protection of Rey who has no idea as to his nature which is similar to Luke taking ownership of R2D2 and C-3PO.
- It might not in this instance be someone disguised as a stormtrooper; but it is someone dressed as a stormtrooper who rescues the person captured at the start of the film.
- Finn has to quickly learn how to operate the weapons on a spaceship to help destroy pursuing Tie Fighter's which brings to mind the situation Luke found himself in when escaping from the Death Star.
- Rey and Finn flee the planet in the Millennium Falcon while not exactly saying "What a piece of Junk" like Luke did, Rey does make a comment about the Falcon's shoddy condition.
- It turns out Rey is an awesome pilot much like Luke and Vader before her.
- The Falcon is captured by a larger space vehicle. It might not be the Death Star but it is dragged in none the less. It is a nice reversal though having these captors being friendly although it was also a little predictable.
- Han relates a bit of history regarding the Jedi order as did Obi-Wan Kenobi.
- During the explanation he says the Jedi's were betrayed by one of their own identifying the Knights of Ren which mirrors Vader's betrayal during the Clone Wars.
- The true identity of Kylo Ren is kept secret from Rey and Finn; as was Vader's true identity from Luke, when both tales are told for the first time.
- Rey has latent Force abilities that only start to become apparent once she is told about the Force by Han as was Luke once he was informed about the Force from Obi-Wan.
- Kylo Ren, albeit reluctantly, seems to follow General Hux's orders in the same way Vader is answerable to Grand Moff Tarkin.
- A reversal of roles sees Kylo Ren fight the urges of the Light Side of the Force as opposed to battling against the Dark Side which is the situation Luke had to deal with throughout the original trilogy.
- Like Obi-Wan did with Luke; Han takes Rey and Finn to a cantina filled with all sorts of aliens although this place is nowhere near as exciting as Mos Eisley.
- Maz Kanata comes across as a poor version of Yoda.
- Starkiller base destroys multiple planets as opposed to the single system destruction of Alderaan.
- The plan to destroy Starkiller base involves a group on the ground like we have seen in Return of the Jedi; as well as an attack run similar in style to the X-Wing attack on the Death Star in A New Hope.
- The end result is that Starkiller base is destroyed by; you guessed it, an X-Wing. Not only that but it is Poe who fires the destructive shot as did Luke, it couldn't be left to a minor character to have the glory.
- Poe also has to approach the weak point by taking a flight down a narrow channel much like the first Death Star.
- Instead of having Kylo Ren be an exact replica of Vader being the father of Luke; he is revealed as the son of Han and Leia, the similarities are still obvious.
- Han takes on the role of Obi-Wan, when facing off against Kylo Ren who substitutes for Vader for their conflict on the Death Star, in this case: Starkiller base.
- Rey and Finn, much like Luke did, watch on as the confrontation unfolds. Rey and Chewbacca even yell out when the final blow comes in the same way Luke did before them.
- Rey has to go in search of the Jedi Master Luke, we assume so he can train her in the ways of the Force; thus completing the circle which began with his own training at the hands of Yoda.
You could go through the original trilogy and find a whole slew of repeated storylines too, such as destroying a second Death Star - a scenario mentioned with a throwaway line in this film when discussing the attack on Starkiller base.
When setting a film series in any universe with particular attributes, there are always going to be limitations as to how the stories you choose to tell can vary. Added to this is the fact that fans want to see certain tropes so it shouldn't come as a major surprise that there are going to be parts of the tale that are repeated.
After pointing out all of these familiar scenes the question has to be asked: does all of this repetition make The Force Awakens a bad film? The answer I have to stress again is no.
This is very much an enjoyable movie experience for the reasons and others I mentioned above. It is just slightly frustrating that there isn't as much originality in the script as what we would like. After the lambasting the prequels got for doing that very thing though, is it any wonder that the producers decided to take the safe option and give the fans more of what they like?
There are other points that do aggravate me which need to be brought up against The Force Awakens.
Whilst Kylo Ren is a superb addition to the universe, the same goodwill cannot be extended to his two offsiders: General Hux and Captain Phasma.
Firstly Captain Phasma, played by Gwendoline Christie, is criminally underused. We have a terrific actress in the role but she gets very little to say or do. Phasma has the cool shiny looking stormtrooper costume with a cape but it does nothing to expand on her rank or importance in the hierarchy of the First Order. Basically her whole contribution boils down to a couple of conversations and rolling over as soon as her back is to the wall when confronted by Han, Chewbacca and Finn. Hopefully she gets a larger role in the sequels considering how much marketing was done beforehand to promote this silver stormtrooper. Providing she survived the destruction of Starkiller base that is.
Domhnall Gleeson takes on the role of General Hux. I am a big fan of Gleeson and tend to enjoy him in every performance. I didn't think his acting in this was too bad, he chewed a bit of scenery and was a little over the top in places but overall he is okay. His character certainly appears to be a fanatical member of the First Order. Again though the problem is he is underused.
Now I know that there is a massive emphasis story wise on Kylo Ren and if we were getting more screen time for the other evil characters it would detract from the overall narrative. Would it have hurt though to give a bit more depth and character development to these other two?
I have to say that as the Star Wars series has gone on, the more I get annoyed by C-3PO. Having heard Anthony Daniels in interviews I can't make up my mind if I just don't like him as a person. I don't think he has to stretch himself in the role I find he is just as annoying in reality. He also has the worst dialogue of any of the characters in this film. Some of his lines hark back to the cheesy lines of the original trilogy. Also his scenes appear to be designed purely and simply to provide exposition for the audience.
From a film that took the brave step of using as many practical effects and costumes as they could; it is surprising that when it comes to the CGI used, they have some of the worst examples from a blockbuster in recent memory. Abrams is no stranger to CGI; Bad Robot his production company are responsible for the effects on many movies. Let us not forget though that this is Lucasfilm; pioneers in CGI development, this is their bread and butter and are back in the universe where it all started for them.
The Rathtar creatures that are let loose on the spaceship occupied by Han and Chewbacca look abysmal. You can hardly tell what is happening with them, there are that many limbs and fast motion movements occurring when they are on screen that none of it looks remotely believable enough. With everything else looking as realistic as possible their design flaws stick out like a sore thumb.
The other major CGI character is Supreme Leader Snoke who we see in hologram form. The hologram image might not do him justice but going on the evidence put before us he is a really disappointing big boss bad guy. He looks like a scarred version of Lord Voldemort with a nose!
Starkiller base might look pretty impressive but it seems a bit farfetched that the construction of such a base would have been permitted to happen from previous altercations involving Death Star's. Surely the resistance would try and sabotage the production of this ultimate weapon?
Finally we have to mention the death of a beloved character. My opinion is that it took a lot of convincing to get Harrison Ford to return to this universe in the first place. He wanted to be killed off in the original trilogy but was so popular that it was never going to happen. I personally don't have a problem with the way it happened on screen but I can totally understand the anger felt by fans across the globe that such an icon is no more.
What does irk me about Han's death is the callous way Leia does not comfort Chewbacca once the heroes return to base. Instead she goes to Rey, a person she has never met until this point, and wraps her in a big warm embrace. It would have been far more emotional and gut wrenching if it was Leia and Chewbacca comforting one another in their grief. It's a missed opportunity that Abrams himself has admitted regret about and has said he would handle it differently in hindsight.
Verdict:
Yes this film is guilty of a lot of pilfering from earlier editions but it has laid a solid defence to build upon. Let us put Disney and co. on probation. If however the next instalment is set on a Hoth like planet and a hero loses a hand we won't be showing them any mercy!
Evidence:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_The_Force_Awakens
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2488496/
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