The sensation was an odd one. I was quite confident I had never felt this way while watching a Star Wars film but for the life of me was unable to identify what I it was that I was feeling. For a larger portion of the movie than I care to admit I wrestled and argued with myself over what was the problem.
Then the answer hit me. I was bored, a state of existence I would have considered so ridiculous while watching Star Wars it was surreal. Here I was surrounded by much-loved and familiar characters, dazzling blaster battles, and light saber duels, and I felt more likely to take a nap than become engaged with what was happening on-screen. I felt almost guilty.
The problem with The Force Awakens is it harkens so much to the original trilogy that one gets the distinct impression they could be spending their time watching a movie just like it except better. Much of this nostalgia is perhaps harmless, you might think, but the fact of the matter is that The Force Awakens is basically a mixing brew of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back repackaged with different actors. It can't be that similar, you say? Let's think about it...
Then the answer hit me. I was bored, a state of existence I would have considered so ridiculous while watching Star Wars it was surreal. Here I was surrounded by much-loved and familiar characters, dazzling blaster battles, and light saber duels, and I felt more likely to take a nap than become engaged with what was happening on-screen. I felt almost guilty.
The problem with The Force Awakens is it harkens so much to the original trilogy that one gets the distinct impression they could be spending their time watching a movie just like it except better. Much of this nostalgia is perhaps harmless, you might think, but the fact of the matter is that The Force Awakens is basically a mixing brew of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back repackaged with different actors. It can't be that similar, you say? Let's think about it...
The protagonists are a relatively small resistance group challenging a large well-funded bureaucratic organization in both films. Both feature a droid that possesses valuable information to both sides who communicates by beeping and booping. Both villains are scary masked men dressed in black masks who report to a creepy shrouded hologramatic figure. Someone unexpected is someone else's father. The main protagonists are young relatable dreamers who live on Tatooine with a shrouded past. The "old sage archetype" is cruelly slain by the villain while other characters stand watching from afar. Both feature massive battle stations with the capabilities to destroy a planet that is then destroyed by a small fighter pilot. And, unfortunately the list goes on.....
I appreciate the fact that the script seems very much like a love letter to fans, and I can understand the writers' impulse to keep things conservative, but I can't help thinking The Force Awakens is basically a 'best of Star Wars remix'. It's comforting and soothing but on its own displays little originality. Even writing this blog I'm struggling to remember any sort of iconic moment that doesn't rely on the Star Wars mythos already established from the original trilogy.
I appreciate the fact that the script seems very much like a love letter to fans, and I can understand the writers' impulse to keep things conservative, but I can't help thinking The Force Awakens is basically a 'best of Star Wars remix'. It's comforting and soothing but on its own displays little originality. Even writing this blog I'm struggling to remember any sort of iconic moment that doesn't rely on the Star Wars mythos already established from the original trilogy.
The other major thing disconcerting about The Force Awakens is the political situation. The First Order is described as a knock-off want-to-be galactic empire that controls a fraction of the Old Republic. It's not talked about, but I get the impression that this First Order rules no more than a fourth of the lands controlled by the Republic during the Clone Wars.
If that's the case, why do they look like the most well-funded fighting force in the galaxy? I mean, they have a planet killer, and the Republic sees fit only to support a local resistance group. Don't they have intelligence watching the guys who are trying to put back in place the thing the Rebellion spent thirty years trying to defeat? Nobody noticed the First Order building a planet destroyer bigger than the Death Star, whose goal was, by the way to, "keep the local systems in line"? Think JFK taking a vacation during the Cuban Missile Crisis on this one. Why do things look exactly like they did in Return of the Jedi? This First Order is everywhere; they do what they want, they take whatever they want, and nobody stops them. What then was the original trilogy about, all those guys who fought and died for the Rebellion? All that effort to defeat the Empire looks like a big waste of time.
Either the First Order needs to be described as a small elite organization that has slipped past the Republic's radar, or it needs to be in full blown war with it. I think the scenario we see on-screen exists because the writers deemed it necessary to have an evil empire challenged by an ill-equipped rebel faction, or otherwise it wouldn't be Star Wars.
