Fish and Cherries Productions

Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens was… good. It was good. Everything made perfect sense and flowed from scene to scene very well. I just wasn’t as emotionally engaged in the whole thing because it became apparent that it was a beat for beat recreation of the plot from A New Hope. Sure, quite a few elements were switched up and changed around, but everything else was practically the same. You’ve got the cantina scene, the Alderaan moment, the rescue mission, the Obi-Wan sacrifice, and the X-Wing run again the destructive space monstrosity. In a sense, it’s more of a remake than a sequel and emotionally, I was hoping for more.

But, okay, lack of originality is nothing new (no pun intended), so how does the film carry it all out? Honestly, divorcing myself from what I felt emotionally, I think it not only stands up on its own, but does things better than A New Hope. The Alderaan moment is made a lot more horrifying by seeing the people looking at their impending doom coming. The mentor’s death carries a lot more punch and isn’t just brushed aside like Obi-Wan’s was; it drives part of the final conflict and you can just feel how personal it is for everyone involved. The space battles are more tactical and the Resistance is more diverse this time around, rather than just being a bunch of humans with one ship of token aliens.

But while it does the old stuff better, it does the new stuff superbly. I love the three new heroes that we’re introduced to and they fit into the Star Wars Universe like the missing puzzle pieces. My favorite scene in the movie is the first few minutes, where we’re introduced to them and learn everything about them through visuals and the most minimal of dialogue. That, to me, is the essence of filmmaking. The new villain, Kylo Ren, was cool when introduced, but became less compelling as the film went on. That said, everything he did matched up with his character, so if nothing else, I can call him solid. I found myself liking a lot of the bit characters more than him, but that’s more due to the fact that these side characters are fascinating rather than Ren’s own shortcomings. I want to learn more about them – especially the alien woman that runs the cantina – and hope to do so in future movies.

Ultimately, though, there’s only one question on your minds that has nothing to do with my analytical prattle: does it feel like Star Wars? The answer is a definitive yes. It has the drama, the fun, the intrigue, the symbolism, and most importantly, the heart. While the visuals are a lot sleeker and more realistic than the prequels, that’s a given with the passage of time. The feel of the film is what we were really worried about, given how the prequels botched that area, and we can certainly lay those fears to rest. Do I wish that it was more original and feel like everything the heroes fought for in the previous movies was for nothing? Absolutely. But the fact that I can talk for hours about it after the fact and find new things to admire speaks volumes to its quality. The Force is definitely strong with this one.