Movie Review: Star Wars – The Force Awakens

This really is the sequel we were looking for.

Note: This is a review of the latest Star Wars film. As such, you should probably only read it if you’re cool with knowing the basics of the plot (and, whether it’s any good or not, obviously). If you’re especially spoiler-weary, you may want to skip the clearly-marked ‘plot’ portion of the review. And if you’re SERIOUSLY spoiler-conscious, what are you doing reading this thing? Come back afterwards. We'll be here.

John Boyega’s Finn - the reformed Stormtrooper with a heart of gold - whoops in delight throughout J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Who could blame him?

He gets to ride in the Millennium Falcon as it conducts death-defying acrobatics as well as battle the Dark Side with spunky scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley). The two of them even get to wield Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber and fire blasters alongside Han Solo (Harrison Ford). Yes, that Han Solo, and no, the movie was not also written by Boyega and Ridley, though you’d be forgiven for thinking it was an expensive work of fan-fiction made exclusively for their benefit.

Truth is, it’s an expensive work of fan-fiction made for all our benefit.

Episode VII is a good-natured and ebullient ode to the joys of blockbusterdom and a relieving reprise for a once-again great franchise. Shaggy plotting aside, by the time the closing credits roll – too soon, mind you – it’s near impossible to not join Finn in his exaltations.

Director Abrams hasn’t exactly done the unthinkable; The Force Awakens is, after all, true to his Star Trek reboots in that it’s similarly a snappily-paced action movie with a plot driven entirely by coincidences. (He polished the screenplay with series legend Lawrence Kasdan, picking up where exiting writer Michael Arndt left off.) However, Abrams has given back to Star Wars what was lost in the prequels’ undercooked CGI: a human heart. Two, actually. They belong to Boyega and Ridley, who are not only clearly glad to be here but actively doing good work while spearheading the highest-pressure pop performances of the century. (Darker, dumber circles of the Internet have made no secret of their disappointment in the fact The Force Awakens is not led by two white dudes. On the diversity front, few complaints have been raised over the lack of Gungans.)

Mild spoilers for the first act of Star Wars: The Force Awakens follow. Proceed with caution (or skip about four paragraphs).

The promotional campaign has leaned heavily on the nostalgia factor, yet Harrison Ford’s craggy, still-charismatic smuggler Han Solo, Carrie Fisher’s war-weary General Leia Organa (née 'Princess'), and other such familiar, mothballed favourites as Chewbacca, C-3P0 and R2-D2 don’t appear for at least forty-five minutes.

It’s the young’uns, including Adam Driver as Darth Vader acolyte Kylo Ren and Oscar Isaac as genial X-wing pilot Poe Dameron, who lead proceedings. We begin on the desert planet Jakku, where Poe is seeking General Organa’s missing brother. (The iconic opening crawl begins with a startling first line: “Luke Skywalker has vanished.”) Kylo Ren and his fascistic army, the First Order, soon invade, similarly seeking Skywalker and looking to snuff out Organa’s pesky resistance. They settle on taking Poe as a prisoner instead.

Boyega’s unnamed Stormtrooper suffers a crisis of conscience after being ordered to decimate a small Jakku village, and, back on the First Order’s imposingly-titled Starkiller Base, makes a break for it with Dameron. The suddenly-retired Stormtrooper is christened “Finn” by his new buddy, and he eventually crosses paths with Ridley’s Rey, a lonely yet hugely-capable orphan literally awaiting the call to adventure on Jakku’s desolate plains. It comes in the form of roly-poly droid BB-8, handily armed with a map of Skywalker’s whereabouts.

On the run for their lives, they commandeer an abandoned Millennium Falcon, which, of course, winds up on the radar of old space dogs Han Solo and his furry buddy Chewie. The flukes of fate come thick and fast in The Force Awakens and I did not care one bit.

Okay, spoilers over.

Beautifully photographed by Dan Mindel – on film, no less – Abrams’ Star Wars has an uncommonly tangible quality; a quality missing from the series ever since George Lucas decided to retool and re-release episodes IV to VI with computer-generated aliens and the bonus ghost of Hayden Christensen.

Lucas is long gone; totally unaffiliated with the feature besides a credit rightfully attributing the original characters as his own. We shouldn’t be so ungrateful, as Star Wars wouldn’t be a thing without him, but the truth is, he’s not missed. Some may be disappointed that we’ve traded Lucas’ leaden dialogue and intense fascination with intergalactic tariffs for Abrams’ cute, MacGuffin-driven storyline. At least Abrams’ version of a new Star Wars is one that’s entertaining.

The absence of Lucas does not mean The Force Awakens dashes in an entirely new direction: John Williams returns with his timeless, GOAT score; in-jokes to the original trilogy abound; and we also visit a Cantina not dissimilar to the one trafficked by the weirdos of Mos Eisley in A New Hope. (Lupita Nyong’o plays the Cantina’s owner, Maz Kanata; a charming CGI creation that unfortunately renders one of the feature's most skilled performers unrecognisable.) The joy derived from those knowing winks - as well as the inherent pleasure of seeing old friends like Ford return to the screen - can't match the enchantment of all that's new to the saga.

Driver and Isaac are talented actors, impressively coiffed, now etched into the cultural canon with their compelling characters (and unconventional line-readings). Boyega, the unpredictable stand-out from Attack the Block, is wildly watchable as the well-meaning, haphazard hero. And Ridley, a newcomer (to this writer, certainly), anchors The Force Awakens with equal parts infectious delight (in meeting Han; in driving the Millennium Falcon; in her discovery of the Force) and simmering rage (especially as the flick navigates towards its devastating final act). It’s Ridley and Boyega, with their sweet chemistry, who leave the most lasting impression; more so than even the thrilling X-wing dogfights and lightsaber duels they participate in.

Because of them, and Abrams’ cheerfully enthusiastic, fan-friendly resuscitation of an entire cinematic universe, I left The Force Awakens asking the question that rarely comes after, say, the latest Marvel sequel, or most other hopeful franchise-starters: What comes next and how long do we have to wait?

4.5/5

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is now in cinemas.

Rated M for science fiction themes and violence.