The Force Awakens intentionally goes out of its way to remind us that it’s the good old Star Wars we are used to. It was a logical choice for the first new Star Wars film since the almost universally reviled prequel trilogy. The movie sticks beat-for-beat to the “A New Hope” formula – exactly the reason why it’s arguably the only Star Wars film outside of the OG trilogy that captures some of the magic and wide-eyed-wonder we felt watching Episodes IV-VI as younglings. J.J. Abrams understands the power of nostalgia. Our introduction to Kylo Ren is wonderful and terrifying and his emo-Darth Vader sensibility works for providing the character with a believable motivation. Just like Vader before him, he is by far the most interesting character in the film. Rey, Finn, Poe and BB-8 all come across just as intended – as likable characters you want to see succeed. Film after film the Academy Award winning visual FX provided by Industrial Light and Magic set and re-set the bar for creating science fiction worlds on screen. The lightsaber battles, grounded relative to the prequel trilogy with a noticeable lack of flips and flourishes, incorporate the latest VFX technologies to create the most satisfying hums and clashes yet. From start to finish, The Force Awakens is smile-inducing. Then, things got weird.
The Force Awakes receives a score of 8.5 out of 10 for being the only film in the Star Wars sequel trilogy that just wants to be fun and isn’t jerking us around or course-correcting poorly made story decisions.
The Quick Critic
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