After what seems like a never ending sea of hype that I avoided at all costs after the debacle that was the prequels I made it to my first showing of The Force Awakens relatively blank. And I am grateful I did.
First off.... spoilers spoilers spoilers. I reserve the right to talk about the whole movie in my reviews so if you haven't seen it or do not want to know key details stop reading now. You have been warned.
Long and short of it is pretty easy. It is Star Wars. I don't really count the prequels... I suppose they count because they are Lucas but only just. Out with the shiny and absurd amounts of obvious CGI and back in with the grimy dirty and in many cases practical sets. In with the snark and out with the potty jokes. Though we still get an angsty teen... for a change he is the one behind the mask instead of the 'good guy'. If you liked the originals and can turn your brain off on the 'science' and enjoy the ride its a great flick.
The Good:
Lead Characters are perhaps the strongest ever. Rey and Finn have their rough spots but if you compare to "Anni" and Padme or Luke and Leia in the previous trilogies first movies I think it is a pretty easy call.
The 3d star destroyer beauty shots. Wow... almost worth the price of admission for me but I am a total ship freak. Really wanting to see some of those scenes via Oculus and total immersion.
The story. Yes it is a re-take on the original... in part the movie is a take on the whole original trilogy condensed into one flick. But folks bitching about that seem to have no concept of just how basic the original tale was. Lucas distilled the hero's tale and dealt as much in archetypes as he did in any real 'characters' and this movie is little different. His gift was the setting, the effects and the unheard of pace if the story telling. The pacing here is absolutely frantic and rarely missteps. It isn't as far out from the norm as the original were in their time, but that would be difficult. But having a modern star wars flick that stands proud among the modern style of action story telling it helped pioneer is a very good thing indeed. It isn't a surprise... its a well honed formula and it is executed well. The reveal of Ben Solo as Kylo Renn was done well. The confrontation between Father and Son was strong. And by damn hitting all the heartstrings and images in one go it clears the slate for the rest of the story. This was the welcome back and a thank you to the fans. Next we get the payoff.
The Sacrifice. Han dies a good death and explains a lot about why he had top billing and agreed to suit up again... imagine he stipulated just the one flick. Who knows on the billing but Harrison Ford was easily the headliner in terms of what he brought to the set. They set it up well... the bitter story of the fall out of friends and lovers (husband and wife???never does explicitly say) is left largely to the imagination, at least for now. And it provided Fisher a little meat and the scenes they have together I think are good if heavy handed. Time will tell if they age well. Seriously... this is the 3rd first movie sacrifice and it is easily the most powerful. Obi-Wan was strong but you really didn't get to know him and in the final equation he turns blue ghosty... Qui Gon was set up better but was ruined by the overall catastrophe of the movie around it. This s a powerful well loved character whose death while obvious still retains its kick because of the setup and we know there is no blue ghost return. If Ford is in the rest of the movies it will be through flashbacks telling the story of the fall of Ben Solo.
The Comedy. The original was funny and it didn't stoop to low brow stuff for the most part. This hits the familiar notes and does it well.
The music. John Williams owns this music and we only add some more depth to the catalog here. This was apparently JJ Abraham's first movie without his normal music guy... and even his guy said he would rather it be a John Williams Score.
Rey's vision sequence. I really really really want a clip of that to dig through.
The cliff hanger with Rey and Luke. 30+ years... literally... we have been waiting to see the story continue and Luke gets about a minute of screen time and says.... nada, zip, zilch, zero. And it is a good thing. Abraham's gets one thing about Star Wars if he gets nothing else... talk to much and you can destroy it. Sometimes it is best to just provide enough for the audience's imagination to go wild. As much as I hate to not get more story this go around it was an awesome hanging ending leading us to the next story.
The So So:
I am Meh on the whole StarKiller death star to the nth degree choice. There had to be something so a planet sized as opposed to moon sized big ass blaster is I suppose as good as anything. One of the few places I felt cribbing directly from the originals was a bit much. I mean... where do they go from here for a doomsday?
All the good feels aside for the reveal... the absolutely bananas random connection to Han and Chewy after Finn and Rey blast off in the Falcon. Why didn't they set off the gas trap? They couldn't see it wasn't the first order coming on board. Again, don't get me wrong. I don't care how it happened but seeing Han and Chewy walking on to the Falcon again was worth it no matter how crap the setup. But this was one of the crazier non-sequiturs moments in the film.
Ummm... wasn't Leia a Skywalker with crazy force potential? There is plenty more to go where that may come to the fore but she seemed to be in Rebel Leader mode with zero acknowledgment of her Force abilities (if any?). Considering all else it seems an odd omission. To be continued...
