Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Harrison Ford Directed by J.J. Abrams
** This is a portion of my article 2015 Year in Film, with some new material added after a recent rewatch of The Force Awakens for the Podcast Talkingflick.com.
I had to start with one of the biggest films of all time, after all I stood outside in the cold on opening night to get in like so many others. Here is the thing with a movie like this is more than just a movie (don’t snicker), it really is a cultural phenomenon. I know this is true because during my 2nd viewing of this film (some 9 days after its release in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday) people were still giving standing ovations. Even more so than that, almost every time I’ve been to a theater since its release, someone in line behind me is talking about it (and get this: they are usually young folks!). This film didn’t need to be great (and it’s probably not great), it just needed to be good (and it’s better than good). J.J. Abrams does a nice job bringing back what made Stars Wars fun to begin with (and not just talking about the original cast). Like an Onion the film peels back layer after layer of nostalgia, however none of that would have really mattered if he didn’t get the new characters right…and he did, big time. I think it is wonderful to see a female lead, I can’t tell you how fresh the character Finn is (Reluctant hero, traitor, and cool leading man), Poe Dameron (who was supposed to die in the first script) is also great, I’m happy they are keeping him around. The returning cast does a nice job as well, Han Solo leads the film very well, Leia is sharp in her limited but effective role, and Luke delivers in his brief but smart ending sequence. The locations they used, and practical sets really make the difference and improve upon the prequels (which get a bad rap, but are pretty good).
Now it isn’t all great in a galaxy far far away, there were moments this year that I flirted with the idea of having this film as #1 on the Top Ten List (See Sidebar Top Ten Lists in web browser mode if you are on a mobile device*), certainly all said and done I will rewatch this film more than any other film this year and that holds a lot of water on the Shawshank Scale, but despite that this film has problems. For starters it is fair criticism that the beats of this film feel awfully familiar (another Death Star, was that really necessary?). In addition to that the film feels incomplete, I know some of that is done on purpose, but not all of it. The film really feels like they were writing, shooting, and guessing as they went along…there is probably like 4 hours of additional footage that takes the film in all sorts of other directions. To me they could’ve waited to get the story right instead of trying different things and piecing it together. Several times in the film it feels cut and pasted, now we don’t care because it is so much fun, but still. I was surprised it received an Oscar Nomination for editing given that some of the edits are abrupt and out of place. I didn’t love, understand, or care about the Bad Guys. Who is the first order, Snoke, or what the hell are the knights of ren…who cares. That said it is a great ride, it bridges the old with the new in a fun way. I’m not sure anyone (including Lucas) could’ve done a perfect job with a film like this and J.J. deserves credit for taking on such a daunting task and not failing. Kids are excited about Star Wars again, and adults love that…because they’ve always been excited about it!
The Shawshank Scale (1-10) The Force Awakens is an incredible ride, yes, yes it has mystery boxes, hard edits, "emo" bad guys, and sadly the useless Republic and Starkiller Base (wtf??), but again what a fun time. It also has remarkable casting, great sincere nostalgia, and wait for it...Han f**king Solo, Luke mother****ing Skywalker, and the incomparable General Organa, so deal with it, I liked this film. It is well worthy of a very respectable 7.0 on The Shawshank Scale and has already proven to be extremely rewatchable.
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY RECENT GUEST APPEARANCE ON TALKING FLICK!
Talking Flick on Anchor (The Force Awakens Episode)
Talking Flick on iTunes (The Force Awakens Episode)
Talking Flick on Anchor (The Empire Strikes Back Episode)
Talking Flick on iTunes (The Empire Strikes Back Episode)
Talking Flick on Anchor (The Empire Strikes Back Episode)
Talking Flick on iTunes (The Empire Strikes Back Episode)
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