‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ review: Something new, something old, something borrowed

A marriage and a separation

Economically speaking, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a direct result of the marriage between Disney and Lucasfilm. The publicized merger, which had Disney paying Lucas a lot of money and shares for a company whose primary value is the rights to the Star Wars franchise, gave the studio free rein to do whatever it wants for the sequels. This includes the decision to supplant Lucas’ direction for the property with something new, something fresh, something somewhat unexpected.

The Force Awakens is written by its director, J.J. Abrams, alongside Lawrence Kasdan, who collaborated with Lucas in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi (1983); and Michael Arndt, screenwriter of Little Miss Sunshine (2006) and Toy Story 3 (2010). It frees itself from the collection of literature that was inspired by the films and presents a deviation from all the speculations that have been birthed by the lack of any definitive continuation of the Star Wars saga.

This spiritual separation of the material from Lucas’ original vision paves the way for Abrams to craft an entirely new but not-so-original tale of Rey (a quietly charismatic Daisy Ridley), a scavenger from the desert planet of Jakku, who ends up in the middle of the struggle between the Republic and the Empire-like New Order. Intriguingly, Abrams does not tread novel paths. He acknowledges the simplistic charms of Star Wars and creates a rather uncomplicated story that, like its predecessor, makes most of the primordial tale of the unassuming ordinary person who discovers her true potential and ends up becoming a heroine.

Old but progressive

Abrams, however, ups the ante by infusing the old-fashioned tale with seemingly progressive ideals. The female protagonist is that rare female character who is depicted as undaunted by gender politics. Her visually enthralling introduction, where she is seen scavenging for metal inside the cavernous interiors of an abandoned spaceship, feels like a salute to Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984).

She is given a vague love interest in the person of Storm Trooper-turned-rebel Finn (John Boyega), but the romance never really blossoms into anything other than a motivation for Finn to remain in her company. Rey maintains the admirable position of being the core and heart of the film, without being categorized as the stereotypical female whose only role is to be swept away by the leading man as she waits for everything to get resolved.

In a way, The Force Awakens quietly cures the errors of all the previous films, with their indiscriminate portrayal of women as either prizes, secondary characters, or swooning sweethearts of some rugged hero. At the same time, the film retains an allegiance to the same elements that have turned the films into the legends that they are.

The Force Awakens is a spectacularly action-packed ride that has its audience jumping from desert to jungle to snowy mountain slopes, while being deeply involved in an outrageously manipulative melodrama that recruits nostalgia and clever wordsmithing for emotional resonance.

Fan service

There is much to like about The Force Awakens if you are a casual viewer who comes in with scant knowledge of the lore that has the rest of the world hungry for sequels. There is much to love about The Force Awakens if you are part of that world of fans who have been eagerly waiting for the film ever since preproduction rumors.

The film’s greatest strength is its ability to recreate something new out of a storyline that is overtly old. In truth, The Force Awakens feels like a reiteration of A New Hope except that it is given heft by the weight of storylines that have been loved for decades. It has old characters, physically aged but suspicously lacking the gravitas of world-weary experiences, unlike Rocky Balboa in Ryan Coogler’s Creed, the more worthwhile seventh entry to a beloved 70s blockbuster.

Of course, nostalgia wins. A simple reference would result in cheers and tears. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact, Abrams acknowledges the grave import of looking to the past for support. Just when the film runs out of fuel after spending several minutes in high-speed chases or repetitive blaster fights, it produces a familiar face, whether it be Han Solo (Harrison Ford) or Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), or any one of the previous’ films famous robots, to restore faith in the film.

The Force Awakens is nowhere near a perfect film. It is hugely entertaining and provides all the spectacles it promises. It is a film borne out of shrewd cleverness. It is smartly unwilling to deviate from the myth and stubbornly places the franchise within the confines of the fantastic world it has always lived in. Sadly, that fantastic world is limited to dreams of childlike wonderment.

While the film is successful in delivering that momentary escape from the dullness of the real world, its refusal to graduate the material from being a mere space-set melodrama into something else pushes the question: Why do the sequels exist when it seems like the story’s all an extension or a repetition?

Of course, I could be wrong. Either way, Disney wins, Lucas wins, the fans win, and capitalism works. – Rappler.com