Review: ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ (Spoiler Free!)

I can’t really say too much about the plot without resorting to spoilers, but fans of the original trilogy should find themselves both somehow instantly comfortable and excited at the same time. Abrams blends the trademark visual effects but never loses sight of his objective, which is to tell a story, and to tell it well. It’s funny at times, emotional at others, and most importantly, it gets back to the roots of the franchise: it’s a space opera.

And it’s actually fun again. I couldn’t believe how quickly two hours and 16 minutes went by, because I found myself so caught up in the adventure. When my friends and I talk about the prequels, it usually comes down to one point: George Lucas traded story-telling for the visual spectacle. What we were hoping for was a love story that went sour between Anakin and Padme, a father-son bond between Obi-Wan and Anakin that took a turn for the worse. What we got instead were three films that were absolutely gorgeous to look at, but carried little substance behind them.

Perhaps part of that lies in the fact that we already knew what was going to happen. My friend and fellow editor Blake said it well: we actually care about these characters as much as the characters in the original trilogy. The prequels, perhaps unfairly to them, didn’t allow for that, because we already knew what was going to happen to them. Young, precocious Anakin starts off good, but then is corrupted to the dark side. Obi-Wan transitions from young Jedi knight to a sage master, but because we know he survives until Episode IV, his fate is never in doubt.

As a result, the prequel films simply fill details in; they don’t give us the sense of wonder and suspense we once felt when watching a movie. And Episode VII does a marvelous job of restoring this, because quite simply, we have no idea where the story is leading us. Don’t believe me? Just get online and check out the various Star Wars theory sites. There are hundreds of musings about the possible outcomes of the characters. Abrams and the producers did a tremendous job during production of teasing us with clips in the trailers that we think might be clues, but are just as likely to throw us off the trail. The visual effects are awesome, the dogfights are more visceral, the lightsaber battles are more desperate, but they don’t steal the spotlight. Instead, they serve the purpose of the story.

Having said that, the film isn’t perfect. There are times during the film in which it can be too nostalgic, and it limits some of the storytelling at times. And I was a little disappointed at some of the character development. I was excited to see the potential of some of the new cast, but I felt at times that some of them were left underdeveloped. This can, of course, be fixed in the future installments, and it’s nothing serious enough to take away from the overall standing of the film.

I could go on into further discourses, but at this point, it doesn’t really matter. The bottom line is, The Force Awakens is marvelous. I already consider it perhaps the third best film in the franchise, behind A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, but beyond that, I truly think it has the potential to be something more. Not just a fun science fiction movie, but a nostalgic glimpse into the past, a remembrance of good times, as we move forward, telling a story we can share with a new generation.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens gets an A.