Whats with the Resistance vs the Republic vs the First Order? And what exactly got wiped in that star-killer attack? And... while we are on that beast... a planet consumes the energy of a star and that is just the charge cycle? No mention of the destruction to a solar system inherent in quenching its star? I don't get to lost on the details else this would be in the bad section. But compared to the clarity of the death star as a colossal weapon with a clear purpose... the star killer is inconsistently explained and its demonstration purpose is fairly murky. I think it basically wiped out the republic which will now leave the resistance and the first order as the primary players I suppose? OH new Republic... we hardly knew you. Apparently this is one area there is a book that fills in the gaps called "Aftermath". I may need to check it out.
The Bad:
Not so much against the movie as a movie. But there were a couple of things that really stood out to me. Perhaps I am reading to much into it... but I think there are a couple of choices made that will wear thin in the long run.
JJ basically extended a middle finger to the whole 'Midichlorian' mess of over explaining things Lucas made in the prequels... but he perhaps went to far. In many places the lack of attempt to explains things is spot on. But there is one scene in particular... The whole plan the attack discussion played almost like a Mel Brooks Satire scene with every thing except an explicit break of the 4th wall to wink at the audience as if to say... planning... we don't need no steeeinking planning.
Kylo de-masking. Not sure why they had him pull his mask so early. I suppose modern actor contracts are not so hot on "behind a mask the whole time" situations for one. I suppose the intent was to show the struggle with turning away from the dark side If so it failed in my case. If he must be unmasked in the first flick I'd say it should have waited for the confrontation with Han. Might have stood a chance of not ruining the character for me. It wasn't Jar Jar Binks or anything but it really seemed to be one of ... if not the only ... really sour note in the story crafting for me in the movie.
JJ... PLEASE, for the love of all that is holy STOP WITH THE RANDOM FUCKING CREATURE SCENES. And if you do have to have one... do not spend several minutes showing them immediately eating anything they get their tentacles on and then just running off with our hero. I'd say this one is not quite as bad as the ice beast deal in Star Trek that chased Kirk into see old Spock... but it was close. It was also one of the few glaring CGI special effects bits (though still well done). Compare the actors in almost any other scene with real things to react to against this one and it should be a self explanation for why practical effects are a good thing.
Closing Remarks:
As long as the other two hold their own and tell their own tale launched from this familiar start it should be a hell of a ride. There is some truth to the claim this movie is a Fanboy re-hash.... but really, all stories are a re-hash to some extent or another so that doesn't bug me. But to continue building a new generation of fans the story will need to chart a new course of its own. If we get Luke as Yoda in the next film and someone (Finn?) frozen in kelvinite (much colder and solid than carbonate mind you) when Rey takes off prematurely from said training.... I might be a bit ticked off... but if it is shot like this it will still be a fun flick. Here is hoping for more. I mean... how do you get the next "Empire Strikes Back" if all you do is remake "Empire Strikes Back". A 30+ year hiatus is plenty of reason to hit the touchstones and re-establish a solid foundation for the new audience. But I doubt that will carry 3 movies.
A lot o folks are making a big deal about Finn and Rey for the parts they have... and I get it. What irks me about it is how much folks are pointing it out. THAT is the problem folks. If its a thing then its a problem. If they are just the characters and we judge them on that basis alone THAT is when the problem is beginning to be solved. But the longer we spend talking about the fact someone is black in a particular role, or female in a particular role etc... then we simply continue the problem albeit from a slightly more positive place. I seem to recall a quote from Joss Wheedon when asked "Why do you write strong female characters?" He replied " Because you keep asking that question.".
And finally... the most obvious of all questions at the end of the movie. Just exactly who is Rey? I have to say my gut keeps saying Twins and she is Kylo's sister but have a hard time believing there would have been no recognition of that with Han or Leia. Possibly she was born to Leia after Han took off but that still doesn't explain why Leia wouldn't acknowledge her. The rumor mill seems fixed on the notion she is Luke's Daughter which could work. X-wing pilot doll, and helmet. Connection via the light saber and all that seems to point pretty strongly in that direction. Kind of hoping for JJ to pull a rabbit out of the hat and hit us with the moral equivalent of the surprise everyone got the first time around when Vader was revealed as Luke's father. Rey as Luke's daughter would not qualify for that. Considering it seems they did a good job keeping Ben Solo a secret for a reveal, here is hoping for similar success with Rey.
Eagerly awaiting the next installment.
