Movie Review by Debbie Lynn Elias
Fall in love anew with old friends. Embrace the new. Ride the roller coaster of adventure complete with thrills and chills that make your heart pound and your face smile from ear to ear with more than a few tears thrown in for good measure. Marvel and wonder with the wide-eyed joy of a kid on Christmas morning ripping the paper off the biggest box under the tree and finding it to be the present you had begged Santa to bring for years only to realize Santa is really JJ Abrams in disguise. Then see a girl kick ass; then kick some more. And then you want it to be Christmas every day of the year, celebrating over and over again with Han, Leia, Chewbacca, R2, 3PO, BB8, Finn, Poe, Rey, Maz and yes, Luke.
Heart, humor, danger, excitement, thrills, chills. The latest Star Wars chapter wakens every range of emotion in the galaxy and you’ll love the feeling of experiencing each and every one. Screenwriter Larry Kasdan, together with co-writer Michael Arndt and co-writer/director J.J. Abrams crafted a wonderful script that passes the legacy torch to a new generation while embracing the old and building upon the strong elements and themes of the past.
Abrams and company have given us everything one could hope for and more.
Key to the immersive nature of the viewing experience is Abrams decision to shoot in 35mm as opposed to the flawless, personality-free digital once embraced by George Lucas himself. From the opening battle on the planet Jakku, we feel the grit of the sand as it flies in our faces, the shock of a hand soaked in blood dripping red death on the pristine gleam of a Stormtrooper’s white helmet. And as that blood give the audience a palpable and visceral experience, so it does for this particular Stormtrooper who serves the First Order (30 years ago it was the Empire. Now we have the First Order.). Taken away from his family as a child, this Stormtrooper – who we shall come to know as Finn – was brainwashed to serve the First Order. But something inside of him rebels as Resistance members on this little-known planet are slaughtered on orders of the black-cloaked and helmeted Kylo Ren. Ren is seeking a droid with a map that involves Luke Skywalker. The BB8 droid is under the protection of Resistance pilot Poe Dameron, who is trying to get the droid to the Resistance leaders. Knowing capture is imminent, Poe sends BB8 on his way, promising to come for him as soon as he can.
As BB8 trundles across the hot desert sands of Jakku, he meets a young scavenger named Rey. Like Finn, she too was taken away from her parents as a young child and has waited all these years believing her family would come for her. Now she survives by scavenging parts from old battle wreckage from the glory days of the Jedi, the Rebellion and the Empire. Hearing BB8’s plea for help with his mission (Rey speaks Droid), she agrees to help and protect him.
Meanwhile, back on an Imperial battleship, Poe is being tortured by the mysterious and villainous Kylo Ren, only to soon find himself rescued by Finn who sees this as his own opportunity to escape the clutches of the First Order. Eventually crash landing on Jakku, Finn believes Poe is dead but knows he must move onward. Trekking across the barren landscape battling oppressive sun and sandstorms, Finn soon stumbles into an attack by the First Order and spies Poe’s little BB8 – and Rey.
Rey and Finn make their getaway in a rusty old bucket of bolts which the audience immediately recognizes as the Millennium Falcon. And where there is the Falcon, there has to be Han Solo and Chewbacca.
There will be no doubt in anyone’s mind on seeing the expressions on the faces of Daisy Ridley and John Boyega as Rey and Finn when they first lay eyes on Harrison Ford that their joy and glee is barely containable. Those smiles and bright eyes are as genuine as genuine can be. And so the real journey begins because, as Han says, “It’s true – the Force, the Jedi, all of it. It’s all true.”
And true enough, so are all the emotions that swell inside you as Han and Chewbacca and their new friends reconnect with R2D2 and C3PO; as we stop at new watering holes and cantinas and meet wise new characters; as secrets are discovered and truths are told; a mystery involving Luke Skywalker unfolds; and, as Han and Leia, now General Organa, bring a hushed silence to the movie theatre, as we collectively rejoice in every word, every look, every barb, every bittersweet moment the two are on screen. Time may have mellowed them a bit, but Leia still loves Han, and yes, he knows. And so do we.
The reverence for the original trilogy is undeniable, complete with requisite one-liners we have all come to know and love. The script’s exposition is deft and never heavy handed. There is a fluidity to the first act that sets the stage, fills the gaps of the past 30 years and lays the groundwork for the secrets that are about to unfold. I would dare to say that other than George Lucas, no one knows this universe and its history better than Larry Kasdan (scribe of “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi”) which accounts for the strong base structure and story development now.
As comes as no surprise, Harrison Ford slips into Han Solo as if he’d never left him, who said of the role: “It seemed easy to come back to the character. Clothes make the man. I had walked more than a mile in those boots. I was interested in the described path of the character. I thought there was an interesting bit of business for the character to do.” Interesting is an understatement. Equally joyous is Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa. Gone may be the golden bikini and ear buns, but in their place is a wider confidence and maturity and bittersweet tenderness that brings tears to one’s heart. Dear to her own heart, Fisher protectively states, “I’m the custodian of Princess Leia. I never got out of character.”
Anthony Daniels returns as C3PO as does everyone’s favorite Wookie, Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca. Albeit brief, look for a touching performance by Max von Sydow in a key role as Lor San Tekka.
But then we have our 21st century versions of Han, Leia and Luke in the form of Finn, Rey and Poe – John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac, respectively. All three are poised for universal stardom with their performances here – particularly Daisy Ridley. She is fearless. Their youth, vitality and awe at the unfolding battle between the First Order and Resistance is invigorating not just to the story and film as a whole, but to each of us as we watch them. The chemistry of this triumvirate is undeniable and I, for one, am chomping at the bit for the sequel just to see the three of them together again.
But let’s not forget the Dark Side. Motion capture master Andy Serkis is delicious as the evil Supreme Leader Snoke while Domhnall Gleeson brings a petulant, spoiled brattish quality to General Hux. And Adam Driver as Kylo Ren delivers perhaps the strongest and most resonant emotional performance of the film. From his facial expression (with mask off) to his vocal to his physical presence and stature, Driver is easily the heir apparent of evil.
And yes, never to be overlooked, John Williams returns with another flawless score that could nab him his 44th Oscar nomination and possibly 6th golden statuette.
The Force is strong with this one. The Force Awakens kicks into into hyper-drive and never stops.
Star Trek: The Force Awakens.
Directed by J.J. Abrams. Written by Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams, Michael Arndt
Starring: Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Anthony Daniels, Domnhall Gleeson, and Andy Serkis.
Run time: 135 mins: Rated: PG-13
