Star Wars, The Force Awakens: They Got it Right

Originally written 1/7/2016.

The last time J.J. Abrams was handed the reins to a science-fiction franchise reboot, he reinvented a universe that fans were familiar with and made it his own, showing not only the full range of potential in 'Star Trek,' but also his ability as a director to carefully craft idolized characters into new forms while maintaining what people liked about them to begin with. It’s a strategy that he wisely chooses to ignore or his new reboot, 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens.' Instead, he opts to remake the original film, a risky gamble that, while at times distracting, reminds us of why we loved 'Star Wars' to begin with. He shows a clear understanding of what we want, what we’re hoping to see, and he delivers with enough force to make us ignore the shortcomings of the film, at least for a little while.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, everything that the heroes of the original Star Wars trilogy worked for has blown up in their faces. What was left of the empire has reformed into the nazi-ish First Order, General Leah (Carrie Fisher) leads a resistance against them, Han Solo (Harrison Ford) has returned to smuggling, and Luke (Mark Hamill) has gone into self-imposed exile. All this sets the stage for what is essentially a retread of the original movie. On a desert planet, a common girl named Rey (Daisy Ridley) comes across important data in a droid and, with the help of defecting Stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega) and Solo, must get the droid to Leah and the resistance and assist in the assault and destruction of a doomsday weapon.

Let’s start with the good things. Abrams is a talented director and here, where he’s forced not only to interpret another’s work but recreate it, he beats his chest proudly with his own competence. The cinematography doesn’t perfectly mimic Lucas’s, but it comes close enough for us to allow for some newer, more sweeping shots, giving the film just a hint of the Abrams flavor over the Lucas base. On top of that, Abrams has never failed to coax good performances out of his actors, and while Fisher is starting to show her disinterest with the character, all the others pull it off wonderfully and believably. This includes Oscar Isaac as a pretty boy pilot, Lupita Nyong’o as a motion-capture de facto Yoda, and Adam Driver as a disturbing and tormented villain. Driver in particular was an unexpectedly satisfying performance and, if he and Abrams play their cards right, Kylo Ren could be the most sympathetic villain since Loki.

The atmosphere is, for the most part, identical to the original film, with moments of deep suspense and genuine fear followed by elation and euphoria. Each action sequence is so well-shot and acted that the scenes in between each feel like a much needed breath of fresh air. The effects, however, fall a little flat. The production used Andy Serkis’s motion capture company Imaginarium Studios, and while they are effective, and Serkis himself even appears as the grand puppet master pulling the strings, the technology is starting to show its age, becoming less of a boon and more of a distraction. This is in no way anyone’s fault, per say, but the technology and our expectations as an audience just aren’t in sync.

So yes, it pretty much is just a better-looking, updated version of the original movie with a few new characters and plot threads thrown in for good measure. And you know what? I’m totally fine with that. Yes, it can be hard to watch certain sequences without rolling one’s eyes to the overwhelming sensation of déjà vu, but there is enough wit and ingenuity to keep you entertained despite the blatant similarities. And while I would warn Abrams to stay away from this copycat method in the two announced sequels and spin-offs, I would also commend him for taking a good first step in the right direction. For a franchise battered and bruised by the mistakes of the past, Abrams has relit the torch and shown that it can be great again, maybe even matching the culture-altering power held by its earliest predecessors. And for those too distracted by the similarities or the occasional plot hole, just watch the scene where a squad of X-Wings drift over a lake on a bed of fog, gearing up to engage their perpetual enemy with the full-force of their fleet. Watch that scene and try to say something other than “They got it right. They got it fucking right.” 4/5.

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