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Short version of review: Star Wars Episode 7 is not only one of the best mainstream blockbusters of the last couple of years but is also a promising start to the new star wars trilogy despite some considerable flaws. If you're a fan of the star wars films or even just big blockbusters I'd say go see it but be prepared for some shoddy dialogue and internal-universe inconsistencies.
Long version of review:
So yeah, as you probably summarised by the 10 millionth review released about the latest instalment into this vaunted franchise at this point, Star Wars Episode 7 is one of the best big releases of the year and is well worth seeing for both the Star Wars loyalists and the movie-going majority. This isn't of course to say that this is the best film of the year period as even I would say that in terms of intra-universe consistency, Star Wars 7 was outdone earlier in the year by smaller scale action films and the likes of Ant-Man which itself, while having a much smaller scale than most Marvel movies, had a consistent narrative and internal logic in comparison to Star Wars 7.
Usually I would try and make a film review by approaching whatever pros and cons come to mind first but with this film I have to approach it as if it were an essay topic by making a brief synopsis of the subtext then going on to have a crack a deciphering from both my own opinion and objective film-making whether this film is worth seeing or not.
So the plot; It's Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) but with a female as the main lead and one of the main characters being black while the new villains are a cagey rehash of older ones from the earlier days of the series. And Really, this is probably the biggest problem with The Force Awakens in that when he strove to create a film that would appeal to the older lifelong fans of the series, J.J.Abram ended up creating a film that was much more of an homage than an actual film experience or continuing sequel, an aspect to many reboots or long-awaited sequels that have severely limited or even killed their respective films (see Terminator Genesis released earlier this year). This entry into the series manages to elevate itself above most of the adverse effects of this aspect of the film by easily being the darkest star wars film to date and having one stand out moment around the time of the final battle. You guys'll know what it is when it comes, trust your uncle Ted on this mmm'kay? Really though I feel that this is the biggest problem with the film, by creating a homage to the older part of the franchise, ol JJ has ended up missing out on moving the overall narrative of the series forwards in as meaningful way as possible which isn't to say that the narrative is all bad as we'll get to in a bit.
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Now irregardless of Mr Abram's previous works with the likes of the Star Trek reboots (2009 & 2014) this isn't certainly the worst he could've done and while I think a more experienced director would've done a much better job it can't be denied that Mr Abram has a notable passion for these big-name franchises like Star Wars and Star Trek. Of course one of the biggest criticisms that is levelled at Abram when he tackles big name properties like this is that he'll go much more out of his way to making an homage rather than a genuine continuation of the overall narrative of the series he's working on. I really hope that they get some other directors into direct the next few Star Wars films not out of spite against ol Abram but primarily to get a bit more experience in the directors seat and some more varying directing styles into the lifeblood of the next few films. Still, irregardless of his previous missteps, and there are many, I think Abram did what he could on this one despite an occasionally spotty script.
In fact, I'd have to say this is the other main criticism with the film in that the dialogue and plot points come and go at points without any meaning but at other times mark themselves out as some of the finest film scenes of the year. The dialogue more than the scenes feels like it suffered from a lack of oversight as the pseudo-romantic banter between John Boyega's Finn and Daisy Ridley's Rey falls almost as hard as the reception to the Star Wars Holiday Special (1978, don't watch that one unless you like watching perverted wookies, a make-up smothered Mark Hamill stare into the camera and a heroin and coke-high Carrie Fisher sing). To be fair though, most of the dialogue between these two stand-out actors is reasonably identifiable. Note I said actors there though because while the dialogue in this film is mostly passable or tepid, the acting and passion that the actors all deliver their lines with, even the lacklustre villains, is second to none. While he's well into his 70s in this film, Harrison Ford still delivers even the cheesiest and worst-written of his lines as Han Solo with all the cool and sarcastic wit that he did back in the late 1970s and truly makes this old smuggler the stand-out character that he always was. Carrie Fisher, C3-P0 and R2-D2 also make stand-out appearances although I will be honest that I was filled with dread when I saw threepio again as he's easily one of my least favourite characters in the series aside from Jar Jar Binks and pre-teen Anakin Skywalker from the Phantom Menace (1999).
And that's all I can say negatively about the film before straying dangerously into spoiler territory so I'll tie all that off with the criticism that the villains, while okay enough and certainly evil on a massive scale, just don't have the same impact that the galactic empire did despite having an even larger space laser than either of the two death stars. Also, I must mention that the military size of the First Order seems really inconsistent as one minute you're seeing thousands of storm troopers lined up defending the main villain's base and the next they're sending out barely a squadron of tie fighters or even a single company of storm-troopers. A minor criticism but one that will certainly burrow under your skin a little bit if you really look at it.
