Looking back on Star Wars, part 9: The Force Awakens (2015)

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It also has the odd effect in that, while it certainly evokes the original Star Wars, it feel nearly as iconic. Even John Williams’ score seems merely adequate. This isn’t to say The Force Awakens doesn’t have its moments. The scenes on Jakku, particularly those of Rey scavenging through ruined Star Destroyers, are visually striking. The same can be said for her and Kylo Ren’s lightsaber duel in the snowy forests of the Starkiller Base, as the planet crumbles around them. But too much of it feels like pastiches of classic scenes, particularly the long cut of Maz Kanata’s bar which, of course, is intended to remind you of the Mos Eisley Cantina.

But even though The Force Awakens does share far too many similarities with A New Hope for comfort with too many loose ends, there’s no denying that it’s fun to watch. After the prequels abundant usage of green screen and CGI, it was refreshing to see a Star Wars movie return to having some practical effects, puppetry, and location shooting. More importantly, despite being almost as long as Revenge of the Sith, it moves incredibly fast. Dutch angles and pan-and-zooms are the norm, so that even though it definitely looks like Star Wars, there’s no question it’s still Abrams’ movie.

[Star Wars: The Force Awakens] didn’t just become the top-grossing movie of 2015, but would go on to become the fourth-highest grossing movie of all time. Only when you adjust the other Star Wars movies for inflation did A New Hope earn more.

There’s also something magical in seeing Harrison Ford reprise one of his most iconic characters again. If you’re not giddy when Han steps aboard the Millenium Falcon for the first time in decades and tells Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) “We’re home,” then you’re probably in a coma. There’s also something a little bittersweet in seeing where Han’s journey ultimately led him. He’s trying to relive the good old days as a coping mechanism, but he’s definitely not the same space pirate that he once was. That he’s become a mentor and a substitute father-figure, but not losing his cockiness, works really well.

It’s also clear from his acting that Ford hasn’t had this much fun playing the fast-talking, good-hearted smuggler since The Empire Strikes Back. Even a near-fatal accident on-set that broke his leg–which stopped production for two weeks–wouldn’t deter him from playing Han again. And there’s likely one reason behind Ford’s renewed enthusiasm–he finally got his wish that Han Solo should die.

Remember, this is something Ford wanted to happen since at least Return of the Jedi because he thought the character had nowhere else to go. Ironically, it’s because Solo survived that makes what happens to him in The Force Awakens work so well. That said, Solo’s death at the hands of his own son is an extremely powerful scene. And, for the audience, the death of this beloved rogue proved just as controversial as it did shocking.

Yet this pales in comparison when it comes to the character set up to be the hero of the new trilogy, Rey. Some saw her as a symbolically empowering character, while others criticized her for being a “Mary Sue.” In truth, because we know so little about her even by the movie’s end, she’s essentially a blank slate. We’re certainly meant to see her as a female version of Luke and Anakin given her wardrobe, her living on a desert planet, and her abilities.

Much of the criticism towards Rey also comes the fact that, in the build up to The Force Awakens, it was John Boyega’s Finn who was built up as the Sequel Trilogy’s main protagonist. He certainly has the more unique backstory and the only character in The Force Awakens who has a legitimate arc. He’s also the closest thing Star Wars has ever had to an everyman. He’s not guided by destiny like Rey, and he isn’t a hot-shot pilot like Poe Dameron (Oscar Issac). He’s just a lowly, scared runt who wants to get away from the First Order and, by circumstance, learns to sacrifice his own needs for sake of others.

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One character who proves surprisingly fascinating is Kylo Ren. Here’s someone who seeks to honor the legacy of Darth Vader, even to the point of donning a mask, but who doesn’t really understand him. That he’s actually ashamed of being a Solo, afraid that he isn’t strong enough to embrace the Dark Side, presents a neat inversion of Anakin Skywalker’s overall story. He also evokes a great performance from Adam Driver, who shows that, despite his attempts to act like Vader, he’s far more temperamental, underscored in a hilarious moment when he uses his crudely-made lightsaber to hack away at instrument panels in frustration.

In the end, Star Wars: The Force Awakens became a massive hit. It didn’t just become the top-grossing movie of 2015, but would go on to become the fourth-highest grossing movie of all time. Only when you adjust the other Star Wars movies for inflation did A New Hope earn more. It also proved very popular with the critics, too. As of now, it’s tied with A New Hope as the second-best Star Wars movie ever made just behind The Empire Strikes Back. And the reason everyone loved this movie? Because it evokes nostalgia for the original Star Wars. Not like those “dull” and “boring” prequels.

Next. :Looking back on Star Wars, part 8: Revenge of the Sith (2005). dark

Yet in the benefit of hindsight, the nostalgia-inducing, feel-good entertainment that is Star Wars: The Force Awakens hid some glaring flaws, ones which affected not only its sequel two years later but the entire franchise. Even so, from the time of the opening crawl to the last shots of Rey presenting Luke with his lost lightsaber, you still believe that, as promised in the first lines of dialogue, that everything has been made right.

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