Directed by: J. J. Abrams
Written by: Lawrence Kasdan and Michael Arndt
Cast: Adam Driver, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, Domhnall Gleeson, Harrison Ford, John Boyega, Mark Hamill, Oscar Isaac
When last we left the Star Wars universe (talking 1977 Episode IV – “A New Hope” era here), the ‘Empire’ had fallen, Han and Leia were hooking up, Luke was enjoying victory over the Emperor, and all was right with the world. Or was it? With only two Jedi actually left in the world, one trained, one not, and a confused governing board left to pick up the pieces, a void is sure to be left in the universe.
Ok, my loyal readers, don’t hate me for saying it, but Star Wars: The Force Awakens is far from the perfect Star Wars film, but then again how could it ever live up to what we expect? That is not to say it’s a bad movie by any means, on the contrary, it’s very good, J. J. did a great job picking up the pieces and I promise you that no one will leave the theater at all disappointed. What this film does do instead of packing the wham bam punch of the original, is lead us into promising new directions the series is going to take, while adding some great new characters and pouring on some much needed fresh energy into the franchise in a way that both resurrects its old pleasures and strikes innovative new notes.
Here’s a tiny bit of storyline:
Into the void left by the downfall of the Empire comes a new evil threat and a new generation of warriors, a runaway soldier, an uncongenial scavenger, and a hot shot pilot find their fates intertwined as they are forced to rise up and deal with it. It’s familiar territory of course, but fun to get into with a surprising amount of physical humor added to spice things up.
Then there are the touching lines like, “We’re Home,” delivered lovingly by Han Solo, which will definitely resonate with everyone, even if our cherished heroes are a bit older, and not really jumping into the rooms with great energy as they used to, screaming as they attack evil doers.
Although this is the most anticipated movie, well, ever, it only works best in its franchised defined moments and when its mix of veteran characters and first-timers are on the screen together. There are some exceptions, the growing friendship between John Boyega’s Finn (he’s terrific throughout) and Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron is wonderful to watch, and Daisy Ridley’s Rey’s alliance with BB-8 is memorable; both relationships are terrific additions to the Star Wars family. My biggest disappointment Adam Driver, usually a great actor, didn’t do anything wonderful or truly menacing with his character Kylo Ren.
So my take…You’re going to see it, so go and enjoy! And if you have any questions about the universe depicted in Star Wars and the science, go to “Ask a Professor’ on line and just ask him. He’s located at: Ask a Professor.
