STAR WARS THE FORCE AWAKENS
Director J J Abrams
Screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan; J J Abrams; and Michael Arndt
Based On The Characters by George Lucas
Starring Daisy Ridley; John Boyega; Oscar Isaac; Domhnall Gleason; Adam Driver; Harrison Ford; Carrie Fisher
30 years after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, a new threat rises. The First Order attempts to rule the galaxy and only a ragtag group of Heroes can stop them, along with the help of the Resistance.
Okay!! A couple notes!! I know...settle down!!
In the last couple weeks my blog readership has almost tripled. For the newbies I wanted to kind of introduce what I do here. I give anti-critic reviews. Meaning...is it worth your hard earned money to go see? Does the film deliver what the trailer or commercials promised? The perfect example of this was My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 which critics are ripping. Me? You go to laugh. You go to see the family you know. You go to see a sweet story. I think it delivers what you want if you want to go. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars, not perfect but it was better than average.
My rule: Is it entertaining/exciting/or maybe do you learn something? Also you will notice my reviews are a bit choppy. That is because I refuse to discuss plot lines that are not in the trailers. So you will see me mainly deal with the acting, the screenplay, and the look. This makes it choppy because I fight with myself on what to reveal and what to not reveal. I am a work in progress,bare with me. So to all the newbies welcome!!!
So with Star Wars being released it means that all the films in my top ten for 2015 have been released . Check the list and enjoy. It is always okay to disagree with me:
My 2015 Top Ten Films:
1 The Martian
2 Inside Out
3 Brooklyn
4 Star Wars The Force Awakens
5 Ex Machina
6 Spotlight
7 Trainwreck
8 Room
9 Creed
10 The End Of The Tour
NOW TO THE FORCE AWAKENS!!!!!!!!!!!
"Real sets. Practical effects. You have been here before but you do not know this story. Everything has changed but nothing has changed". As the above video noted that was viewed at Comic-Con.
It all starts and ends with J.J. Abrams. He is the master here and it works.
I was worried in the beginning that the story was familiar with an individual finding a droid. At that point it moves, thankfully, in a different direction.
His casting. Was just spot on:
From Names from past Star Wars films: Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher.
To people we know from other movies:
Adam Driver (Girls)....Deliciously evil as Kylo Ren
Oscar Isaac (Ex Machina).... as the brave fighter Poe Dameron. Who plays the dry straight man here very well.
Domhnall Gleason (Harry Potter films/Brooklyn/ExMachina) Is soooo well cast as the evil General Hux. It is against type because we are so use to seeing him as a stuttering, bumbeling kind of character.
To casting faces we never have seen before:
John Boyega as Finn is fantastic as the every man hero played with dry humor. He becomes us. Tackling certain situations with a hold your breath...I have to do this...with fear and lack of enthusiasm.
Then we come to Daisy Ridley. She is the film. She is the star. This Kierra Knightly look alike carries this film (with BB-8--the cutest thing in movies this year). She is strong. She is funny. She is a ball of emotions. I can not note enough how amazing she is. It is a credit to J.J. by just finding her.
The look.
This film is beautiful. Some scenes are breathtaking. So again credit goes to J.J. for bringing in Cinematogropher Daniel Mindel. There were a couple times in this film where I thought..."Oh that will make a great poster!" I would avoid 3D here to get the scope of the colors and landscapes.
The music:
He brought back John Williams!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean you get chills from the start when the score plays and he sets the tone throughout the film.
Negatives?
I was shocked by how stiff Carrie Fisher is as an actress. Maybe I just did not notice it before.
A couple big parts you clearly can see what is going to happen. J.J. Telegraphs a little too much including what may becoming in future episodes.
And my final negative which is a common complaint of mine when dealing with films that are set up for future episodes. Every film should have a clean ending. There are some loose strings here that left me wondering who is alive and who is not. I always feel you pay your money you should get a clear ending for a film that you paid to see. You should not have to pay for another film to see what happens. Each film should be go clearly from beginning to end on it's own.
Well 4 1/2 stars out of 5 for this almost perfect film. The 4th best film I have seen all year. It is amazing that it actually lives up to its hype. Great for the whole family. The torch has been passed. Starts with J.J. Abrams...did I mention that before?
Treat yourself, I know it is on Pay Per View but pick it up on BluRay it looks wonderful.
My final note goes back to Daisy Ridley who carries this film but did not even get a mention or a sniff at Oscar time. How about Jennifer Lawrence. She carries the Hunger Games series on her shoulders. Again, not a sniff or whisper of Oscar talk. Charlize Theron, was talked about but no Oscar Nomination for Mad Max. Noomie Rapace for all three films in The Girl With The Dragon series. No Oscar Nomination.What I am saying is that after the "White Out" in Oscar Nominations I think there is something else here. Oscar voters wrongly shy away from tough, physical, smart , modern, female leads. I think this is an issue also.
Off my pedestal.
From the shadows as always may the force be with you!!!
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