The trailers for 'Force Awakens' have been doing the rounds since Easter, and as much as I liked them, I remember back in the 90's feeling positive when the I first saw the pod race trailer for 'The Phantom Menace'. Star Wars fans will openly admit that nothing quite prepared them for the sense of crushing dissapointment when the opening credits rolled, and Lucas started talking about taxes, galactic politics, and the rest is history.
The other two prequels had their moments, but with cringe worthy scripts, way too much cgi, and some very poor casting choices, none of them even came close to matching the cinematic presence of the original trilogy back in the 70's and 80's.
After feeling so massively let down, I went to see 'Force Awakens' with an 'expect the worst, but hope for best' approach. As good as the trailers were, they looked like a retread of the best bits from Lucas's originals. Although this what fans would like, I wanted the same emotional resonance, but a new story accompanying it. I thought the film warranted Star City's Gold Class, so I paid £18 to see it with unlimited free popcorn and a reclining leather chair. Was it worth the entrance fee? Hell yes, and them some more.
You know your in safe hands the moments the opening credits roll and there ain't a single mention of politics or any sort of interplanetary tax rebate. The Empire is no more, but in it's place is the First Order. They have the same ambitions as the Empire, but the resistance are as always, out to stop them. Its meat and potatoes Star Wars plot, and the sense of relief you get the moment you see Abrams has gone back to basics is overwhelming.
So why does it work? What makes it so much better than the prequels?
I never thought Hayden Christiansen was up to much, and a very bad choice for such a pivotal role as the guy who became Darth Vader. In contrast, Daisy Ridley's Rey is a triumph of the highest order. She clearly put her heart and soul into the role, and makes the character her own. Ridley is supported by John Boyeger's Finn, who as well as giving an excellent peformance, provides the audience with the comic relief that was so painfully lacking from the prequels.
By the way, incase you're wondering about BB-8, it's the new R2-D2, hands down. I never thought I'd say a magnetic ball could also provide the audience with comic relief but it does.
'Force Awakens' works because it ticks all the right Star Wars boxes, and provides the fans with everything they want from a new Star Wars at the same time giving them characters that can carry the weight of the franchise forward. The older generation will be very happy to see Han Solo, Leia, and Chewacca back on the silver screen together in sets reminiscent of the original, and the quality of the performances from two leads reassures us that JJ Abrams has taken us in the right direction. Supported by John William's epic score, it's hard to believe the same guy who gave us 'The Empire Strikes back' also gave us 'The Phantom Menace'.
Putting my film critics hat on, there's a couple of things I must draw attention to because it comes with the territory. I personally felt Kylo Ren had nowhere near the stage presence Prowse's Darth Vader had in any of the originals. Perhaps it's intentional, or perhaps it's because he's such and iconic villian, the boots were just too big to fill. Also, if you wanted to nit pick you could say they've clearly rehashed classic scenes from the originals and put them all in one film. Endor, Hoth, the Death Star. Tatooine, the final scene in 'Empire', the Cantina scene. They're all in there.
It makes you wonder where Abrams can go if he directs the next one
As a stand alone entity though, 'The Force Awakens' is everything you could possibly hope for as a Star Wars fan. It show how utterly shit the prequels were. The characters Abrams introduces leaves you wanting more.
A solid five stars. Easily. Go pay the money and see it.
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