Leon Bailey
Well-known member
Not wrong at all, but you know Star Wars fans are the most sensitive bunch.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- Thread starter Batutta
- Start date
Not wrong at all, but you know Star Wars fans are the most sensitive bunch.
Martay
Veteran
I realize this is late but also that I hadn't posted my official review at the time (much of it covered in the podcast).
See below:
THE Franchise Awakens
by Martin Kelley (CinemATL.com)
When a friend of mine found out I got to see Star Wars The Force Awakens early, he asked me “Did you cry when you saw it?” A valid question, I’m a gigantic Star Wars fan to be sure, but who isn’t? Well, everyone I suspect isn’t able to perform Episode IV solo for friends on a long road trip but enough about me. Oh, you want to know if I cried still? Come on, man. No. For the record I did not cry when I saw Star Wars which is a little puzzling since I did get dust in my eyes at recent viewings of both Peanuts and Creed. What did I do? I sighed an infinitely satisfactory sigh of relief that my Star Wars was back.
That being said, this is not a masterpiece of a movie. There is much to like about the new incarnation of the Star Wars fanchise but a perfect movie it is not.
The story begins as always in space with an iconic text scrolling away from us giving us some key information to set up the story we’re about to witness. It seems that Luke Skywalker has gone off the galactic grid and remnants of the old Empire have amassed a mighty fascistic fighting force once again and seek to find Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi, in order to squash the only threat they see possibly interfering with Galactic domination once again.
When the action picks up, we get introduced to the new players in the galaxy immediately. Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) is the handpicked agent for the Resistance, led by our old friend Princess...ahem, General Leia (Carrie Fisher) to find clues that will help them contact the missing Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). Poe finds and then must separate from an important clue on the planet of Jakku which reminds us of Tattooine from the original trilogy.
On Jakku we meet the new heroine of the series Rey (Daisy Ridley) who’s a lone scavenger who hopes for a reunion with her family someday. She rescues a droid that holds a secret that the First Order wants pretty badly. So badly, in fact, that the new power Villain of the franchise Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) flies down to Jakku to retrieve. Among his invading force is a reluctant Stormtrooper named Finn (John Boyega) who questions his place in the ranks of the ruthless First Order.
I would prefer to keep other details out of this review for any readers who prefer a less is more approach to recaps.
The new cast is terrific in their roles. I was most impressed with Adam Driver’s work as Kylo Ren. He brings at times both a quiet menace and fiery swagger to the screen. The older cast delivers the much needed connection that older fans will appreciate, particularly with Harrison Ford and Peter Mayhew’s performances as the Star Wars universe’s dynamic duo Han Solo and Chewbacca.
The most refreshing throwback, however, is the aesthetic of the movie. It once again feels more like organic environments despite the grand scope of futuristic technology. Also, perhaps the tone of the movie harkens back to the loose feel of the original trilogy before the series got obsessed with trying to provide pristine frames with over-the-top creature creations rather than follow interesting characters on a journey.
I am anxious to have conversations with friends who can safely come back into the Star Wars tent and be satisfied with their fandom choices.
Ryan Farnes
Well-known member
Sensitive in the force.
Jimmy Pierce
Well-known member
I was okay with most of it. Just your average movie watcher. But that moment Chewbacca walked out of the Millennium Falcon, walked past Princess Leia without acknowledging her in any way. Then new girl on the block Rey and her embrace in overwhelming sadness. That bugs the crap out of me. Poor Chewbacca.