Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens

Star Wars… Since 1977 it has been one of the most prominent film franchises in history. The films have creative uses of craft and design, extremely quotable dialogue, and structure based on classic storytelling. The films are not without mistakes; however they have proved immensely influential in our culture, being made subject to praise, analysis, parody and a fiercely ongoing fanbase.

George Lucas began these films at Episode IV: A New Hope, as he felt he did not have the resources to create Episodes I through III at the time. As stated, the films were well beloved. However, attitudes towards Star Wars changed with the advent of the prequel trilogy and re-edits of the original trilogy that replaced their special effects with “updated” ones. While it could be argued that in some select cases the re-edits offer improvements to the special effects, for the most parts the CGI appears noticeably out of place with the visual style of the rest to the films. The prequels, especially Episode I: The Phantom Menace, received so much negative feedback from Star Wars fans that George Lucas deterred from his intended plot twists and characters for the latter two films in the trilogy. This is especially disappointing as several theories and observations going around the Internet reveal startling revelations regarding Jar Jar Binks and Darth Plagueis. One asks oneself what is more important: giving the fans what they want, or a filmmaker's vision that he has been building up to for over two decades? Should fans be ignored entirely, or should their feedback be taken under advisement within reason?

J. J. Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens marks the first film of the third Star Wars trilogy, following on chronologically from the events of the praised films of the 70s and 80s. As such, it has much to live up to. Not only does the director have the visual design and fanbase to consider, but also the narrative themes and rules beset by the previous films of the series.

The visual design feels like that of a Star Wars movie. Its characters, aliens, droids and environments fit the general style of previous films, presented differently from one to the other, some through puppets or costumes and others through CGI. The colour grading presents images as clear and bold depending on environment, as is consistent with the franchise, giving it a light mood that audiences can easily enjoy. A nice little effect the filmmakers added was the appearance of lightsabers glowing on subjects at close range. The film introduces new designs for its characters, including the desert-faring Rey in her bandages, the Sith apprentice Kylo Ren in a new black mask and hood; the Stormtroopers have sleeker armour while maintaining their typical design, lead by their caped silver-armoured Captain Phasma.

Something immediately noticeable, and a major complaint among fans, is the extreme familiarity with which the film mimics the events of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope and certain parts of the other films in the original trilogy. The opening of The Force Awakens is as follows – a member of the Rebellion is located and captured by Stormtroopers lead by a masked Sith, so the Rebel gives vital information to a droid (who only communicates in beeps and whistles) to transport to the Rebellion; the droid travels across a desert planet where two-foot aliens try to capture it, after which it meets the protagonist. Throughout the film there are parallels to scenes from the original films, such as the interrogation scene where the masked Sith tortures the Rebel for information, a bar scene with similarity to the cantina scene from Episode IV, a scene where the villain kills the supposed mentor character, and appearances of this trilogy’s thousand-year-old Force-sensitive apparent allegory for Yoda, namely Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong’o), and its allegory for the Emperor, namely Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis).

In fairness, it is not untrue that sequels tend to share certain aspects or subtle formulas with their first films, particularly first sequels that earn praise such as James Cameron’s Aliens (1986) or Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), for example. In these cases, the beginnings, objectives and endings of the sequels have similarities to their predecessors, if slightly altered based on situation or environment, whether it is to blow the alien out of the airlock or kill the evil Terminator in a factory. However, these sequels give subtlety to these similarities. They establish what is different about the stories and how the characters have changed. Not all of the events from these sequels are comparable to the first movies, because they tell different stories. In fact, The Empire Strikes Back was the first Star Wars sequel, and it too told a different story.

In The Force Awakens, nothing about the setting has changed…after 30 years! The characters from the original trilogy have no change of outlook, the Rebellion is still fighting with the remnants of the Empire, and despite the title of the last film, chronologically, being Return of the Jedi, the Jedi still haven’t returned! So when the film tells the beginning of its story in exactly the same way as things played out in the first film, and continues to have scenes that mirror the events and settings of the first film, it not only presents itself as blatantly unoriginal; it presents itself as a bad sequel. Where the prequel trilogy was meant to mimic the original trilogy in terms of narrative themes while telling original stories, The Force Awakens feels like watching history repeat itself, which is extremely disappointing. Just as the prequels built up to the events of A New Hope, the sequels should be about following on from Return of the Jedi, not copying A New Hope.

Another unfortunate slight on the storytelling is its management of the film’s main protagonists, Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega), no last names given. Rey, Episode VII’s parallel to Luke Skywalker, is given very little background other than her planet of residence and occupation. She only just possesses any kind of humanising qualities, such as her prowess with futuristic electronics, which she likely learned scavenging spare parts from crashed Star Destroyers (though that doesn’t explain how she learned to speak Wookie), and her reluctant kinship with the droid BB-8 whom she meets early in the film. However, Rey falls short on motivation for going on the journey, the kind of motivation that should make the audience care about her as a protagonist. Her establishing scene, cleverly done with little dialogue, involves her looking out at a ship leaving the planet while wearing a Rebellion starfighter pilot’s helmet outside the derelict imperial Walker where she lives. This tells the audience that Rey has sympathy for the Rebellion and a thirst for adventure. However, as soon as she embarks on the journey, she tells that she needs to return home, because she is waiting for her family that left her there. Her delusions of her family’s return would be more interesting if not understandable if she had anything to return to besides solitude and scavenging for poor wages. Whereas Luke Skywalker had his grudge against the Empire for killing his aunt and uncle in A New Hope, Rey is shown to have no reason for qualms against the First Order. They don’t seem to have any direct negative effect on her until after they attack looking for BB-8, which happens after her interest in Finn is sparked when he tells her that he is part of the Resistance. Daisy Ridley gives a nice performance of an inquisitive, intelligent and spirited girl; unfortunately Rey’s characterisation could have been better.

