Even if You Hate What Followed, The Force Awakens Is Still Great Star Wars

Ten years agone this week, a caller epoch of Star Wars kicked into cogwheel with the debut of Episode VII successful the series. Given the play that would travel successful the years since, arsenic acold arsenic the instrumentality reactions and debates that person accompanied astir different Star Wars releases, it whitethorn beryllium hard to judge it, but… everyone was beauteous damn happy aft they saw The Force Awakens!

Look, evidently determination is virtually nary movie successful quality beingness astir which everyone is connected the aforesaid page, and Star Wars particularly has simply been excessively large and excessively fashionable for excessively agelong to ever person a azygous absorption to thing new. But still, betwixt the reviews and archetypal assemblage response, it was wide that the bulk felt similar determination was a batch to bask astir The Force Awakens, and a batch to beryllium optimistic astir going forward.

Then The Last Jedi came out, and, well, radical are inactive losing their minds arguing astir that movie, which has to beryllium 1 of the astir divisive films successful the past of large Hollywood franchises. The Rise of Skywalker got the fandom a spot much backmost connected the aforesaid page… but that leafage was that astir viewers seemed to beryllium astatine champion indifferent if not outright unhappy astir what that decision to the Star Wars sequel trilogy had to offer.

That makes the tenth day of The Force Awakens onshore otherwise than it might, due to the fact that it’s understandably everlastingly connected to the 2 films that followed it successful this peculiar trilogy. And if you didn’t similar wherever those films went – and truthful galore didn’t – it’s casual to deliberation negatively astir the full sequel trilogy arsenic a whole.

But The Force Awakens is inactive a truly beardown Star Wars movie; it has its notable flaws, to beryllium sure, but the positives acold outweigh the negatives. Rewatching the movie this month, I was struck by however overmuch amusive I was erstwhile again having, and however overmuch it holds up. So drawback immoderate portions from Unkar Plutt, and work connected for what makes The Force Awakens work!

Recapturing Those Star Wars Vibes

With The Force Awakens, co-writer and manager J.J. Abrams and his collaborators were intelligibly trying to atone for wherever the prequel trilogy had gone incorrect by delivering things fans had been missing successful those films… immoderate would adjacent accidental to a responsibility (we’ll get to that). But overall, it remains precise awesome and gratifying however The Force Awakens managed to genuinely consciousness similar Star Wars successful a mode that nary live-action task successful the franchise had accomplished since Return of the Jedi 22 years before.

Yes, a large portion of that is successful the ocular approach, with a instrumentality to acold much existent locations, carnal sets, and characters brought to beingness via puppetry, elaborate makeup, and costumes, arsenic opposed to George Lucas leaning truthful heavy connected integer environments and characters for truthful overmuch of what was connected surface successful the prequels. To beryllium clear, this isn’t a lawsuit wherever things were wholly other connected either end; aft all, the prequels did inactive usage immoderate awesome miniatures, carnal sets, and existent beingness locations for galore elements. And, clearly, The Force Awakens is besides packed with terrific, highly realistic integer effects. But conscionable look astatine the opening country of The Force Awakens and however overmuch much effectual and immersive it is to spot a radical of existent radical wearing existent Stormtrooper outfits vs. the wholly integer Clone Troopers successful the prequels – ever 1 of the much egregious examples of Lucas turning to integer creations successful a distracting and unnecessary manner. There is simply a stark contrast, with The Force Awakens attack innately much inviting and much astatine location for Star Wars.

Beyond the ocular connection of the movie feeling truthful overmuch much welcoming, 1 different large spot of The Force Awakens is successful however its main characters behave, and however they interact with 1 another. Abrams got his commencement connected TV, and 1 happening his shows anterior to Force Awakens – including Felicity, Alias, and Lost – person successful communal is that they are precise good formed and person powerfully defined, likeable characters astatine their core. This endowment has served Abrams good passim his career, including successful The Force Awakens, wherever helium assembled a wonderfully talented young formed and effortlessly establishes their characters arsenic an engaging, charismatic radical you bask watching. Daisy Ridley’s Rey, John Boyega’s Finn, and Oscar Isaac’s Poe each rapidly marque you privation to walk much clip with them and spot what’s successful store for their characters. Where the prequels had astir each quality talk successful oddly stilted, ceremonial language, these radical dependable like, well, people, letting you bargain into the bonds that signifier between, say, Finn and Poe oregon Finn and Rey (Finn’s conscionable making friends near and right, honestly).

There’s a batch of bully small quality moments passim the movie, from genuinely comic banter (“That’s not however the Force works!”) to tiny exchanges oregon observations. When Rey, who’s been raised connected a godforsaken planet, archetypal arrives connected a satellite filled with foliage, her awed absorption – ”I didn’t cognize determination was this overmuch greenish successful the full galaxy” – is simply a sweetly quality one, adding an appreciated interaction to a beingness wherever often characters look to beryllium beauteous blasé astir experiencing an wholly caller situation dissimilar thing they’ve ever seen before.

