Gautam Anand
To keep it simple, we will divide this review into four parts: The Light Side, The Story, The Dark Side, and The Conclusion. Pick your side and dig in.
The Light Side
As soon as the movie begins we are introduced to new characters who will take the franchise ahead and we are happy that all of them fit their role. It is clear that a lot of thought went into casting these characters and the actors have done a marvelous job at understanding and playing them.
To start with, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, is an X-wing pilot, who is clearly a future leader. He is confident and committed to The Resistance. He also has our new hot favorite droid BB-8. Finn played by John Boyega is one of the major characters and is equally impressing but the greatest achievement of the movie makers is in finding Daisy Ridley as Rey. Rey is a firm, confident and intelligent girl, who picks up the story really quickly and takes us on a new adventure. Lupita Nyong’o does a fine job voicing Maz Kanata. Apart from them, our favorites, Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia (without Cinnamon Roll hair), C-3PO and R2-D2, take us on a nostalgic trip, back to the days of ‘Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope’. It was amazing to see Han and Leia together again and how important they still are to the story.
Trust me, the nostalgic feeling you get cannot be described in words. Though this sounds very similar to ‘Spectre’ trying to pay homage to James Bond movies, but ‘The Force Awakens’ has kept its originality while trying to do so. Though we would be even happier if we could see more of C-3PO and R2-D2 screen time. We are also very sad to say goodbye to one of our favorite characters and we know that franchise will not be same without it.
The Story
The story which picks up three decades after the Empire is defeated, is gripping. The title ‘The Force Awakens’ itself suggests that the light side of the force was in hibernation for some time now. There are no Jedi left but then there is one of our major characters who awakens it. This spooks the antagonists on the dark side, who were already looking to kill the last Jedi or as we can with some common sense guess would be none other than Luke Skywalker. Apart from finding him, The Dark Side is going, you know, Business-As-Usual, looking to destroy planets and have dominion over the galaxy and The Resistance, led by Princess Leia, is trying to stop them. But where the heart of the story lies is how our new protagonists, Rey and Finn, find their way across the galaxies and towards their destiny. ‘The Force Awakens’ as we know sets in motion, Episode VIII and Episode IX. So there was a lot of groundwork to do and we hope that as great as this movie is, the coming episodes will be far more gripping and action packed.
The Dark Side
Well not much to say here. Same old plan to destroy the planets, bigger star destroyer and all that is evil side of the force. The big thing to watch out for here is Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, who is a spitting image of Darth Vader. But to be honest, we all loved Vader, considering we knew his history. You will not love Ren. He is obsessed, a little insecure and has an inferiority complex that he will never be as great as Vader.
Though he plays his role significantly well with his mask on, he isn’t as threatening when he takes it off. Maybe the director wanted it this way, because we know his origins and what he is obsessed with. As we witness in the movie, Ren is a powerful Sith and uses the dark powers that we don’t yet understand. Also, he wields a bad-ass and controversial looking lightsaber (We will keep the controversy alive, until you go out and see how that lightsaber is useful). Apart from Ren, Supreme Leader Snoke makes appearance, as Kylo’s master and Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma. We hope they will be playing even bigger roles in the upcoming episodes. Also, we heard a rumor flying around that Daniel Craig has voiced or appeared as one of the storm troopers but we can’t say anything until it is officially confirmed, but we do suggest that you try to find it out when you go for the movie and update us in the comments.
The Conclusion
J.J. Abrams has done a brilliant job bringing the saga back to life. He successfully picked all the important parts from the previous movies and stitched them together brilliantly with the new story.
The background score is what you expect from a Star Wars movie, it’s done diligently by John Williams. The CGI looks very realistic and being someone who gets irritated when some CGI seems odd, I was totally satisfied. The screenplay is gripping and focused though sometimes it gets vague but we are hoping that the story will clear up in the coming episodes. Also hoping that there will be more lightsaber battles.
After Mad Max, this is the first film where one of the “powerful” characters is a woman. The new story is sure to impress feminists and keep people interested in the coming episodes. The force is definitely strong with this one.
Until, next time. May the force be with you!
Have you checked the movie out? What are your thoughts?
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