Finn, a turncoat Stormtrooper, also has little in ways of motivation, at least as far as the film explains. While it is implied that Stormtroopers in Episode VII are capable of insubordination, Finn is given no motivation as to why he chooses to abandon the First Order other than it being “the right thing to do”. At the beginning, he is seen attending to his dying comrade in a battle and refuses to execute a helpless gathering of villagers. Other Stormtroopers don’t seem to follow this behaviour, but the film offers no implication of what his connection to the fallen Stormtropper was, nor does it explain why he thinks differently to other Stormtroopers despite apparently being subject to the same mental and/or social conditioning.

John Boyega’s performance as a sensitive but strong-willed soldier is simplistic and emotive. There are scenes where Finn adopts nervous or awkward quirks that are sometimes conveyed as natural but other times somewhat forced. Finn is also made subject to several African American stereotypes and victimisations; he a comic relief, his competence is questionable considering his background as a soldier, and he is tased at least twice after being wrongfully accused of theft.

The story also ignores Chekov’s gun, one of the most basic of storytelling techniques. Rey is seen using a long metallic staff (which appears to be constructed from several discarded lightsabers – including, from a closer inspection, those belonging to Darth Maul and Mace Windu – though its design is never once referenced). This is the weapon she appears with in the movie poster. She appears and fights with in the first act, but never in the second, and with it making only a brief appearance in the third act. The film establishes her fighting ability with this staff and doesn't use it later on.

Worse, the story betrays the rules of Jedi powers in Star Wars through Rey’s incomprehensible skill. Apart from her inexplicable ability and apparent status as a pilot with which she flies the Millennium Falcon despite never being visually established as a pilot of anything other than personal vehicles, Rey exhibits resistance to mental domination, indicating that she is strong with the Force. From there she develops her powers, but only towards the end of the second act, leaving little time for her development.

Here’s the problem. Luke Skywalker had training. Anakin Skywalker had training. Obi-Wan Kenobi had training. All Jedi are trained. They are taught to use their powers over lengths of time, years at least. In The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon Jinn perceives that Anakin, a child, has precognitive capability, “a Jedi trait”. But, Anakin is no Jedi until he grows up under Obi-Wan’s tutelage through the events of the prequels. Obi-Wan knew that Luke was Force-sensitive because he knew of Luke’s parentage, but even Luke isn’t truly a Jedi until he completes his training, defeats Darth Vader and resists the Dark Side. Rey has no training, she struggles using a simple blaster pistol, and yet she is able to use Jedi mind control, telekinesis and a lightsaber, a weapon she has neither the experience nor discipline to use, with which she proves an equal match for a trained Sith apprentice, all within a fraction of an hour from discovering she has Force powers. This writing is poor, original trilogy or not, and implausible given its guidelines. Rey’s hastily inserted development of her powers is the result of lazy writing. The story disregards basic, easily verifiable rules and conventions of the Star Wars universe. Another example is Skywalker’s lightsaber’s ability to “call” to Rey, despite that lightsabers are technological weapons that have never had a direct connection to the Force in any of the previous movies. The film also disregards the most basic principles of character development. Rey, the main character of the film, has no personal motivation for why she sets out on her quest, lacking proactivity as a protagonist, and the audience learns nothing about her through her journey that they don’t already know.

The film sees the return of Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) and their signature ship, the Millennium Falcon. While other characters from the original trilogy have aged since their last appearance, Chewbacca oddly doesn’t seem to have a single grey hair. Han Solo supposedly serves as Rey’s mentor. However, he’s not exactly Obi-Wan Kenobi. Though he gives her a blaster pistol, he does very little else to teach Rey her skills, including actually using the blaster. He doesn’t need to teach her how to fly the Millennium Falcon because she can fly, repair and improve the ship with very little effort. Harrison Ford’s acting mirror’s that of the younger Han Solo, which is good as it makes his performance familiar to the Star Wars audience, although one might ask why the character hasn’t changed his method of conveyance in the slightest during the 30 years between the events of Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.

