Director J.J. Abrams has made it unmistakably clear he's crafting The Force Awakens for lovers of the original trilogy. Ditto for Disney's goal of repairing the relationship with fans who despised the three prequels (I am not a member of that category). To that end, he has borrowed relentlessly from A New Hope, the movie that started it all, perhaps a little too much. No doubt Abrams has made a solidly entertaining, sweeping space opera that those very fans will eat up, but he may have played things a little too close to the vest. With one notable exception, the movie does little new or bold. The story beats and visual touches resemble A New Hope so strongly at times that the "deja vu" factor distracts from the many other things the movie does well.
As the familiar opening crawl informs us, Luke Skywalker has vanished. 30 years have passed since the destruction of the Empire, but remnants of the old guard have formed a new organization called the First Order. They sport a new killing machine even larger than the Death Star. It can't move (it's embedded inside a planet), but its firepower more than compensates. The same Stormtroopers we know and love are back as well, although one of them feels more conflicted than most about all the killing and dominance. His name is Finn (John Boyega), and following a village's brutal encounter with the deadly, lightsaber-wielding Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), Finn decides to bail on the First Order. He rescues a prisoner, Resistance pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Issac) and the two escape in a TIE fighter, but the Order shoots them down and they crash land on the desert planet Jakku.
Meanwhile, on Jakku, we meet scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley), who is scraping out a living collecting junk and trading it for food. She encounters the ball-like droid BB8, who is carrying a map to Skywalker's whereabouts, intending to reach the Resistance rebels. Joining forces with Finn, she eludes Kylo Ren's troopers en route to the Resistance, going so far as to steal the worn-down Millenium Falcon. They don't make it far into space before a freighter sucks up their ship. That's when they run into the Falcon's original owners, Han Solo and Chewie. Once our old friends learn the importance of BB8's mission, they have no choice but to return to the life they left behind.
Abrams aggressively emulates Lucas' approach with the original trilogy. In some cases, he's successful, like with the varies wipes, irises, and a reliance of practical special effects over CGI. There are also some clever touches involving Rey briefly struggling to fly the Falcon and fire a blaster before finally getting the hang of it. But there's no shaking the fact that far too much of this story feels like A New Hope with a different coat of paint. A youth living on a desert planet hungering for a better life? Check. A droid with crucial info? Check. The Falcon taking on TIE fighters? Check. Time spent inside a Cantina with wacky alien creatures? Check. An X-wing assault on a large circular base? Check, and so on. It's possible many fans won't care; they'll just be thrilled to return to a brand of Star Wars they know and love. But the quasi-remake vibe is so strong in places that once you see it, you can't "un-see" it.
Nevertheless, The Force Awakens has made some dramatic improvements for the series, especially in acting and dialogue. Gone is the stilted awkwardness of Anakin/Padme in Attack of the Clones or Luke's whining in A New Hope. Instead, the speech patterns and dialogue flow much more naturally. There are plenty of amusing utterances and not a bad line to be found. Also absent is anything aggressively geared toward children. No Jar-Jar Binks, Ewoks, or creatures of their ilk. The closest thing to "cute" is BB8, but he's a welcome, charming addition, full of clever visual sight gags. Finally, the look of the film is note-perfect. Abrams' vision of the galaxy truly looks like the next logical visual step for this series. The environments and battles are striking without relying too much on computers. You'll feel the weight of every ship maneuver, every shot fired, and every clashing lightsaber.
Daisy Ridley's Rey is a phenomenal addition to the Star Wars ensemble. She's plucky, heroic, and instantly sympathetic. If a woman can lead the charge in Aliens, The Hunger Games, or Mad Max, why not in Star Wars as well? John Boyega is every bit her equal. Finn can be a bit awkward and panicky, but his heart is in the right place and his character goes through an effective arc. Oscar Issac's Dameron slightly resembles Han Solo, although he doesn't have nearly as many wisecracks to go along with his piloting skills, at least not yet. Together, these characters, along with Han and Chewie, may not have as memorable a bond as we saw in A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, but they connect.
On the villains' side, let's be honest; no one is going to outdo Darth Vader's level of charisma and menace. Abrams wisely doesn't have anyone try. Adam Driver's Kylo Ren wears a voice-altering mask, but that's where the similarities end. He's a leaner, more nimble combatant, and he's prone to more violent outbursts. The character also brews with tremendous inner conflict, serving the Dark Side but feeling the Light calling out. No doubt he's something of a Vader wannabe (something one character rightfully calls him out on), but there's nuance here that makes him interesting enough to devote a series to. The movie also contains an analog to Grand Moff Tarkin in General Hux (Domnhall Gleeson), and he's suitably creepy. Finally, there's the First Order's Supreme Leader Snoke, a giant bald creature (voice and motion capture by Andy Serkis) who could prove to be the deadliest adversary of all down the road.
As disappointments go, the only underwhelming aspect of The Force Awakens besides the repetitive plot is John Williams' score. Old-school material like the Imperial March and the Force Theme creep in effectively every now and then, but none of Williams' new compositions leave any impact. That's surprising considering that even the least of the Star Wars movies has delivered memorable, dramatic tunes. This may sound like nitpicking, but it's important to remember that over the many years, the music of Star Wars has displayed every bit an influence as its visuals. That magic is mostly MIA here.
Since this is the first Star Wars movie to debut during the social media age, fear of spoilers is at an all-time high. As such, Disney has gone to great lengths to hide Luke Skywalker's involvement in this story. He's in the movie, but credit Disney for keeping an aura of mystery about the character's role. Also, while I won't reveal specifics, I will say that The Force Awakens contains a twist or two well worth keeping under wraps. One event in particular will generate the most chatter, and it could become the lasting legacy of this movie. Watching some of these unfold, it's worth wondering how masterful The Force Awakens could have been had Abrams taken the leash off the story and really let the movie chart unexplored waters.
The Force Awakens is simultaneously delightful and a little frustrating. The more natural interactions between characters old and new give it life, and the action sequences are as dazzling as ever, but too much of this basic plot borrows from adventures' past. That doesn't ruin the film by any means, but it keeps it from ascending to greatness. Appealing to nostalgia is fine for now; in fact, it's what a majority of fans want. But in order to avoid the trap recent superhero movies have fallen into, the upcoming Episode VIII will need to take more chances. Nevertheless, this is still Star Wars through and through. It's not an awards contender or a candidate for my Top 10 of 2015, but it offers a blend of adventure, humor, and pathos guaranteed to please audiences of all ages.
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