The Franchise Strikes Back- Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review

By Emmanuel Gundran

The Star Wars movie franchise makes a comeback with this fresh new start to a future trilogy. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Abrams, 2015) is the first Star Wars film to pick up from the story that Return of the Jedi (Marquand, 1983) capped off. Therefore, being a part of the original trilogy's main story, this film revives the formula that Star Wars (Lucas, 1977) created and revitalizes it with a new, yet familiar, story, compelling characters, exciting action, and shocking twists.

The Force Awakens (Abrams, 2015) brings back the overall story structure of Star Wars (Lucas, 1977) but makes the content new enough for it not to feel rehashed. The film follows Rey (Daisy Ridley), a lone scavenger on the desert planet of Jakku, who meets Finn (John Boyega), a rogue Stormtrooper, and Han Solo (Harrison Ford), a smuggler with a heart of gold, and sets off on an adventure to save the galaxy from the First Order that plans to control it using their planet-devastating space station, Starkiller Base. Meanwhile, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), a high-ranking leader of the First Order, is trying to snuff out the Resistance against the First Order and tracking down Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), the last of the peace-keeping Jedi knights.

Han and Chewie, the beloved dynamic duo of the original trilogy, make their long-awaited return to the franchise.

J.J. Abrams explains that the film's structure was made similar to the first Star Wars movies' structure on purpose saying to Hollywood Reporter, "What was important for me was introducing brand new characters using relationships that were embracing the history that we know to tell a story that is new — to go backwards to go forwards." The role that each new character plays in The Force Awakens (Abrams, 2015) mirrors in some way a role that a character from Star Wars (Lucas, 1977) plays. For example, both Rey and Luke Skywalker are young people living on a desert planet looking for a higher sense of purpose, and both Han Solo and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) are the wise, old mentor who guides the protagonist on their journey to defeat evil. However, each character has a unique personality from their counterpart that makes them feel fresh and new. Han Solo may be yet another wise mentor, but unlike the calm, peaceful Obi-Wan, he's still as reckless as he was back in his younger smuggling days, which makes for some comedic moments with him and his partner Chewbacca.

As is expected with Star Wars films, The Force Awakens (Abrams, 2015) comes packed with tense sci-fi action. As a return to tradition and an homage to the original trilogy, this film uses plenty of practical effects from fully-built set pieces, to model miniatures, animatronics, real explosions, and more. When you see the Millennium Falcon flying over the desert sands of Jakku or an explosion on a battlefield, there's a unique feeling that what you're seeing is actually right in front of you. After the use (or arguable overuse) of CGI in the Star Wars films from The Phantom Menace (Lucas, 1999) to Revenge of the Sith (Lucas, 2005), seeing physical special effects in this film is refreshing and makes the action real. Production designer Darren Gilford spoke at a Comic-Con panel saying that Abrams' goal, "was authenticity and being as true to the original trilogy as possible. And he felt the prequels were flawed by the fact that they had every [CG] tool known to mankind and used everything at their disposal."

Finn and Rey on Jakku during a scene shot on location in the desert near Abu Dhabi.

Like The Empire Strikes Back (Kershner, 1980), this film comes packed with some shocking story twists. J.J. Abrams, when talking about the films' villain, Kylo Ren, told Entertainment Weekly before the film's release, "There are many implications to ...Kylo Ren’s history. If he had a different name before...maybe we’ve heard it before. Maybe we know… his parents?" The film explores themes of family and faithfulness to one's own identity through the character of Kylo Ren, as he aspires to be like Darth Vader, one of the greatest and most terrifying leaders in the galaxy. Meanwhile, characters like Finn and Rey, unlike other Star Wars characters, do not have last names, which leaves their backstories open for this film and the other two in the trilogy to explore.

​Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Abrams, 2015) should be a good time for anyone either casually or faithfully following the Star Wars franchise and a welcome new addition to the saga.

Kylo Ren wants to "finish what [Darth Vader] started."

Sources Cited:

Breznican, Anthony. Entertainment Weekly. Entertainment Weekly, August 12, 2015. Web. March 3, 2016
Desowitz, Bill. Thompson on Hollywood!. IndieWire, July 13, 2015. Web. March 3, 2016
McMillan, Graeme. The Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter, March 3 2016. Web. March 3, 2016