If that's the case, why do they look like the most well-funded fighting force in the galaxy? I mean, they have a planet killer, and the Republic sees fit only to support a local resistance group. Don't they have intelligence watching the guys who are trying to put back in place the thing the Rebellion spent thirty years trying to defeat? Nobody noticed the First Order building a planet destroyer bigger than the Death Star, whose goal was, by the way to, "keep the local systems in line"? Think JFK taking a vacation during the Cuban Missile Crisis on this one. Why do things look exactly like they did in Return of the Jedi? This First Order is everywhere; they do what they want, they take whatever they want, and nobody stops them. What then was the original trilogy about, all those guys who fought and died for the Rebellion? All that effort to defeat the Empire looks like a big waste of time.
Either the First Order needs to be described as a small elite organization that has slipped past the Republic's radar, or it needs to be in full blown war with it. I think the scenario we see on-screen exists because the writers deemed it necessary to have an evil empire challenged by an ill-equipped rebel faction, or otherwise it wouldn't be Star Wars.
What the film does a better job with is the characters. In contrast to the prequels, the new characters are normal people who are likeable. The bright spot is actress Daisy Ridley as Ren, a young girl stranded on Tantoonine with a strong inclination towards the force. I appreciate that as a woman character she is neither a femme fatale nor a kick-but gun totting ninja as is the case with most action-type movies. Though she can take care of herself, (the film makes fun of action movie's preconceived notion that when a boy and girl are running, they have to hold hands) it is clear she is venturing into uncharted territory, and at times she is apprehensive. She is similar to Luke but not so much so that her character comes across as fake or disingenuous. Perhaps most importantly, Ms. Ridley's acting performance is a good one, and she carries the role well. The scene where Luke's light saber will come only to her is by far the best bit of the film.
The character of Ren I thought was good although it is a bit disappointing that our villain is a kid-ish wanna-be Darth Vader. Most of what he does seems forced and appears to be motivated in an attempt to emulate Vader than any sort of thinking on his part. Once again, our villain is directed by an even scarier villain who appears in holomatic form, and I wonder why guys like Ren keep choosing to follow guys like..... whatever that thing was we see. For this first film I thought Ren made a decent villain, but his character will have to be developed further for him to work well over the course of the trilogy.
Surprisingly, the character of Finn, portrayed by John Boyega, provided much of the comic relief, which overall he did well. I felt he acted as a good foil for the other characters; a young brawny storm trooper to match Han Solo's street smarts and overprotective guardian to Rey's confident personality.
Unfortunately, the film does not spend much time on Finn being a storm trooper. This is the first time in the franchise that we see a storm trooper as an individual with feelings and concerns about what he is killing and dying for. However, apart from the fact we are told he doesn't like it, we are shown little of the process of why he decides to leave. Are we to believe that after a life-time of indoctrination and training after one battle he gets cold feet and skips town with an enemy pilot, someone he's probably been taught to hate? Do other storm troopers desert so haphazardly? What makes Finn so desperate to leave that he takes the first option available, no matter how dangerous or obvious it might be? Personally, I would've preferred a little more insight. As with Ren, however, the overall verdict on Finn's character will have to wait until we see the end of his story.
The character of Ren I thought was good although it is a bit disappointing that our villain is a kid-ish wanna-be Darth Vader. Most of what he does seems forced and appears to be motivated in an attempt to emulate Vader than any sort of thinking on his part. Once again, our villain is directed by an even scarier villain who appears in holomatic form, and I wonder why guys like Ren keep choosing to follow guys like..... whatever that thing was we see. For this first film I thought Ren made a decent villain, but his character will have to be developed further for him to work well over the course of the trilogy.
Surprisingly, the character of Finn, portrayed by John Boyega, provided much of the comic relief, which overall he did well. I felt he acted as a good foil for the other characters; a young brawny storm trooper to match Han Solo's street smarts and overprotective guardian to Rey's confident personality.
