Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review: We’re Home

“Please be good, please be good, please be good.” That was the thought of every man, woman and child in the cinema whilst they waited for The Force Awakens: Star Wars’ hopefully triumphant return to the silver screen, to play. And as soon as that iconic and familiar credits scroll accompanied by the flawless Star Wars theme blasted heroically out of those cinema speakers not a glimpse or shadow of a doubt could be seen or heard of in anyone's mind. Star Wars is back. Thank you J.J. Abrams.

To reveal anything about the plot of this film feels like a spoiler, and really anyone should go into this film almost completely unaware of what epicary is about to grace their presence, so I won’t divulge even the smallest of plot synopsis. What I will say however is how good the story is, while it’s definitely not revolutionary – instead more familiar actually - the way it sets up and introduces us to the new generation of Star Wars to be is so fun and well-constructed that you should simply put your feet up and let the cast and crew of this film take you on a ride.

And what a ride it is, the pacing of this film is stupendous, with the exact amount of down time mixed in with high flying action and plot progression that your never left bored or in an awkward silence, every scene feels meaningful and never out stays its welcome as your feet never really get the chance to touch the ground on this high octane intergalactic adventure.

So yes, it is by far far away better than the prequels, and I think it is no over-statement to proudly announce from the roof tops that Star Wars is back and better than ever. And the amount of joy that fills me with is something I’m still getting over after seeing it at the opening mid night showing. The film truly brings a worthy new generation of characters for kids of today to invest in as much those who saw New Hope on its release. And how the film sets up the future of the universe makes me even more excited and intrigued for Episode 8.

After the more than disappointing prequels J.J. Abrams said he was committed to bringing the more real and authentic feeling of the original trilogy back, and that he did in spades. His use of practical effects not only meshed surprisingly well with the CGI of the movie but every new creature, set, or vehicle introduced into this beloved universe felt like it had belonged there all along. From the overall design of the movie to John Williams’ excellent score, everything felt classic Star Wars and warmed the hearts of the audience collectively.

But J.J. Abrams did not only mimic the feel and style of the original trilogy, he brought along some of his own unique lens flared style. How this movie was shot felt fresh and exciting, with his use of the camera giving the film a fluid and living feeling that made the fast paced scenes of the movie feel even more intense and gave the, at times overwhelming scope that much more wow.

Speaking of the action, it was fantastic. Each set piece felt unique and exciting for a whole new reason. For each one I was on the edge of my seat, amazed at just how cool the acts of villainy or heroism that were being put infront of me were. These moments were appropriately peppered throughout the film; not being so overwhelming that the film felt like a dumb brawl, and not so scarce that the audience were left severally wanting, but just the right amount.

But as I said; the film wasn’t just a dumb brawl but in-fact a surprisingly emotional journey. Thanks to literally every single new main character introduced being interesting, compelling and in many cases loveable, I found myself very easily heavily invested in almost every one of them. So every trial and tribulation they had to endure was felt too by the audience thanks to the brilliant writing that allowed for such a strong connection to be established so quickly between the very cautious fans and the new characters on screen.

This amount of investment benefitted the whole movie as it allowed for some really emotionally charged moments in the film, both dramatically and in its action set pieces, to a point where I couldn’t help but verbally gasp and root for the characters in these moments. There are three uniquely identifiable moments in this film that I lost my mind at, a feeling I haven’t felt since the first time I saw Avengers Assemble in cinema.

But the movie isn’t all doom and emotionally charged gloom, there is also a surprising amount of comedy to be found and enjoyed in the movie. Toting the delicate balance that even the Marvel movies sometimes find themselves slipping off, this movie used the comedy not only to lighten the mood but also as a tool to get us to like these characters even more in a way that didn’t lessen the effects of the serious moments of the film or make the comedy feel strangely out of place and tone.

But it was not only the writing that made the new and returning characters so brilliant, it was the incredible acting also. The already talented cast brought out their A game and it showed. The performances were delightful to watch and I can’t wait to see them more and get to dive deeper into what makes them all tick. From Daisy Ridley’s incredibly strong and heroic Rey, to John Boyega’s extremely likeable Finn and Harrison Ford’s actually great return as everyone’s favourite smuggler Han Solo; there was almost no fault to be found amongst this stellar cast…

Almost. The only problem I had with the film sadly came in the form of half of Adam Driver’s performance. Without getting too spoilery, at certain points I didn’t feel he sold the emotion of the scene and took me out of the movie at a pretty pivotal moment. However this slight problem can only be found in a small portion of his performance and thankfully for the rest he has constructed a damaged but very intimidating and fearsome villain for the film.  

But another thing that the film also does very well is the amount of call backs to the original trilogy. I felt that they were not only well placed, never feeling like an awkward sore thumb in this otherwise new endeavour for the franchise, but also garnered the appropriate nostalgic enjoyment from the cinema as we were reminded of why we love this universe so much.

So overall, oh my god this film is amazing! From the iconic score, heart racing action, loveable and phenomenally acted characters, spectacular special effects and design that fit brilliantly into the Star Wars universe, and great story; this film has only left me wanting more from these new set of characters and circumstances that this film has set up so well. I can’t stop thinking about it and I just want to see it again and again, if you’re a fan of having fun at all you should definitely see this film, like right this second, go on, go!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens = 9.8/10

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