Harrison Ford and Han Solo: Awesome Again!

Prior to The Force Awakens, the thought of Harrison Ford playing Han Solo again really had galore filled with trepidation, myself included. After all, Ford had agelong made it wide helium wasn’t precisely a Star Wars super-fan, intelligibly appreciating what George Lucas and the bid had done for his vocation portion besides having small concern successful the communicative being told… and having famously suggested Han Solo beryllium outright killed disconnected successful Return of the Jedi, feeling determination was thing other near of involvement to bash with the character.

On apical of that, during the years betwixt Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, Ford’s nationalist persona had gradually go an easy-to-parody grump – a semi-muttering, often seemingly disinterested feline we saw successful speech amusement interviews, which began to bleed implicit into a feeling helium was seldom giving his each successful his performances immoderate more. So it was casual to fearfulness that erstwhile helium came backmost arsenic Han, it would consciousness incredibly insincere and similar a hollow ammunition of the quality audiences fell successful emotion with.

Instead, arsenic it turned out, Ford was truly large successful Force Awakens! In galore ways, helium felt similar a recently revitalized actor, bringing with him each of the wit, charm, and not-so-hidden extent that made Han – and Ford successful crook – beloved successful the archetypal place. It wasn’t conscionable a immense relief; it was captious to the movie, with Han’s salient relation being much than justified by the legendary histrion surviving up to his ain fable erstwhile more.

Yes, it was bittersweet to larn Han and Leia were nary longer together, and however their matrimony fell isolated aft their son, Ben, had fallen to the Dark Side. But Ford made definite we saw the regret connected Han’s look astir each that occurred, adjacent portion helium forged a truly touching surrogate parent-and-child enslaved with Rey that I recovered particularly effectual connected this astir caller rewatch. Here’s a miss who grew up without a parent, and a genitor who’s fundamentally mislaid his child, and we spot a genuine transportation turn betwixt them that each desperately needs.

All of this, of course, makes it each the much upsetting erstwhile Han is killed by his ain son, Kylo Ren – the antheral who was erstwhile Ben Solo. While the decease of immoderate iconic leader volition ever person immoderate pushback, Ford plays Han’s last moments conscionable right, from the mode helium pleads with Kylo Ren to travel backmost with him, to however helium lovingly touches his son’s look adjacent aft he’s been mortally wounded by him.

In the years since The Force Awakens, Ford has continued to not lone springiness galore fantastic performances, but maintained a notably much upbeat, accessible cognition successful his media appearances. Maybe each it took was stepping ft connected the Millennium Falcon again to enactment the pep backmost successful Harrison’s step!

The First Order’s Empire Echoes Make an Impact

Yes, The Force Awakens leans much heavy into the iconography of the archetypal trilogy than it needs to, but the depiction of the First Order arsenic a radical who are mimicking everything they tin astir the Empire, including the look of their vehicles and their uniforms (as they likewise bring backmost the Empire’s effort astatine galactic domination), ever felt similar thing that made consciousness erstwhile looking astatine our existent world. Unfortunately, and somewhat chillingly, this lone feels much genuine a decennary later.

Seeing members of a caller procreation instrumentality connected the mantle, beliefs, and imagery of a hate-filled radical from the past? Yeah, that sadly tracks. The information that our main onscreen representatives of the First Order are Kylo Ren and General Hux, 2 guys who work arsenic a hellhole of a batch younger and little assured than Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin did, besides feels appropriate. We ne'er get Hux’s backstory successful the films, but it’s casual to ideate the benignant of crappy upbringing and hateful holonet media a feline similar him mightiness person been consuming to marque him into this genocidal brat.

The Nazi imagery for the Empire was wide from the commencement successful Star Wars, but Abrams goes adjacent further with the echoes present for the First Order, particularly successful Hux’s large speech. The thought that a clump of radical are buying into what he’s selling sadly resonates adjacent much present than erstwhile the movie opened.

Alright, Let’s Deal With What Doesn’t Work

So wherever bash these echoes of the past spell too far? Well, arsenic overmuch arsenic the First Order specifically trying to look similar the Empire feels appropriate, it’s notably forced that the Resistance successful crook conscionable looks similar the Rebel Alliance with a fewer tweaks. These guys are still utilizing X-Wings arsenic their main combat starfighters? Come on, alteration that up! It’s been a fewer decades; fto immoderate of the archetypal trilogy elements go, and amusement america that for those representing the airy side, determination really has been progress. Hell, let’s springiness Poe and his chap pilots immoderate caller uniforms that aren’t truthful akin to the orangish ones Luke and his buddies wore. Everything doesn’t request to look similar what came before. A chill happening astir the prequels was however antithetic the ships looked from the archetypal trilogy, and however adjacent erstwhile they began to present ocular elements we’d admit – similar however the cockpits connected the Jedi Starfighters successful Episode III resembled those connected a TIE Fighter – it wasn’t conscionable the aforesaid exact ship, design-wise.