Unfortunately, the film does not spend much time on Finn being a storm trooper. This is the first time in the franchise that we see a storm trooper as an individual with feelings and concerns about what he is killing and dying for. However, apart from the fact we are told he doesn't like it, we are shown little of the process of why he decides to leave. Are we to believe that after a life-time of indoctrination and training after one battle he gets cold feet and skips town with an enemy pilot, someone he's probably been taught to hate? Do other storm troopers desert so haphazardly? What makes Finn so desperate to leave that he takes the first option available, no matter how dangerous or obvious it might be? Personally, I would've preferred a little more insight. As with Ren, however, the overall verdict on Finn's character will have to wait until we see the end of his story.
By itself Star Wars: The Force Awakens comes across as an entertaining piece of sci-fi cinema with simple yet enjoyable characters and a straightforward plot. As part of the Star Wars mythos, it offers much that the prequels didn't. The characters are relatable, there's no boring Jedi meetings, there's no unrealistic love story, etc. It feels like Star Wars, something which I'm sure every fan breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing.
However, the fact that almost every plot device and thematic motif used in The Force Awakens stems from the original trilogy makes me wonder if the series has much more to offer in terms of originality. Star Wars, in my opinion, has always been the story of Luke, Han, and Leia's struggle to defeat the empire and the journey that each goes through in the process. It's really a very specific story. Star Wars has never been about the setting or technology (even though that stuff is super cool) as it has been about the characters and the moments they experience. Star Wars is about the sadness Luke feels when Obi-Wan dies. It's about the terror that Darth Vader brings. It's about the helplessness Leia experiences when Han is put into carbonite.
The reason why it's challenging to continue the Star Wars franchise without heavily borrowing from previous films is because what makes Star Wars Star Wars is the feelings we had at specific times about specific characters. Any new film then would naturally want to try and duplicate these moments but in all probability wind up creating something that looks like a superficial photocopy. It's not Star Wars unless there is a disconnected father and son on opposite sides of a war. It's not Star Wars unless the bad guys have a giant thing that can blow up other giant things. You might as well try to write a sequel to The Great Gatsby or The Lord of the Rings.
Though The Force Awakens is enjoyable on its own and is a breath of fresh from the prequels, in the context of Star Wars its fails to define itself as a unique new chapter with distinct ideas. While imitation is perhaps the greatest compliment The Force Awakens can give to the original trilogy, it is disenchanting that this supposed new film is a thinly veiled recycling of the old ones, and that a significant fraction of its merit lies not in itself but in its luxury of being able to stand on the shoulders of its predecessors.
However, the fact that almost every plot device and thematic motif used in The Force Awakens stems from the original trilogy makes me wonder if the series has much more to offer in terms of originality. Star Wars, in my opinion, has always been the story of Luke, Han, and Leia's struggle to defeat the empire and the journey that each goes through in the process. It's really a very specific story. Star Wars has never been about the setting or technology (even though that stuff is super cool) as it has been about the characters and the moments they experience. Star Wars is about the sadness Luke feels when Obi-Wan dies. It's about the terror that Darth Vader brings. It's about the helplessness Leia experiences when Han is put into carbonite.
The reason why it's challenging to continue the Star Wars franchise without heavily borrowing from previous films is because what makes Star Wars Star Wars is the feelings we had at specific times about specific characters. Any new film then would naturally want to try and duplicate these moments but in all probability wind up creating something that looks like a superficial photocopy. It's not Star Wars unless there is a disconnected father and son on opposite sides of a war. It's not Star Wars unless the bad guys have a giant thing that can blow up other giant things. You might as well try to write a sequel to The Great Gatsby or The Lord of the Rings.
Though The Force Awakens is enjoyable on its own and is a breath of fresh from the prequels, in the context of Star Wars its fails to define itself as a unique new chapter with distinct ideas. While imitation is perhaps the greatest compliment The Force Awakens can give to the original trilogy, it is disenchanting that this supposed new film is a thinly veiled recycling of the old ones, and that a significant fraction of its merit lies not in itself but in its luxury of being able to stand on the shoulders of its predecessors.