The Force Awakens

SPOILER ALERT

After six movies of varying critical acclaim, Star Wars: The Force Awakens hit theaters in mid-December. Taking place thirty years after the events of Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens follows the story of a young scavenger named Rey and a former Storm Trooper named Finn as they get entangled with a war once again perpetuated by the Skywalker clan.

The plot mirrors that of the original trilogy, but instead of the Empire, viewers are given The First Order which is led by a hologram named Snoke, General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) and the mysterious knight Kylo Ren played by Adam Driver. Their main goal is to finish what Emperor Palpatine started, dominating the galaxy using the Death Star 3.0, this time built directly into a planet. Of course the Resistance cannot allow that to happen and is also actively searching for the last remaining Jedi, Luke Skywalker, who disappeared many years prior to this film.

Newcomers Daisy Ridley (Rey) and John Boyega (Finn) certainly had a lot to live up to and both delivered with stellar performances. Their friendship is built upon miscommunications and desperation, and both characters try to hide their fears from one another. Together with the adorable droid BB-8, they search for the Resistance headquarters on the Millennium Falcon and learn what it means to be a family. Veteran Star Wars actors also reprise their roles from the original movies, including Harrison Ford as Han Solo and Carrie Fisher as Leia Organa.

One of the most interesting things about The Force Awakens, is the main villain, Kylo Ren. Ren worships Darth Vader and actually consults the helmet for advice when his plans are starting to crumble. Driver does a wonderful job showing a confused Ren as he tries desperately to cling to the Dark side in him. In the tensest scene of movie, when Solo and he confront each other on a bridge reminiscent of the one where Vader told Luke he was his father, all of his emotions are on display. There are tears in his eyes when his father tries to convince him to rejoin the Light side and the combination of love and betrayal on Solo’s face when Ren murders him is heartbreaking. He reaches out to touch his son’s face one more time before plummeting into the chasm below, much to the horror of an on looking Rey, Finn, and Chewbacca.

The biggest problem of the movie is that because of the large timeline jump, viewers have no idea what is happening in the galaxy. How did the Empire turn into the First Order? Why is the Resistance so scattered? How did they not notice the Death Star 3.0 being built? If nothing else, the prequels did an excellent job explaining the politics of the galaxy, perfectly setting up A New Hope. The new movie had no such set up and while some questions may be answered in the novelization, casual moviegoers are left feeling confused and unsure.

The Force Awakens was worth the hype, from the acting to the writing to the overall tone the film set, it does not disappoint. The last scene gave many viewers chills and there has been plenty of speculation about Rey’s origins and who her parents truly are. In the end it definitely leaves people wanting more and effortlessly upholds the franchise's legacy.

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