Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)

Genre

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Director

J.J. Abrams

Country

USA

Cast

Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Max von Sydow, Kenny Baker, Tim Rose, Mike Quinn, Gwendoline Christie, Kiran Shah, Greg Grunberg

Storyline

Three decades after the second Death Star's destruction, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) has vanished. The First Order is scouring the galaxy of Luke, as is the Resistance, a military force backed by the Republic and led by Luke's sister General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher).

Opinion

I was not around yet when the Original Trilogy hit the theaters, but I've grown to love it, and along with the other fans of the franchise, I have been waiting for this film for a while. The excitement was high and so the expectations, and the waiting did pay off.

From the opening crawl to the ending credits, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a roller coaster of emotions, from tension to laughter, amusement to tears.

To talk about the film without spoiling anything won't be easy, but I'll try. The story is very flowing, mixes new and old moments almost flawlessly, and is enriched with witty dialogue, humour and drama. It does have the elements that characterized the Original Trilogy, and that every single fan loved, and, even though there are too many "I've seen this before" moments and the third act feels a lot familiar, the film is incredibly captivating and engaging.

There are still some parts, especially in the third act, that are a bit questionable - the final fight between Kylo Ren and Rey was great fun to watch, but it's strange that the girl knows how to use the Force so soon, and without training. 

The strength of the film lies in the fact that this time the dark side of the force is fought by a woman, Rey, that has no reason at all to envy the heroine of the Hunger Games.

The characters are another strong element. If on one hand the charismatic, likable rogue Han Solo is finally back - for the delight of the fans -, on the other hand I've been pleasingly surprised by the way the new characters have been introduced and developed. I thought that Ray, Finn - character the audience can relate with - and Poe would have been overshadowed by the original characters, but they are actually given most of the focus and they are helped by the familiar faces, which are not trying to steal the show at all. BB-8 is a little ball of cuteness, and it is more emotional that I thought. As for the bad guy, Kylo Ren - whose origins are completely unexpected - is a very complex character that does not feel like Darth Vader at all.

The action scenes are obviously spectacular, the sensational special effects do not overshadow the brilliant script, and the musical score, despite the absence of the Imperial March, is great.

The new character are very well portrayed with the right amount of depth by Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Adam Driver - who finally pulls off a good performance. However the stand out, as always, is the sarcastic Harrison Ford.