So onto the pros and there are certainly many! I kind of feel like this film is a bag of revels chocolates in that some parts are good, others tepid and some mediocre but not devaluing from the overall experience. One part that I did think was truly transcendent above the shite in this film was the acting performances from Boyega as Finn (a former storm-trooper turned renegade who is pulled in with the new republic) and Ridley as Rey (a scavenger from the planet Jakku striving to make a living in a very hostile world and who may have more to her than initially obvious). I can never deny a good bit of territorial bias but it is good to see two actors who are not only British like myself but also like myself are from London. making it big with two great performances in arguably one of the greatest film franchises of all time. Like I said above, Boyega and Ridley have to work with some genuinely poor dialogue especially in the pseudo-romantic sections but thankfully their interactions are more about relying on each other to survive (hopefully that'll continue into the later films) their chemistry feels genuine despite the pants script they're given to work with. Like Ford, Fisher and even Chewbacca, these two young hopefuls make as best as they can do with a shoddy script and give off two of my favourite performances of this year. Certainly not on the level of course with performances like Marlon Brando in The Godfather (1972) or Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan (1998) . However, these two young hopefuls are two actors who I'll certainly be rooting for in the future to put out stand-out performances such as these and make it big.
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Despite what I also said about the inconsistencies with the villains and their military in this film I also have to say that the action scenes are great as they always have been throughout the series. Aside from the fact that all of the lightsaber battles (excluding the last one) are a bit lacklustre, the bigger scale battles are all great and definitely showcase not only the star wars universe's capacity for allowing for big scale battles to act as an insulation to the narrative but also for Abram's ability to direct big scale action as seen in the two Star Trek reboots. The X-wing v Tie fighter battles, while feeling somewhat copy and pasted from A New Hope are still great and with the added edge of violence and darkness, the conflict and combat situations now have a new visceral punch to the as compared to the previous films in the franchise. On top of this, while the planet killing weapon the First Order have is a straight up copy of the two death stars, it is still a technological and planetary marvel being a base and laser built into the being of a literal planet making it much larger than the two original space stations before it. Considering that this weapon also has the power to destroy multiple planets at once it also has a far greater threat and fear factor to me personally than the original two death stars did albeit with the fact that it seems to lack the same level of defensive lasers that the two death stars even had individually. Irregardless of this, the action is great and if you don't care too much for story or are just looking for a simple action flick then this is certainly the film for you although having some great acting performances and at least three stand-out scenes doesn't hurt either.
I will say before I give my conclusion that the greatest strengths of this film come through when the motivations and emotions of characters are shown through actions and not words and there are two distinctive scenes where this happens with Rey. One of them being a defining character revelation midway through the film and the other coming right at the very end. Keep a lookout and you'll see what I mean. It just goes to show that while some things are best explained by dialogue, for something like Star Wars it might just be better to rely more so on the acting chops of the new generation of actors being brought into the franchise to explain through action rather than through words. I'm not saying that they should never talk through because that would be a bit weird.
In conclusion, despite the many problems with The Force Awakens, it is still easily one of the best big-name blockbusters of the last couple of years and one of my favourite films of this year alone. Despite having internal inconsistencies, lacklustre villains and a variety of shitty dialogue it also delivers with some excellent action segments, great individual acting and a few stand-out scenes that do well to prop up the narrative of the oncoming new trilogy. I would say that it's an improvement on the prequels and while it certainly is better than episode 1 and 2, The Force Awakens is only around the same level as episodes 3 and 6 and is certainly not on the same level as episodes 4 and 5. I like all of the main star wars movies to a degree (even despite how much I've slagged off Episode 2, it still has some of the best action in any sci fi movie ever, just ignore the pants story and characters) and I'm happy to say that while The Force Awakens isn't as good as it could've been, it is still worth seeing considering all that I've just said.
So until next time, enjoy whatever you're watching, take care and may the force be with you.
Cinematography/camera-work: 8.75/10
Acting: 9.5/10
Story/plot/ writing: 5/10
Action/set-pieces/key moments; 9/10
Directing, lighting and music: 7.25/10
OVERALL RATING: 39.5/50
Venue that I saw this movie at: Peckhamplex (The Peckhamplex is the premier cinema venue in the South East London area of Peckham and while not particularly large overall it has a few screens that are large enough to provide a great cinema going experience. This becomes more prominent considering that John Boyega himself is from Peckham)
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