nukfan

Though I will freely admit that I saw this movie through rose-tinted glasses, I can safely say that The Force Awakens, after two viewings, met all of my expectations. This is a pure action-adventure science fiction film, and its 135 minutes run at an absolute tear from beginning to end, with little quarter given. In short: it is, technically speaking, exactly what the anti-prequel crowd was looking for.

I, for one, do not count myself among that crowd. I grew up with Episodes I-III, so they will always have a place in my heart, even if their flaws have become more and more apparent to me over the years. These flaws (poor dialogue, questionable direction, uneven pacing, awkward romances) have been duly noted by J.J. Abrams. The dialogue in Episode VII isn't award-worthy, but it's efficient and well-spoken. The movie moves between characters and locations seamlessly, maintaining a focused, exciting, yet simple story throughout. In my opinion, all of the actors have really solid chemistry, and I especially look forward to seeing more of the newest characters.

John Boyega fits the young, flawed hero role like a glove. Finn is a very easy guy to like very quickly. I forgot that this was Daisy Ridley's first major motion picture almost immediately; I enjoyed watching Rey learn what she's capable of. I've saved my highest praise for Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, however. He almost never falls short of intimidating, but his very emotional approach to the Dark Side gives him more depth than the screenwriters were obligated to give him. I appreciated this.

I think my complaints primarily centre around certain elements of the film that felt too familiar. There has been widespread talk that the film emulates far too much of previous Star Wars films. I'd say this is perhaps objectively true, but how much it affects your experience really depends on what attitude you go into the movie with. There were a small number of moments where I felt like the production team should have gone for something more original, but it's hard to be too upset when you have a goofy grin on your face for more than two hours.

In the great words of our lord: "I laughed, I cried, I lost ten pounds". I'd tell you to go see this movie, but you already have. I'm excited for what the future will bring for this franchise.

This is a prime example of an action movie made by people who truly know the craft. The film is for the most part lightning-quick and visually pleasing, the characters aren't incredibly deep, but acted well with all the necessary tropes, and amidst it all, there's something at stake.

The filmmakers don't try to sugarcoat anything with respect to character development; Joseph Gordon-Levitt's "Wiley" is introduced as a likable guy doing a job because he loves it and isn't seeing eye to eye with his girlfriend, but thankfully there's no melodrama.

Other than that, we're given a villain who is easy to dislike with his pathetic, slimy personality. These components, combined with the value of the envelope Wiley must deliver actually make the movie fairly intense at times, though it's always at least fun. There's a definite sense of humour as well.

Only complaint is that there are moments where the pacing kind of drags relative to the rest of the film when the bikes aren't involved. Easily overlooked.