Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

by Luke Rajczuk

Here it is again! Well worth the wait for the brand new Star Wars film that gathers all ages in style and The Force Awakens for real. Quite a task for director J.J. Abrams (Lost, Super 8) and mission accomplished, indeed. Young cast with Adam Dryver (Frances Ha) as Kylo Ren Dart Vader’s successor in a much nicer mask. He also takes it off more often! Fantastic act from the lead role and rising star Daisy Jazz Isobel Ridley (Scrawl) as next Jedi knight Rey. Good laughs from John Boyega (Attack the Block) who gets into the character of First Order’s Stormtrooper Finn and bravely deserts the dark force to join Han Solo, Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) and Rey in fight against ‘Death Star’ and search for Luke Skywalker.

What would the Wars be without ‘the’ Han Solo done by Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia? Not much for the first generation of the epic! He’s there, not much changed (well…, age goes unmentioned as skills swallow it) he’s up for it and audiences connect- good old Ford!

Computer generated images (CGI) wouldn’t offend a more experienced graphics technician and the sound special effects (SFX) are the old Star Wars style, which, although ‘old-school’, make the film feel real. What instills special character in the picture, however, is the fact that J.J. Abrams like George Lucas in the past use real world special effects and the high standard of it is a confirmation of how much attention to detail was put into the film by its director. Here this is shown by the truly amazing mobility of a robot called BB-2 which is a replacement for the good old R2D2. Phenomenal scenery choice is another big point in the film as the viewer is taken on a journey to different worlds in space. From the well designed, sealed in freezing mountains and forests, and much upgraded Death Star through the sandy deserts of other planets to magnificently green lands of the rebels mecca.

The plot? The ‘good force’ fights the ‘dark force’! Who wins? The answer is yet to be unleashed…