Then there is the villain, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), the film’s allegory for Darth Vader. Strangely, just as the film imitates the original trilogy, the film directly portrays Kylo Ren as an imitator of Darth Vader. At first he seems like a formidable villain. His voice is deep and clear, he is cold and calculative, and his mask’s lack of expressiveness makes his personality seem mysterious. This lack of facial identity and restrained disposition hides his temper, which is satisfyingly unleashed where he lashes out in fiery rages. One might infer hints of sarcasm in his dialogue every now and then. An impressive feat shown at the beginning of the movie is his ability to stop and suspend an energy blast in midair using the Force. While perhaps not quite on the same level as the legendary Darth Vader, the character is enjoyable and represented well – that is until he removes his mask. The actor’s face lacks intimidating quality; without his mask his outbursts of rage appear petulant. One expects him to start crying at any moment as his expressions denote weakness. At first this revelation feels disappointing given its contrast to his identity with his mask on. However, one wonders if this actually works in the film’s favour. Kylo Ren is an imitator desperately trying to become the legacy of Darth Vader. Is visualising his weakness through the actor’s face too obvious? Should his unmasking have been saved for a later film? The writer of this review finds these questions are debatable.

Allied with Kylo Ren in the First Order are General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) and Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie). Captain Phasma, while possessing a nice twist on the Stormtrooper design and appearing authoritative, has scarce appearances or narrative influence before the heroes apprehend her. General Hux, on the other hand, is a far more impressive villain. While his costume is less conspicuous, being an imperial officer’s uniform, his proactive influence on the story makes him recognisable and his firm or otherwise passionate performances make him an identifiable character and rival authority to Kylo Ren himself. Abrams unfortunately drops any subtlety about the Empire resembling Nazis in a scene where General Hux gives a furiously shouted speech at a rally, which the Stormtrooper’s respond to by raising their arms in salute.

An otherwise positive note on the story is the introduction of a new version of the Death Star: the Starkiller Base, named after the codename of Darth Vader’s apprentice in the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video game series. Its increased size, power, and efficiency raises the stakes from the original, like a good sequel should. Unlike the plot, the action is impressive. It keeps on its classic X-wing starfighters and TIE fighters for aerial combat scenes, which have some sense of difficulty but not much focus to create tension. Action scenes taking place on the ground have more character involvement, focus and inventive flare. Unlike Rey, Finn actually has military-grade combat training. While he is not necessarily familiar with the Shaolin-inspired discipline associated with lightsabers, he is certainly more qualified to use one, especially where he duels with a Stormtrooper wielding an electro-tonfa! The film also sees the use of Chewbacca’s crossbow blaster, which has a satisfying kick. One of the most advertised features of the new trilogy is Kylo Ren’s lightsaber, which has a laser crossguard that makes it resemble a western broadsword. While it is a fun design, it contrasts from the theme of previous lightsaber designs. In its defense, its design and hard-swinging fighting style illustrates Kylo Ren’s true lack of discipline as a Sith apprentice.

The film also manages to keep the audience’s interest through its fair share of comedic moments. Finn’s humour is not objectionable when it comes naturalistically, instead of his being made the clown. Han Solo and Chewbacca’s sarcasm has just as much effect now as it did thirty-something years ago and fits their characters. BB-8 is good for a chuckle at some of his gadgets and improvised gestures. However some jokes are kind of cheap, such as the revelation that Finn’s work aboard the Starkiller Base was not actually as a soldier but part of the bases sanitation section – a joke stolen from Ben Stiller’s Tropic Thunder. While it may explain some of Finn’s examples of incompetence in certain situations, it takes away from his image as a renegade soldier and paints him as comic relief, which really should be BB-8’s job as the film’s parallel to R2-D2. There are other moments when the characters reference lines from the film’s source material, which by this point in time has become a dated gimmick. Also the characters are still under the impression that a parsec is a unit of time and not distance.

The way to make a good sequel to a film is to take the first film and make something like it. Raise the stakes. Introduce something new, but don’t change so much that you alienate the audience. Follow the rules and the narrative themes set by the original. In visual and outward entertainment aspects, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens is a creatively designed and faithfully familiar film. The actors are good and the action is inventive. It’s hard to say that J. J. Abrams didn’t put effort into the production stage of this project. There are speculations that suggest J. J. Abrams wishes to redeem the plot that George Lucas originally intended for the prequel trilogy, a vision Lucas deterred from due to fan backlash. If so, one might admire this aim. However, its familiarity in terms of plot is far too close. It lacks subtlety in its allegories, resulting in a blatant imitation of the original – an imitation that ironically doesn’t follow the rules of its own franchise. The main heroes Rey and Finn lack basic character elements that give the audience reason to care about them. The villain Kylo Ren arguably loses most of his redeeming qualities when his true appearance is revealed. Han Solo, the mentor character in this film, does little to nothing to mentor Rey, and Maz, the film’s obvious parallel to Yoda, is nowhere near the mentor that Yoda was either. There is no memorable dialogue, and considering Star Wars is one of the most quotable series of films in modern cultural history, that is a huge disappointment.

J. J. Abrams in fact responded to fan criticism, saying that the similarities of plot points in The Force Awakens were intentional. But, is that a good enough excuse? Some may argue that the latter episodes of this trilogy will bring new story ideas, but why can’t the filmmakers tell an original story right now? The plot copies so much from the original trilogy, Episode IV in particular, that one would be better off watching Episode IV. Sad to say, despite all of its good value, from a plot and storytelling point of view, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens is poorly told, a bad sequel and a filler film.