Shortly after Disney acquired Lucasfilm for $4 billion in 2012, one of the first announcements made was their intent to make a Star Wars sequel trilogy. Talks of a continuation in the form of Episodes 7, 8 and 9 had been floating around the zeitgeist for years, but to see them come into fruition was a thrill for old and new fans alike, partially as it gave contemporary filmmakers a chance to bring their own ideas to the Star Wars franchise. The first of this trilogy was released in 2015, the JJ Abrams’ helmed Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Not only did this picture – the first Star Wars feature in 10 years – generate a fresh frenzy about the franchise, but it laid sturdy foundations for this trilogy through new characters and themes.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, a thirty year peace is threatened with the emergence of the First Order, a militant faction born from the remaining remnants of the Galactic Empire. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) has vanished, and Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) leads resistance fighters from the New Republic to fight against this new band of fascistic outlaws. In the film’s opening, Leia’s best pilot, Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), has discovered a portion of a map that could lead the Resistance straight to Luke. But this is information that the First Order’s mysterious leader, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), wants for himself.
Through a village massacre, a chase through space, and a rogue droid BB-8, this map portion ends up in the hands of Finn (John Boyega), a stormtrooper who defects from the First Order, and Rey (Daisy Ridley), a young scavenger who dreams of finding her family. Together they vow to bring this map to the Resistance before the First Order begins its assault on the galaxy. During their travels the pair team up with Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), uncovering a shocking connection between Kylo Ren and the trio from the original trilogy.
If the original trilogy’s core theme was hope and the prequel trilogy’s was fear, then legacy is the key theme of this particular trilogy. The exploits of Han, Leia and especially Luke have become the stuff of legend in the thirty years since the events of the original trilogy, a prospect that serves as a source of pressure for some characters and as an inspiration to others. How one follows on from that must’ve been a dilemma for the makers of this picture, yet The Force Awakens rises to the challenge by considering the nuances of these circumstances. Through fun craftsmanship and compelling writing, it reflects on its own placement with this saga and uses this as a springboard for a world of new possibilities.
From this idea, a multitude of compelling new characters are introduced. Finn’s role as an ex-stormtrooper is perhaps the film’s freshest idea. Firstly through being exposed to the horrors of the First Order’s brutality, and then through his interactions with Rey and the resistance, Finn is effectively learning to deprogram himself and realign his loyalties. By rejecting the First Order, a whole universe of possibilities has now opened up to him, and Boyega is able to channel both the excitement and anxiety of this through natural charisma. Han Solo’s arc is particularly fascinating, as it has a surprising amount of pathos to it. Despite being decades older now, he has regressed back to being a smuggler. Where the tragedy of this comes from is his parental link to Kylo Ren, and how Han feels responsible for pushing him to the dark side. His going back to his old ways is a defence mechanism in the wake of his trauma. Ford carries both the suave and heartache of Han’s role magnificently. While Fisher and Isaac’s roles are fairly limited – with Hamill only appearing in one scene – they both exude charm and gravitas alike with their roles.
Most captivating of all are the new characters of Rey and Kylo Ren. Both are shaped by the stories of what’s come before them; Rey is an apparent nobody who grew up admiring the tales of Luke and the rebel alliance. The sequence in which she first appears – which details her normal life, aspirations and admiration for the rebels – is done so beautifully that it could be its own short film. Through visuals and minimal dialogue, Rey is set up as this trilogy’s answer to Luke. Meanwhile, as Han and Leia’s son, Kylo Ren comes from a background of high pressure, being directly tied to the previous trio. Born with natural strength in the Force he is a character torn between the light and the dark; a young man who desires power and admiration but is fundamentally in the shadow of Luke, Han and even Darth Vader, a grandfather figure of whom he admires. Considering this context adds weight to his seduction to the dark side while also adding tragedy to his struggle with the light. Even Kylo’s lightsaber with its wonky crossguard appearance and flickering blade is in itself a fitting metaphor to the instability inside him. These are two magnificent characters of whom Ridley and Driver bring to delightful and chilling life respectively.
JJ Abrams, for better or worse, is a big fan of the ‘mystery box’ trope and he uses it to full effect here. Whether it’s the mystery behind Rey, Kylo Ren or where Luke has gone to, these lingering questions keep us engrossed in the story. Yet the sheer spectacle is enough to maintain our fixation. Rejecting the overuse of CGI that was so prevalent in the prequels and (mostly) returning to the use of practical effects, the various worlds of The Force Awakens teem with life. Rey’s aforementioned introduction details the daily life of the planet Jakku, a place that leaps off the screen through its weird creatures or the background visuals that suggest a long history, such as destroyed Empire ships sinking into the desert sands. The greenery of the planet Takodana and the snowy forests of the First Order’s planet turned superweapon, Starkiller Base, are as vivacious in colour as they are creative in concept. The latter serves as the backdrop to the final climactic sequence; which sees an X-wing led aerial battle and one of the grittiest lightsaber duels in any of these films as the untrained Finn and Rey take on the heavily wounded but still powerful Kylo Ren. It’s a film dripping with visual enchantment. All the while John Williams’ music layers these setpieces with intensity and mystique, Rey’s theme in particular being a stunning mix of adventurous and mysterious.
Many of the criticisms levelled at The Force Awakens are petty at best and ridiculous at worst – e.g. the ‘Rey is a Mary Sue’ argument, a claim that’s not only demonstrably false but has been parrotted by so many bad faith grifters that the term Mary Sue has since lost all meaning. But there is one criticism that’s particularly valid: the plot’s similarities to A New Hope. The inciting incident is an attack that sees a macguffin left with a droid. The protagonist is stranded on a desert planet. There is a mentor figure who ends up perishing, and the setting for the climax is on and around a superweapon capable of destroying planets. The similarities are undeniable and perhaps too much for some viewers.
But for this critic these parallels, while maybe too overt at times, serve an effective purpose. Not only does it capture the childlike spirit and simplicity that made the original so popular, but it showcases how the characters trace similar steps to eventually forge their own paths. Just like what Creed did with Rocky, the former of which also came out in 2015, The Force Awakens uses familiarity in order to introduce what is ultimately new about its ambitions, those being the characters and themes. They are the glue that holds the film, and most of the subsequent trilogy, together. Their idiosyncratic dynamics and arcs create an exciting, visually spellbinding and surprisingly funny first chapter to a trilogy that promises bold new challenges in a galaxy we all know and love.
The Force Awakens is a terrific start to the sequel trilogy, a film that this critic would argue is underrated within the Star Wars canon. What it perhaps lacks in narrative originality it makes up for with its fresh characters, fun performances, interesting themes and jaw-dropping action and visuals. If nothing else it serves as a mesmerising opening of the door to a universe of possibilities now that this saga is in new hands. Whether those possibilities were met or not – they both were and weren’t depending on the film – is a discussion for a future review. But whatever one’s takeaway on previous trilogies, The Force Awakens is an exhilarating new beginning.
4 stars
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is now streaming on Disney+
Learn more about the film, including how to watch, at the Disney+ site for the title.
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