Short Review - Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Spoiler Free)

I was so excited about this movie that I bought the tickets in advance and went to see it Thursday night. It's hard to temper expectations going into a movie as big as this but I tried my best to keep an open mind...

The best thing about this movie is the characters. Rey and Finn immediately come to life and have great chemistry with each other and with Han Solo and all three main characters have really solid arcs as does the new villain Kylo Ren. The writing in the film is generally quite strong and there is a lot of fun humor. The film also looks really great with a lot of practical effects and cool creature and environment design. With that said I do have some problems with the film. There is a major plot point borrowed from the original Star Wars film that I found rather derivative. In addition to this the pacing is somewhat rushed and erratic at times especially toward the end. I also have mixed feelings about this film's place in the overall Star Wars canon that I won't get into here. Overall though The Force Awakens is a pretty strong film with solid writing acting and direction. Perhaps the best complement I can give it is that I feel anxious to see it again.

Score: 8.5/10

Quick Note: Blog "Makeover"

I've done a few things to update my blog this past week. These include reformatting old posts, adding a featured post and external links (which you'll see over to the right), and and tagging (or labeling as Blogger calls it) all of my posts to help you find similar ones. You can scroll down below and look through the tags under Labels. On another note, I recently saw the Force Awakens and will try to get a review up for it in the next few weeks...

My Favorite Films: Star Wars

     For a long time now I've wanted to write reviews for some of my favorite films. Since I'm trying to post on this blog more I figured now was a good a time as any...

     When I was growing up my parents were generally opposed to works of science fiction and fantasy  though there were notable exceptions like Mary Poppins and The Princess Bride. As a result of this I didn't watch Star Wars until I was 16. In many ways this was my entry point into the world of sci fi and fantasy. I had always been intrigued by Star Wars, pretty much all of my friends and relatives had seen it and I would often discuss it with them. As you might imagine I was very curious to finally watch it for myself. However seeing it for the first time was somewhat underwhelming. Perhaps it was partly the fault of the poor quality Youtube video I watched, but I initially thought it was somewhat hokey and dated. What did strike a chord with me was it's world building and sense of scope. To quote Obi Wan Kenobi, I'd taken my first step into a larger world and in many ways I think that was Lucas' intent in making the film. To recapture the magic and adventure that he himself had experienced as a kid in the old Flash Gordon serials.

     As time has gone on I've come to appreciate many other aspects of this film. For one thing it has pitch perfect pacing. The film wastes no time establishing the plot which is basically laid out in the opening crawl. It starts out with a bang, showing an Imperial Star Destroyer chasing down the rebel blockade runner but, after this, slows down for a while to focus on R2D2 and C3PO. From here the movie gradually increase the pace as the stakes get higher and the action ramps up. This culminates in one of the most exciting climaxes in cinema history. 

     Another thing I love is that Star Wars pretty much stands on its own. Though the sequels continue the story and flesh out the universe more, Star Wars has the distinction of being the only film in the series to have a self contained beginning, middle and end. The prequels aren't really needed to understand where these characters are coming from and really, the way the film ends, there's no reason to think that the rebellion won't easily triumph over the empire and that everyone will live happily ever after. In other words it doesn't feel the need to end on a cliffhanger or spend time setting up future films, though it does subtly (and at times inadvertently) lay the ground for them. 

     Bruce Campbell once said that "a movie that is hard to make is a lot easier to watch." This is another reason I really love Star Wars. As someone who's been involved in some amateur film-making myself I can really admire all the hard work that went into making every aspect of this film and the more I've learned about it's plagued production the more I've come to appreciate it. Star Wars is an example of collaborative film-making at it's best. George Lucas had a rather brilliant concept for a story but it took a whole host of people (and compromises) to bring that vision to life. Whether it's Ralph Mcquarrie's concept art, Ben Burtt's sound design, ILM's revolutionary special effects, strong performances from Harrison Ford and especially Alec Guinness, or John Williams majestic score, they all combine to make a truly special film. 

     

     My admiration for Star Wars has only grown over time. In many ways it's impact on cinema can still be felt today. It's made me into something of a geek, it's inspired a whole generation of filmmakers and I can only imagine that it will continue to do inspire future generations for as long as people go to the movies.