Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SPOILER FREE) Review

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

SPOILER FREE!

"Chewie, we're home."  -Han Solo

    Star Wars: The Force Awakens is now the seventh installment of the cultural phenomenon and is directed by J.J. Abrams. It stars Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn, Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, Carrie Fischer as Princess Leia Organa, Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux, Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke, Lupita Nyong'o as Maz Kanata, Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma, Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca, and Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker.

^I hope they didn't get into any fights on set, or else we would have real Star Wars...  :D^

    Star Wars: The Force Awakens takes place 30 years after the original trilogy ended. A new cast takes the helm of this magnificent universe that George Lucas has created, but alongside the old cast as well. A new evil known as the First Order, led by Kylo Ren and others, has risen in the fall of the Galactic Empire and the new guys (Finn, Rey, and Poe) have to stop them with help from the Resistance.

     That's pretty much where I'll stop regarding the plot because Lucasfilms and Disney have really been good about keeping this film under wraps. I'm sorry about this, but I feel like there really shouldn't be any spoilers for a little while. I may post a spoiler version of my review in a week or two, but for now I am going to keep my mouth shut.

 ^Harrison Ford would literally come to my house, stare me down from my front door and say, "did you say ANYTHING to ANYONE?"^

    Fanboys rejoice! The Force Awakens is everything I wanted it to be and more. From the amazing practical effects and the action scenes to the old cast and even the humor, the seventh installment is a great piece of cinema. You also have to remember that this movie isn't out to sweep the Oscars and other award shows (although maybe nominations are in order for visual effects, sound design, make up, and other technical categories), but rather to be a fantastic experience that anyone can enjoy. I was glued to the screen for the entire 2 hours and 15 minutes. I was never bored once.

^J.J. Abrams (director) should be given most of the credit for carrying the heavy weight of such a beloved franchise and succeeding in his endeavor of keeping fans happy^

     As I mentioned, the action sequences played out in The Force Awakens are remarkable. When the quintessential lightsaber sound vibrated throughout the auditorium, I felt chills. The sound design has been upgraded from the previous films for sure. It sounds magnificent when not in action and when hitting against each other. Also, the choreography is not too dramatic and not too lazy, making the fights all too real.

 ^You can tell a lot about somebody based on what color lightsaber they use.^

     Now going to the opposite of lightsabers, the practical effects used in The Force Awakens was used in abundance. Of course, the special effects were balanced out as well too, but going back to original Star Wars roots, the make up and the animations felt authentic and not tossed around just to please fans. The Force Awakens team used special effects when they needed to and practical effects when needed to.

^Apparently SNL alumnus Bill Hader was a voice consultant for the cute little droid BB-8.^

     Bringing back the old cast which include Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and Mark Hamill, had a profound impact on making us want to go see The Force Awakens. It definitely succeeded in that, but they were all really only secondary characters, Harrison Ford maybe being the exclusion. This being the case, the story and the focus of the movie was not retracted form me. I knew coming in it wasn't about the old characters. Finn and Rey were the newcomers that are taking the mantle, but having the original characters in here, boosted up the nostalgic factor and the overall awesomeness of The Force Awakens.

 ^Star Wars OGs, right there.^

    As much I'm praising The Force Awakens for being a tour de force (no pun intended) in the hearts of nerds everywhere, it is not without its flaws. There are story elements of A New Hope sprinkled all over the place in The Force Awakens. I'm repeating that I will not get into details about the plot, but there were definitely repetitive beats that I saw and thought to myself, 'Oh. I've seen that before.' Still, I will say again that I came in to the film thinking that this film is not set out to win or nominated for every category in the Oscars. It was supposed to bring back the admired saga that we all grew up with and feed us nostalgia. It did just that.

 ^To be a fly on the wall in this room...^

     Being a fanboy may give me some sort of bias when it comes to giving Star Wars: The Force Awakens a rating, but us fanboys have been burned in the past *cough, prequels, cough*. Also, expectations may either end as a full intact object or be shattered completely. I talked to a good amount of people who saw the movie so far, and they have all said the same thing, "awesome". The direction that J.J. Abrams is taking the Star Wars saga is a great decision and I believe that other fans will agree.

Pro

• Great amount of nostalgia with original cast, but not relying on it
• Well done choreography and action scenes
• Perfect blend of special and practical effects
• Tremendous new cast leading the Star Wars series

Con

• Repetitive beats regarding story from A New Hope

4.7/5

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence

Watch the trailer here  

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is in theaters everywhere now

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