Yes it's time for me to weigh in on this one. The return to a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away (when I saw those words fade in on the big screen I just had to smile).
The return of the Star Wars universe is the biggest thing to hit box offices, and the hearts and minds of fans in a very long time. What's more, it had a huge amount riding on it - multiple generations lived and breathed Star Wars, and continue to do so, not to mention the legions of additional fans who are not obsessive but still appreciate elements of the franchise. Yep, this was a big one, and for me by and large, The Force Awakens pulled it off.
Gone were the uncertainly melded flavors and themes of the prequels (though I did enjoy those too, unlike some) this one truly felt like classic Star Wars. No, scratch that, it just felt like pure Star Wars. Though I appreciate George Lucas' comments about this being a "retro" film in a negative sense, to me for most of the time the balance was just right.
Yes the plot wasn't massively original (and quite rapid-firing) and yes it took a little while for things old and new to come together, but who cares? This was supremely sublime Star Wars fun, and to my mind all the massive expectations had beforehand have been pretty much fulfilled.
First of all, the clear nods and dutiful respect to what had gone before is obvious, and appreciated. In-jokes, references and familiarity were abound, and that's before you even get to the return of some very familiar faces. Amazingly, you could still make a case for this being a very Harrison Ford/Han Solo heavy movie. It was a joy to see Han, alongside Chewie and Leia Organa back. Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker was a potent part too and rightfully so, but we did not see him until literally right at the very end. Whilst I see why they did this, I did hope for a bit more involvement from Skywalker, and his sister Leia to a degree to, but it is also obvious that we shall hopefully get that in the next installment (in 2017! How will we cope?!).
But no, of all the old crowd, it was the adventures of Han Solo and Chewbacca the Wookie all over again. Of course there were plenty of injections of the new too, but it was a joy to see some of the old team back on the Millenium Falcon again. Not too much in the way of character development for Chewie and Han, but then again we wouldn't love them so much if they had changed. In terms of showing that the old generation had still got it (just) then it was definitely Harrison Ford, and to a slightly lesser degree his furry friend who led the charge. This was obviously important, not only for Star Wars integrity, but in terms of driving the new generation into the plot and (don't worry - no spoilers) also just for what actually happens to Han and the old team in the narrative (there are some powerful moments for the old gang too! Oh boy yes!).
Talking of new though, we were introduced to some completely brand spanking fresh faced youth team members who are obviously going to be the driving force of the films to come. A mixed bag, but generally I think a pretty good job was done. Oscar Issac as ace pilot Poe Dameron came straight out of the Star Wars factory full of swagger, charm and potential. Adam Driver as new villain Kylo Ren did fall tragically short for me; he was sinister enough with his mask on, but once you saw the man beneath it was a jumbled mix of struggling emotions and emo Sith-wannabe references. Another young villain came in the form of Domhnall Gleeson who was chillingly aloof enough, but didn't quite get enough time to develop in this one for me. John Boyega was the Stormtrooper-turned-young hero Finn and he just just pulled it off to my mind, but next time around he definitely needs to tone it down a few notches. For me the new star to watch was the fantastic Daisy Ridley as scavenger Rey. She was the whole package - strong, feisty, funny, vulnerable, beautiful, powerful, impactful and clearly has the most potential looking to the future; I can't wait to see what's in store for her next.
Other new elements included new droid BB-8 (alongside the joyous return of C-3PO and R2-D2) Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma and the brilliant Andy Serkis behind the new overlord of the Dark Side. This last one is a good character with a deal of dark potential...it's just his name that is bothering me - Snoke...it might just be me but this does not say villain of the Dark Side at all; Snoke sounds more like a poorly conceived toddler's cartoon character!
So, in conclusion I feel the Force was surely strong with this one. Action-packed, original and loyal to its predecessors, The Force Awakens certainly packs a massive Star Wars punch, and I feel it definitely has potential to thrill old fans and enthrall new ones for years to come.
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