The original films, and to a much lesser but still relatively moderate extent the three prequels that followed, are highly revered in the film strands of popular culture. The franchise pioneered cinematic exploration of the outer universe and state of the art special effects, adding a morality-founded storytelling which pretty much gave birth to the whole geek adoration phenomenon. In creating this new form of filmic narrative, it required audiences to accept not only unknown actors, but also to invest their acceptance of an enormous alien universe, overloaded with goodies and baddies of every possible form.
The Force Awakens is director J.J. Abrams’ initial endeavour, as he attempts to recapture both the magic and expansive nature of the original Star Wars and in so doing he has offered feverish fans their very own take on A New Hope. This is a tricky film to write about, not only because its twists and turns are hugely extensive and unexpected, but that I certainly do not want to break the spell and spoil any readers’ enjoyment of what lies ahead. Giving it all away here would be a word crime punishable by a thousand years of slow digestion in the Sarlacc pit. The Force Awakens is not just a good film, it’s superb, in so many ways and it almost immediately recaptures the feel and tone of the original three, evaporating any possible doubt about the director having been the right choice. From its opening to the final shot, which, incidentally, is magnificent - The Force Awakens is vintage Star Wars - offering a genuine sense of being absolutely credible in its dramatic heft and sublime characterisation, with faces old and new.
Abrams is a believer in the magic of Star Wars, its unparalleled ability to suspend audiences’ disbelief and transport them to a vast, visually dazzling universe filled with intrepid heroes and dastardly villains. He gets that Star Wars is about big stakes and sprawling scale as much as he gets that it’s also, in its own way, the smallest, most emotional and personal of blockbuster franchises. The series is ultimately not about Luke Skywalker, Han Solo or Darth Vader. It’s about morality, basic concepts of good and evil and how the proponents of both sides will always be locked in some sort of power struggle. Star Wars is of many worlds, and all their people – including you. Understanding this is what allows Abrams to bring to the screen the kind of series renaissance moment fans prayed for but never actually expected to witness. The Force Awakens is very much a Star Wars film in tone, pacing and plot – but it’s also something new, and that’s the really exciting part. No one ever doubted this film would be bursting at the seams with nostalgic references to the original-trilogy lore, and The Force Awakens does have more than its fair share of throwbacks, from major plot points like the presence of Harrison Ford (at his wise-cracking, irascible best) as a much older, wearier Han Solo to little touches like Teedo, a pint-sized scavenger on the desert planet of Jakku. But it’s also boldly forward-facing, a rollicking adventure that makes fast work of introducing a new generation of Resistance fighters, potential Jedi and Empire-affiliated evildoers (though the villains this time around are technically allied with the First Order, which grew out of the wreckage of the Empire in the thirty years that separate The Force Awakens from Return of the Jedi).
It would be venturing too far into spoiler territory to detail all of the new participants, or to elaborate on the admittedly double bluff plot device that brings them into contact, but the main good guys this time around include Rey (Daisy Ridley), a tough-as-nails scavenger on Jakku whose discovery of an all-important droid named BB-8 puts her in the First Order’s target zone; Finn (John Boyega), a Stormtrooper who breaks rank after being asked to commit unacceptable atrocities; and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), a daring and dashing Resistance X-Wing pilot. Over on the dark side, though Vader has long since perished, his influence, as well as that of an enigmatic big baddie named Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis), looms large over light saber-wielding baddie Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), who refreshingly knows how to lose his nut when he hears bad news, makes it a top priority to locate BB-8.
The script, by Abrams as well as Empire Strikes Back scribbler Lawrence Kasdan, manages to move at a breakneck pace without ever feeling frivolous – like the best entries in this series, it tosses in enough essential exposition to deepen our understanding of the Star Wars universe yet mostly keeps the characters barreling along, moving from one wonderfully realised set-piece to another, barely even pausing for long enough to let out any of the gathering narrative steam. Some might take issue with a few of its bigger twists or gripe about the considerable 136-minute running time, but it’s nonetheless a joyful relief to discover that a cinema outing of this enormity feels so light on its feet. A large part of that sprightliness is owed to unabashedly great characters played by genuinely tremendous actors – and an outstanding return to form brought to the screen by the superb direction of Abrams.
