The Empire is no more. In its place, The First Order has risen from the ashes of Darth Vader's legacy and aims to consolidate its power across the galaxy. Thrown into the galactic conflict are scavenger Rey and renegade stormtrooper Finn. They enlist the help of legendary smugglers Han Solo and Chewbacca to transport a droid carrying important information. It holds the whereabouts of long-lost Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, who is sought by General Leia Organa before it falls into the hands of Kylo Ren and the First Order. The Force Awakens was the first entry in the sequel trilogy that would explore time after the events of the originals. The amount of hype surrounding this film's announcement, trailers and build-up to release was something unseen since the prequel's release and it was an exciting time for fans. There was one interesting difference in this project, that being the absence of creator George Lucas, who sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012. He did write out a layout of his plans for the sequels, which Disney took and yet, for some reason, ignored them entirely, creating their own. This was for me and many the first production of Star Wars they saw from the Disney era. I went with my Dad back in 2015 to see it and was certainly captivated, being truly blown away. It was a unique cinema experience to behold. Set thirty years after the defeat of the Empire by the rebels in the original finale of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), we see the remnants of the long-thought-dead Empire return as the First Order. They are led by the mysterious Supreme Leader Snoke and his apprentice Kylo Ren who wants to fill the boots of Darth Vader. He displays some interesting force abilities like force freeze, which immobilizes his enemies. The coolest thing about him aside from his attire is that he wields a crackling red crossguard saber, which had never been seen before. Taking on this seemingly unstoppable force is the unlikely group of fighters focusing on lone scavenger Rey who has lived on Jakku after her parents abandoned her and stormtrooper defector FN-2187 later renamed Finn who realises the truth about the First Order when forced to kill civillians. The pair make for an unlikely duo but their banter and bond they grow is so much fun to watch play out. Of the two my favourite was undoubtedly Finn whose introduction was incredible as he defects, aiding Poe, an ace pilot for the Resistance, in escaping by stealing a Tie Fighter. That whole sequence with them blowing up the hanger with the Tie was fantastic and the pair's energy and back-and-forth repartee was exceptionally entertaining. I was, however, quite disappointed with how they built him up to be a big role, like in the poster with the lightsaber, only to give it all to Rey. Along the way, we get many references to the original trilogy like stumbling on the Millennium Falcon, which has a a phenomenal chase sequence. We of course see many faces from that trilogy who naturally steal the show when delivering so many heartwarming and emotional performances. Now I still really enjoyed this movie but there are plenty of flaws to it with the major being some striking similarities to Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). Not that it is a scene for scene retelling but many beats are the same from the planet killing weapon, droid carrying secret data, a protagonist from a desert planet, you see where I'm going with this. I just wished it took a couple of risks and gave us some fresh ideas but it naturally played it safe which did make it more crowd-pleasing all around. It does still feel like Star Wars though it is hard to ignore that it is at its core a corporate product more than one man's vision. Overall, The Force Awakens may not be the greatest Star Wars movie in the entirety of the franchise but it is still a magnificent movie. Holding some spectacular effects, envigorating score, beautiful cinematography and shots that culminate into a fun science fiction adventure. Plus the amount of set-up and questions planted were enough to hook fans with so much promise for the follow-up. Of course that was not meant to be with the release of the most controversial entry, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017).
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