The new saga has begun and the verdict is....Passing
Star Wars: Episode 7: The Force Awakens the 7th and latest installment of the most commercially acclaimed film franchise has arrived and while it may not be the masterpiece of cinema fans have been waiting for, it still delivers. The visuals and designs are there. The villainy is I place. And there is plenty to set the table for what looks to be a long running franchise. My advice to Star Wars fans is to walk into this movie expecting an entertaining movie instead of putting it on a pedestal however, with the original gems.
Abrams does a strong effort at modeling the development of this movie after the original trilogy. Like the original trilogy, this film is once again about a hero once discovering their destiny and those surrounding them deciding to follow what is right. Unlike the original trilogy, Abrams uncovers details it took two or some cases three movies to originally develop. Nonetheless, the development is quite similar. Without spoiling plot details, one can simply state that conflicts the characters battle are believable and the growth therefore, feels natural. This gives meaning to each character's actions. The motivation behind the heroes' are believable and clear. Not as much can be said for the dark side, aka the new order. Those motives will likely develop more in the series, but are not quite yet clear. The "Resistance", this film's new variation on the alliance is devoted to preserving the remaining albeit minimal jedi order, Luke who has long since vanished as the new order seeks to find him. Our newest main hero, Ray has a briefly alluded past the franchise will no doubt develop on, but an inherent strength in the force develops as she becomes more educated in its truths. Ray's advenatures and Kylo Ren's devotion to the new order are more than enough to keep this film solid.
This film's initial weakness is the sometimes excess ammount of humor and repetition. The development that commonly transpires is sometimes too similar to the original trilogy for audiences to get invested. The best writing material is Ray's discoveries. The New Order's solar-powered death star is too familiar and is more of a distraction from the much grittier back story behind Kylo and Snoke. The apparent angle is to develop more detail on that in the next film. Irrelevant of the direction these films will go, the humor was excessive. DD88 is just right. He is cute and boyish in an R2D2 way, but still important enough to make his presence necessary. The bickering between Ray and Finn however, is never funny. Their connection captures the audience once they are honest with each other.
The villainy, like the movie itself should be assessed on its own rather than compared to the original trilogy. The duality of conflicts in Darth Vader can be imitated, but not replicated. Kylo Ren's and Supreme Leader Snoke should therefore, be held on their own. Ren's conflicts are not fully developed yet, but they do not need to be yet. It is evidentthat it is there so viewers will eagerly anticipate this outcome as this series develops. Snoke is another intimidating addition to the franchise who will continue wreaking havoc on the resistancefor movies to come. For now, they are merely engaging enough for audiences to care about their back stories.
All in all, this is an entertaining new addition to the Star Wars universe. Audiences will cheer and await the upcoming story's response to this film's clifhanger. Some material can be developed more while other material could have beeno ommited. This film earns a solid B.