"Fans are going to love it" George Lucas said. And to
Disney, Star Wars' new 'overlords', that would probably be music to their ears.
However, that doesn't imply that the filmmakers did not put any sort of
creativity into it, 'cause they did. In fact, it looks pretty marvellous. Oh…and
spoiler alert.
J.J. Abrams' style was pretty much made for Star Wars, ironically
as seen in the Star Trek movies. Nevertheless, he has a good eye for spectacle
and enough respect for the Franchise. As a result we see the return of real
locations and practical effects. I am really happy that the sense of wonder and
adventure is back and isn't bogged down by senate meetings. Coming back to the
spectacle, this entry has (in my opinion) given us probably one of the most
evocative imagery seen in Star Wars yet. From the beginning with a silhouette
of a starship in front of a planet or Rey whizzing past giant Star
Destroyers buried in the sand on her land-speeder. And even the Space Battles
and Dogfights are also really top notch. And all under the grand score of John
Williams. Though honestly all those fast cuts do get exhausting sometimes. Also to be noted is that this movie also maybe has the most diverse
locations we have seen in one Star Wars movie.
Note that the locations are diverse for 'one' Star Wars movie, not
necessarily in the series. And same goes for the story. Some plot points do
feel recycled like the droid character having the secret message who is found
by a person in a desert planet and has to be brought back to the rebels. That
being said, it does serve as a good introduction to the series for Star Wars
virgins and also a reintroduction for fans as it does sum up all the great
moments of the original films in a new light. It also works in a thematic
aspect where you can say that history had repeated itself. However the last
straw for me was Starkiller Base, which was another Death Star but bigger! I mean why would The First Order pursue the exact same plan that destroyed their precursor
organisation in the first place Nonetheless I give the movie props that it
injects a lot more emotional impact into the scenes and I liked that it was to some extent the continuation of the Skywalker family saga. Mark Hamill also acted amazing with those facial expressions at the end.
I really liked Rey; she does grow on you overtime. Even though at
the surface she does seem like your typical wide-eyed protagonist but there are
clear signs of deeper unexplored territories. However, I will agree she is kinda
paper thin in this movie but her chemistry with Finn spices things up. Finn out
of all the characters is probably the most interesting to me of the bat because
of his pronounced moral dilemma that makes him leave the Stormtroopers, even
though it never clearly explains and we probably will never know since we saw
him confused right at his first battle so that doesn’t give us much history
too. Daisy Ridley and John Boyega’s performances are pretty much why you will
feel invested in the protagonists.
Alright time for the biggie, Kylo Ren or Ben Solo. Yes he is the
child of Han and Leia and he kills Han Solo, which face it, was inevitable. Speaking
of Han and Leia, I liked that their relationship was sort of on the rocks since
Jedi and making Han the mentor character of the movie was a good move. I
believe Han Solo had a pretty good character arc from careless smuggler to a father who has to take responsibilty. Anyway, I think that people who say Kylo Ren isn’t
intimidating are coming with the wrong mind-set. Sure he doesn’t have that
presence of Vader and is a baby face with perfect hair. And that is the point.
It shows vulnerability, it shows that he is still not completely with the Dark
side. And with the events transpired, maybe we will see this person become the
Bad-ass that Darth Vader was over this series of films. And to be honest, no one really wants another Darth Vader per se because you cannot top Darth Vader. Kylo Ren on the other hand makes you curious about his road further it's like you're following both protagonist and antagonist develop.
Now you might have noticed a theme with the characters that much
of it is kept under wraps. I am not sure if that’s a good
thing. It makes a significant impact to the depth of characters and it’s also
same for the story. Too much things are left up in the air for future stuff or
is rushed past for the next set-piece. At times it looks more spectacle than story. It doesn't help the movie stand on its own. Even though looks
immaculate visually, a lot of the times it feels superficial. Now I do
understand that Disney and Abrams had to play it safe for now considering they
had to impress the old fans and also attract the new fans. I still expected
more though, maybe it’s my fault. Nevertheless it’s Star Wars and it’s back for
a foreseeable future probably, I just hope they tell stories and not just do fan pandering.
ps. Do I think Rey is a Mary Sue? Well maybe yes, but again it goes on record that it really did need some more development all round.