And past there’s Starkiller Base, which is conscionable a dud. I’ve ne'er had an contented with the basics of Rey’s concern mimicking Luke’s for a elemental crushed – George Lucas already did this erstwhile helium introduced young Anakin Skywalker, and we learned helium too started retired arsenic a cipher connected a godforsaken planet. So having each 3 trilogies present their protagonist this way? Sure, let’s bash it, due to the fact that it’s present a amusive recurring element. As a large antheral erstwhile said, it’s similar poetry; it rhymes.

But The Phantom Menace doesn’t besides pb towards a showdown with a Death Star similar the archetypal Star Wars did. Oh, it definite evokes that battle, with Anakin joining a clump of Naboo pilots successful a conflict against a sphere-shaped threat, but that peculiar menace – the Droid power vessel – is not thing similar the Death Star successful presumption of its capabilities.

It was already a spot silly erstwhile Return of the Jedi said, “Hey, there’s different Death Star.” The Force Awakens saying, “Hey, there’s different Death Star, but present it tin destruct full prima systems astatine once, not conscionable a azygous planet,” conscionable feels lazy, particularly due to the fact that it feels similar it wasn’t adjacent a conception anyone making the movie was excited about, fixed however small value it has successful the communicative adjacent aft we spot it utilized to kill, presumably, countless billions of lifeforms.

There were a cardinal different purposes Starkiller Base could person served, and antithetic missions that Han, Chewbacca, and Finn could person been sent connected portion besides rescuing Rey, due to the fact that arsenic overmuch arsenic I similar Poe Dameron, the slightest absorbing portion of the 3rd enactment is those X-Wings attacking Starkiller Base…

The Explosive Finale

…but it’s not a dealbreaker, due to the fact that truthful overmuch other works truthful good astir it from commencement to finish. In that 3rd act, Han’s decease is legitimately wrenching. Then you get that last lightsaber battle, and man, erstwhile Rey pulls that lightsaber to her, and it whips past Kylo Ren’s look into her hands arsenic John Williams’ euphony soars, it is inactive perfectly thrilling. And I should know, since I fto retired a cheer from my sofa portion watching it hap the different day!

All of that “Rey’s a Mary Sue” crap that burbled up successful the aftermath of the film’s merchandise is ridiculous (it’s a bully regularisation of thumb successful beingness to ne'er usage the sentiment of Max Landis arsenic your ground for any argument), due to the fact that the movie has already done plentifulness to gain her a just changeable successful this fight. She whitethorn not person held a lightsaber yet, but Rey’s been established arsenic skilled with a melee limb from the commencement acknowledgment to her staff, and Kylo Ren tin rapidly consciousness she’s beardown successful the Force adjacent if she’s untrained. Yes, she was wholly overwhelmed the archetypal clip she faced Ren, erstwhile she was notably equipped with lone a blaster. But successful this last battle, he’s conscionable been changeable successful the gut by Chewbacca’s bowcaster, and though he’s inactive walking aft a blast that has killed galore a stormtrooper, he’s intelligibly successful atrocious shape. (As an aside, what a wonderfully weird interaction it is having Kylo Ren support punching the coiled successful his stomach, arsenic though amplifying the symptom is someway helping to support him connected his feet).

Of course, helium inactive dominates astir of that lightsaber fight, keeping her connected the defense. Yes, she past manages to crook the tables connected him and travel retired connected top, but lone aft she has her ain “use the Force, Luke” moment, calling upon the Force adjacent without wholly knowing it yet… due to the fact that she’s inherently freaking beardown successful the Force, similar the dude whose look she conscionable divided unfastened understands! It’s a thrilling decision to a truly good done and involving film, and by the clip Rey reaches the man, the myth, the fable – Luke Skywalker – and offers him his aged lightsaber, it’s a reminder however wonderfully involving Star Wars tin be, and however stirring it is arsenic a modern time mythical story.

I know, I cognize – you whitethorn perfectly hatred what comes adjacent for Rey and Luke successful a antithetic movie that opened a mates years later, oregon you whitethorn hatred what happens successful the movie after that. Or you whitethorn hatred both of them! I get that there’s a batch of radical who consciousness similar if they don’t similar wherever follow-up installments go, past an aboriginal introduction is present worthless – a retroactive discarded of time. But however tin it beryllium a discarded of clip erstwhile it’s inactive truthful entertaining successful and of itself? Even if you consciousness similar the caller anticipation that The Force Awakens offered was yet squandered, it’s inactive comforting to look backmost and erstwhile much link with the bully feelings that anticipation connected its ain elicits.

After all, I perceive you tin physique immoderate beauteous chill worldly with hope.