Grade: A-
Perhaps the best way for me to start my “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” review is with a review of “Creed.”
This will all make sense eventually.
To make another movie in the “Rocky” anthology is assuredly treading into murky waters. These films have run their course and hit their apex; there’s no reason to make another film except for cashing in on the intellectual property that the studio already owns. Thus, with all of these thoughts clouding my mind, I was not excited to see Sylvester Stallone become the William Forrester to the son of Apollo Creed.
I was wrong.
Director Ryan Coogler and lead Michael B. Jordan revived this franchise in a spectacular way. The cinematography was masterful, the character development exquisite and the acting superb. It was a good movie when there was no reason to make one, as people would have seen any iteration of Rocky Balboa.
It’s funny that the new “Star Wars” film hit theaters around the same time as “Creed” as it followed the same creed. Let’s try our best to make an entertaining movie and hurdle over some of our failures in the past.
Acting has always been shaky in the galaxy far, far away. Besides Harrison Ford, the cavalcade of performers has never been the bright spot. From the originals’ bit parts to Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman, getting the actors right in this addition to the illustrious film series was crucial.
Daisy Ridley as Rey, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux and Lupita Nyong'o as Maz Kanata are all great additions to the epic, but the limelight for me is undoubtedly on John Boyega who is the core energy of these new films.
Leading up to the movie’s release, there was a lot of backlash about there being a black storm trooper, even though it’s 2015 and I assumed that we made just a smidge of cultural progress since 1776. These absurd accusations were simply deflected by Boyega who will be anchoring these blockbusters for years to come. As ex-stormtrooper Finn, Boyega somehow holds the gravitas of the plot, whilst being charismatic and likable at the same time.
Boyega and many of the other actors used their comedic timing and actually had one-liners that were quick and witty. I hate to break it to George Lucas who was the “mastermind” behind films I, II and III, but being serious all the time has its drawbacks. This isn’t “Philadelphia,” it’s a movie about space fights with swords made out of light. Treating every scene as if it’s of biblical proportions was one of the main faults of the last three films and Abrams remedies that immediately in this one.
Even with the lulls in the middle act of the film, it moved quickly and was able to introduce new worlds, characters and ideologies without coming off as too verbose and plot-heavy. I was surprised by how much I was rooting for newcomers Rey, Finn and Poe. Fingers crossed that we get more Poe in the subsequent films, as Oscar Isaac deserves as much screen-time as humanly possible.
Furthermore, for a series that has created Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine, Kylo Ren is as interesting a villain as we’ve ever seen. He’s angsty yet powerful, terrifying yet mockable. His tirades after failures seem in character and also proceed to one of the funnier moments of the series, when the storm troopers slowly back away from the drama. “Star Wars” has never really showed the audience the Sith training and development of force-user to evil do-no-gooder. Driver has the acting capabilities and his growth will be as fascinating as the protagonists.
As an entry point into the new narratives of the saga, J.J. Abrams gracefully weaved the original characters' stories into that of a new generation, an obviously difficult task but one that he stellarly performed nonetheless.
The once glorious film series has awakened and with Rian Johnson at the helm for Episode VIII, these new installments will continue to add to its legacy. Those commercials, trailers and products with “Star Wars” endorsements aren’t ending anytime soon, and for the first time I’m on board.
