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+ Best Blockbuster of the Year
+ Best Shooting Star Actress of the Year (Daisy Ridley)
+ Most Profitable Movie of the Year: 582.36 mil. $ range
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| The irresistible, packed poster for J. J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens |
Star Wars is back!
And back in top shape, thank God! Disney acquired Lucasfilm and the franchise in 2012 (for a whopping 4.06 bil. $) and have done right by it in a big way here: Great filmmaker J.J. Abrams (Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)) has co-written the script with Lawrence Kasdan (Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)), based on an existing Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine (2006)) script.
A storm trooper, who adopts the name Finn, rises against the misdeeds of the First Order and joins forces with a scrap collector called Rey and a droid called BB8, who has vital information concerning the whereabouts of Jedi master Luke Skywalker and the Jedi temple.
The Force Awakens takes place about 30 years after the last of the 'old' Star Wars movies, Star Wars: Episode VI - The Return of the Jedi (1983). It presents (the beginning of) a fresh story that is to play out in two coming episodes (released in '17 and '19, probably), which also relies on several familiar characters from the old movies. Therefore, the new film is closer to the original three Star Wars movies (1977; 1980; 1983) than the recent three (1999; 2002; 2005).
The Force Awakens ranks up there with the best of the franchise, which are in my opinion Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope (1977), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1983) and Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), (and yes, I know that I'm somewhat alone in loving the latter film.)
The new film is a roller coaster ride of emotions, especially for a Star Wars fan: Excitement, awe, laughs and several touching moments. - The Force Awakens is certainly the most emotional Star Wars movie to date!
Star Wars creator George Lucas (Star Wars: Episode VI - A New Hope (1977)) has played an ambiguous ringside role in the making of the new film, pretty far removed from influence, as far as I can discern, which was probably a good decision on the part of Disney, Abrams and co. They have brought an incredible score of other people originally central to the Star Wars movies back, so it is easy to understand Lucas' possibly mixed feeling about the film. - It is in his mold, though, and no-one has cashed in more on the franchise, both monetary and in terms of respect and admiration, than he.
The new film presents two great, young stars as new leading forces: English Daisy Ridley (Scrawl (2015)) has the perfect, nimble physique and intensity to carry her role as Rey, and also English John Boyega (Attack the Block (2011)) has a great innocence to him, and can deliver humorous lines like a pro. - They have great chemistry and suit the screen beautifully. Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave (2013)) plays an amazing CGI-created character called Kanata, which has no resemblance to her, so if you had looked forward to see Nyong'o turn in another great performance, you might feel cheated here; but on the other hand the creature she portrays is really special. New rotund droid BB8 quickly steals audiences' hearts, but beloved veteran droids R2D2 and C3PO also turn up for some hearty laughs and good times. Domhnall Gleeson (Ex Machina (2015)) is a frightening, fascist leader, and Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)) stars as another CGI character, (his specialty by now), the giant Snoke. I don't know if I think CGI evil is so auspicious, really; the human face can create a sense of evil that is just more compelling, I suspect, as Ian McDiarmid (Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)), for instance, proved again and again as Chancellor Palpatine in the 5 last Star Wars films. Then there's Adam Driver (Frances Ha (2012)) as new villain Kylo Ren, who seems more like a rebellious post teen with an anger issue for some time, but later gets a lot more potent. Driver is tremendous in the part, and he is instrumental in two of the film's best scenes: SPOILER Firstly Han Solo's death scene, which should go down as one of the great death scenes in cinema history, which lends the film enormous weight; and secondly the climactic snow forest laser sword fight, which is unbelievably beautiful visually.
From the 'old gang', Harrison Ford (Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)), Carrie Fisher (Maps to the Stars (2014)) and Chewbacca have great, emotionally soaring scenes, and they immediately seem natural, back as the characters we haven't seen on the silver screen in decades. SPOILER And Mark Hamill (Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)) also turns up in the film's (nearly) heart-stopping ending.
The Force Awakens is a stunning, almost perfect space opera, an absolute delight and certainly a must-see in the cinema (preferably in 3D) experience. An outstanding Christmas treat and a film to rewatch over and over again.
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| A star is born: J. J. Abrams' Star Wars - The Force Awakens' Daisy Ridley |
Cost: 200 mil. $ (423 mil. $ includes marketing, producing videos and merchandise such as video games, action figures and costumes)
Box office: Not known yet
= Unknown
[The Force Awakens was shot partially on IMAX cameras May - November 2014 in England, Iceland, Abu Dhabi and the US. Ford fractured a leg during production, and Abrams injured his back in the same accident. John Williams (Lincoln (2012)) composed the score. The movie premiered in Hollywood's Chinese, El Capitan and Dolby theaters simultaneously, and is breaking several records on its opening weekend. Its gross is expected to be somewhere between 2-3 bil. $, with a total that includes merchandise sales upwards of 10 bil. $. Critics and audiences alike are loving Star Wars: The Force Awakens heartily: It is certified fresh at 97 % with an 8.3 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of Star Wars: The Force Awakens?
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