I decided to alienate myself from the hype. After many trailers, most of which I ignored, I finally got to see the movie with slightly pessimistic expectations. I remember I hopped into the hype train of Mad Max Fury Road, and I was left wondering how people could like it so much. Same with Guardians of the Galaxy. I actually didn't have too many hopes for it other than being a fun Marvel film, and don't get me wrong, I really liked both of these films, but I still can't get to love them as much as so many other people do. Despite that, I got out of the screening of this film pleasantly surprised.
I've been a Star Wars fan ever since I was about 6 or 7 years old. I admit it, I actually kinda like the prequels. Probably because I saw them first and as a kid. Episode 1 I saw again recently and I can see why people hate it. To be frank, I am fully conscious I only like it because of nostalgia, it's not good, but meh. Episode 2 I always found to be the worst of the franchise, and I still do. Most likely the most boring one. Episode 3 to this day I am unashamed to say I like. Not a guilty pleasure, and save for a few cheesy scenes, I really think it's a good overall film. One of the best musical scores too, I might add. Regarding the original trilogy, I love all 3. I love A New Hope and Return of the Jedi equally, The Empire Strikes Back is my least favorite, although I still like it a great deal.
Now, for the actual thing. The only other film by J. J. Abrams I've seen is Mission Impossible: 3. The only similar thing from that might be the pace. The film keeps moving but it's still hard to describe it as "fast-paced." Let's just say it keeps drawing your attention. If there's one thing I can say by what I know and seen form Abrams, it's that he loves his cinematic pieces. You won't find many flares in The Force Awakens, but what some retards have described as "flashy lasers and explosions" has actually been gorgeously choreographed. And if you're either a Star Wars fan or have an understanding for cinematic pieces, you'll appreciate them, as pretentious as it may sound. Abrams really made an effort to make this world come alive. If you can't accuse him of something, is of doing this without love.
The thing I loved the most about this episode, and I'm glad it's this, is the 3 main characters: Finn, Poe and Rey. All of them are charismatic, fully fleshed out and likeable. Although Finn isn't supposed to be the Luke Skywalker of this film, he might be the character that resembles him the most in personality. The difference is that while I don't mean this as to say Finn is a better character, he is more expressive. John Boyega was pretty good portraying this anguished former stormtrooper. Poe is like the Han Solo of this film. He's the cool experienced gunslinger. Except here he is a pilot. The difference with him is that Oscar Isaac's character is not the outlaw with a good heart Han Solo is, but rather just simply a talented good guy. Rey, my favorite character in the whole film and also the protagonist, is the Luke Skywalker of this entry. That is, role-wise. As a character, I don't think I can compare her to any other character in the franchise. She's a scavenger used to a hard life where you must get in line and expect you get a good reward for the junk you can collect, or die. Rey is as playful as she is smart with this character. Her background and as a scavenger makes her be useful even if she's inexperienced with the force, add that to a good-hearted and fun personality and you get this great character. This role not only demanded to be prepared for actions scenes, but also actual acting skills, which even though it sounds ridiculous, has been rare in action-packed films for quite some time now. Daisy Ridley proved herself as a great and competent actress with this role, Adam Driver portrays the villain, Kylo Ren, and he is pretty fantastic the first half of the movie. This isn't Driver's fault, though. I won't spoil it, but there's something that made him much less menacing than he was the first half. Still, he gave a pretty convincing performance. As for the returning cast, they're good. Harrison Ford did give a good performance, he still is Han Solo and you won't be taken out of the film for anything from him. There's not a lot I can say for the rest of the cast, though. No one is flat out bad in their role, but some characters just don't show up that much. One special mention, however. Whoever was in charge of writing and bringing BB-8 to life, you're a genius. The little droid is quite charming and really fun. It made me want to buy one of the toys more than any ad I've seen.
The Force Awakens doesn't have as much of lightsaber fights or jedi lore as, well, any other film in the franchise. However, it does show the Star Wars universe in more detail. I don't mean to say they spend any time explaining how this world came to be, but they do have many shots letting you know how the world has evolved and what has happened since the fall of the Empire in the original trilogy (everyone knows this, come on, it's not a spoiler.) Without explaining too much, they show Rey wearing a worn-out rebel pilot helmet, then they show a fallen AT-AT snow walker, etc. Point being, you can understand the universe this is happening in.
This is by no means a perfect movie, but goddamn I had a fucking great time with it. It just put me in a good mood. If you're looking for an adventure movie, even if you're unfamiliar with Star Wars, this is it. It's like a fun ride with friends one weekend. It's all I could wish from this franchise again. It does feel much more like the original trilogy than the prequels, but even then, I think it's a completely new experience.
8.5/10
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