STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS by J.J. Abrams

The long awaited STAR WARS sequel has finally hit the screens. But is it really as good as we all hoped?

STAR WARS is hands down the most profitable franchise in the history of cinema. There was a time, however, when its craze and monetary profit was backed up by quality. The revolutionary blending of genres, most notably western and science fiction, made it stand out and made it an instant trend setter. When the marketing side took over, the magic considerably waned down. The result of this were the ill advised prequels. And now, after unprecedented social media bombardment, the long awaited sequels to the original trilogy kicks off. 

One can only assume that its success is based upon THE FORCE AWAKENS feeding off of the nostalgia of a generation that has literally been brought up on STAR WARS and seen the films so many times that it has become a type of family branding.  Hopes were high when J.J. ABRAMS was announced as the film's director. Having revitalized the STAR TREK franchise, earning the respect of its die hard fanbase in the process, this was a choice that made all sorts of sense. GEORGE LUCAS will be laughing his way to the bank, but his creative input was kept at a minimum, and this was also a clear sign of the wish to keep the redux as far away from the prequels as possible. The problem is that accepting the starting premise of the film to any degree other than monetary is more than a stretch. 

Turns out that the victory from THE RETURN OF THE JEDI wasn't much of a victory after all. Three decades have past, and a new threat replacing the Galactic Empire, known as The First Order, attempts to rule the Galaxy. That is not all. From there on, everything happens so conveniently that it risks being childish. 

A droid - the adorable BB-8 - with valuable information on the whereabouts of Luke Skywalker, who has disappeared with a broken heart feeling responsible for the start of the evil uprising, is picked up quite conveniently by a young woman, Rey (DAISY RIDLEY) who lives in a slave-like state selling scraps for food. She is joined by a stormtrooper, Finn (JOHN BOYEGA) with a conscience who enlightens her on the importance of the droid. They escape attack from the First Order with a piece of junk spaceship that turns out to be the mythical Millennium Falcon, and inexplicably, meet Han Solo quite casually in the infinity of the Galaxy far, far away, who helps them in their quest of taking the droid to the rebels - yes, they are still rebels. We soon find out he has personal motives for doing so.

The progression of the narrative conceals one surprise after the other, which is admirable. It's a shame that it moves along with such fragility that makes it come across as being held together by sticky tape. The character development is quite immature. Rey goes from being uncertain about the existance of Jedis to using Jedi tactics in order to escape her arrest. Her awakening is hardly as deep as Luke Skywalker's in the original trilogy. 

But the most disappointing aspect of the film comes from the villains. The First Order is nowehere near as threatening as the Empire. Kylo Ren (ADAM DRIVER), the Darth Vader of this generation, seems more like a whiny teenager than an ever powerful embodiment of the "dark side". When he meets his match in a fight with Finn, who has supposedly never held a light sabre in his life before that moment, it's hard to understand how he managed to rise to such a position of prominence. 

All that being said, there are redeeming factors that still manage to make it seem a step up from the prequels. The pacing is fluid to the point of being lyrical, thanks in no small form to JOHN WILLIAMS' update on the orginal, immortal score. Taking advantage as always of the new technnology, the effects are spectacular but never to an excessive degree. The cinematography by DANIEL MINDEL is meticulous while simultaneously attentive of its post apocalyptic desertic settings, that refer to the original STAR WARS film, while the indoor shots of the First Order's version of the Death Star are just as rich and dark as the ones in THE EMPIRE STRIKE BACK. 

As far as the acting is concerned, all players are out-shadowed by HARRISON FORD reprising the role that made him a star, and remains one of the greatest characters in American cinema. As Han Solo, he naturally dominates the film's action. The signs of ageing on the face of actor add humanity to the icon of non-conformism, accentuating his cheeky smirks and sarcastic remarks. It's good to also see CARRIE FISHER return as Leia. 

Of the new members of the cast, newcomer DAISY RIDLEY also gets to shine, and it seems the rebooting will be revolving around her character. The choice of having a female heroine leading the pack is sensible to moving times, and more than welcome, as is the racial mixture of the cast overall. The hope is that the film's apparent naivity will be answered for in the upcoming films. But THE FORCE AWAKENS, a masterpiece is not.

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (2015): Directed by - J.J. Abrams / Written by - Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams, Michael Arndt (based on characters by George Lucas) / Starring: 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 / Produced by - Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk / Music by - John Williams / Cinematography by - Daniel Mindel / Edited by - Mary Jo Markey, Maryann Brandon (seen by CineCola on 27/12/2015 at Cineworld, Crawley, UK)