Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) Review

"That's not how the Force works!"

-Han Solo

Thirty years after the events of Return of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamil) has gone missing.  Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) sends her best pilot, Poe Dameron (Oscar Issac), to track down a map that will lead to Luke, but Poe is ambushed and captured by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and the First Order, the remnants of the Empire.  Poe is rescued by Finn (John Boyega), a stormtrooper who has had a change of heart, but they are separated.  Finn ends up working with a scavenger, Rey (Daisy Ridley), and Poe's droid, BB-8, to the map back to Leia before Ren and the First Order can get their hands on it.

What Works:

The Force Awakens succeeds because it is a near perfect blend of old and new.  Sure, we get a decent amount of nostalgia, the Millennium Falcon, the return of Luke, Leia, Han Solo (Harrison Ford), and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), plus the film is very similar to A New Hope, which is a fair criticism, but it honestly doesn't bother me.  But the film does not neglect the new characters either.  Rey, Finn, Poe, and BB-8 are all excellent new heroes with solid personalities that make them easy to root for.  The Force Awakens gives us the best of both worlds and I think that's what most of us wanted and needed from this film.

I really enjoy Finn's backstory as a stormtrooper who betrays the First Order.  He makes for a very interesting character and is something we haven't seen before.  Plus Finn is a funny guy and John Boyega gives a great performance.  I love how he's pretty bad at everything he does and only pulls through by the seat of his pants.

It's great to have Harrison Ford back.  I know I'm not alone when I say Han Solo is one of my favorite characters in Star Wars.  In all honesty, he might be my favorite.  To see him get some solid emotional moments and a fantastic send-off was great, if heartbreaking, to watch.

Kylo Ren is a phenomenal villain and I loved every second he was on screen.  He is basically a rebellious teenager with some serious anger issues, but with immense power to boot.  Watching him break stuff during his temper tantrums was awesome.  He's a really compelling character that I was nervous about going in, but he became one of the highlights of the film thanks to an excellent performance from Adam Driver.

Finally, I love the 3rd act lightsaber duel and it may just be my favorite of the series.  It has easily the best setting in a snowy forest, plus we get to see a non-Force-sensitive character in Finn try their best against someone who is very strong with the Force.  Finn of course gets utterly wrecked and only lasts half as long as he does because Kylo is injured, but it's a great warm-up fight.  The real duel between Rey and Kylo looks amazing and is simply thrilling to watch.  We get to see Rey figure herself out as she battles the injured Kylo.  I never tire of watching this sequence and it's a highlight of the entire series as a whole.

What Sucks:

I do have a few nitpicky things.  There are a few points where the humor doesn't land and sometimes things feel a bit too convenient, like Han and Chewbacca just happening to find the Millennium Falcon when they do.  But the biggest one is; how did Maz (Lupita Nyong'o) get ahold of Anakin's lightsaber.  It fell out of Cloud City.  It makes no sense that she has it.  But that's all I got.  I know some people don't like the similarities to A New Hope, but again, I don't have a problem with that.

Verdict:

The Force Awakens was exactly the Star Wars movie we needed in 2015.  In washed the taste of the prequels out of out mouths and reminded us what this series is really about.  It's got heart and soul from excellent characters both old and new.  We have great heroes, complex villains, fantastic action, and one of the best lightsaber duels of the series.  Is it perfect?  No, but it's one of the best films of the series and you really couldn't ask for much more.  Without a doubt, The Force Awakens has got it going on.

 9/10: Great