Star Wars: The Force Awakens Stumbles, But Hints At Promising Stories Ahead
Dec. 26, 2015Star Wars: The Force Awakens Stumbles, But Hints At Promising Stories Ahead
Star Wars has become so entrenched into modern pop culture, mythologized and scrutinized to the point of exhaustion, that it’s easy to forget how it began in relative obscurity with little fanfare or advanced hype. A New Hope originated during a unique time in American filmmaking. In the early to mid-1970’s George Lucas was part of a new generation of maverick directors emerging in Hollywood, artists determined to shatter the norms which existed in the industry for nearly two decades. Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorcese, Steven Spielberg and numerous others crafted some of the greatest films in history during that era, many of them featuring cynical themes that reflected growing mistrust of government institutions in the wake of the Vietnam War and Watergate. In 1973 Lucas released a modern classic, American Graffiti, which both celebrated the innocence of the sixties and foretold of darker times ahead (and featured a young, roguish Harrison Ford who played street racer Bob Falfa).
What does any of this have to do with a Star Wars: The Force Awakens review? Mostly to give it context. Star Wars: A New Hope landed in theaters after years of pretty heavy storytelling. While this era produced brilliant films, their dark themes weighed heavy on audiences. In short, they were downers. Star Wars was different. It reached back into simpler times, a fresh and inspiring take on old themes, and spawned lineups that stretched for blocks in major cities. It brought back a sense of escapism by delivering an epic story defined by clear lines of good and evil. And it gave us back characters to root for unconditionally. It is little wonder the original film became such a major part of pop culture.
JJ Abrams had his work cut out for him attempting a reboot like The Force Awakens. The original was a perfect storm of sorts, a product of its time that advanced the very art of filmmaking. We may never know just how much creative freedom Abrams was afforded to make TFA, but with Disney involved (along with the nearly five billion dollar price tag paid for the rights), you can bet it wasn’t absolute. His results are predictably mixed, entertaining yet stagnant at the same time.
If there is one positive to come out of the new film, it’s a sense of gravitas that had been missing from the “prequel” era. People tend to forget that the first two Star Wars films have numerous scenes which aren’t exactly family friendly. During the Cantina scene, Obi-Wan lops off the arm of a patron, ending with a shot of the dismembered limb laying in a pool of blood on the floor. Then, in Empire Strikes Back, Luke does the same to a Wampa in the ice cave. And who can forget the scene Luke witnesses when he finds his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru slaughtered at the farm, their smoking skeletal remains laying like discarded refuse. By the time we reach Return of the Jedi, most of that dark tone has been stripped away from the films, which by this time began to resemble toy ads. When people say The Force Awakens “feels like the old Star Wars”, this is what they’re referring to. And although TFA touches on the slaughter of villagers and the genocide of entire planets, it’s still in a rather sanitized form compared to the first two films in the series.
Acting in the new film is generally decent. Newcomers Daisy Ridley and John Boyega establish themselves as credible heroes-in-the-making with their performances as Rey and Finn. Oscar Isaac is excellent as always in the role of Poe. In contrast, I thought Adam Driver was a disappointment as Kylo Ren. I thought his character was great, right up until the moment he took that helmet off and he morphed into the Angry Hipster. While he is a better actor than Hayden Christensen, both men feel like equally poor casting choices. Driver’s acting style lends itself more toward the sorts of roles Jesse Eisenberg takes. For my money, he’s going to be a tough sell, no matter how many heinous acts of evil he commits.
Speaking of casting, I still find it baffling that Disney would secure a legend like Max Von Sydow and only use him for five minutes. He could have brought the same weight to the film that Alec Guiness did to A New Hope, but Disney squandered the opportunity. The man starred in Bergman’s The Seventh Seal for crying out loud, and could have been thrust into the role of either hero or villain with ease. I get that Luke Skywalker has dibs on the elder statesman of Light, but why not use Von Sydow in the role of Supreme Leader instead casting Andy Serkis’ pixels? Perhaps they tried, and he turned it down. Perhaps the asking price was too high. Maybe it’s simply part of Disney’s attempt to market to the film to a new generation that has no interest in seeing some flesh & blood “old dude” cluttering the screen.
Much has been made of the fact that Abrams delivered what amounts to a virtual remake of the original film, recycling content from the others along the way. Rathtar planting suction cup lips on a ship window…gee, I wonder where I’ve seen that before? Having already blown up two Death Stars, the franchise is starting to resemble a parody by doing it a third time. This is a failure of imagination, pure and simple. Perhaps Disney insisted that TFA act as a sort of recap, a live action “previously on Star Wars” plug to get the ball rolling. Based on the amount of positive fan response, many are quite content to bathe in familiarity of this dependable formula. I’m not one of them, however, and feel this approach is only going to stifle the films going forward unless the creative team develops a willingness to evolve.
Throughout The Force Awakens I couldn’t shake the feeling that Abrams and his production team were either shackled in some way we’re not aware of, or they truly are suffering from a creative drought. The lack of character growth and exposition in this film is jarring. Consider Han Solo’s story arc from A New Hope, the way he evolves from self-serving rogue to selfless hero in the span of one film. Not one character in TFA comes close to that level of depth. Only Rey’s character offers glimpses of complexity, such as the scene on Jakku when she is offered a chance to sell BB-8 for what amounts to a fortune for her, and turns it down. The rest of the time, brief references to character origins and motivations feel like they’re being shoehorned into the narrative.
The Force Awakens feels rushed, almost like a prologue which has 30 minutes of solid narrative sprinkled amid 90+ minutes of action scene filler. Unfortunately this is a predictable aspect of Disney’s formula. For years they have been gobbling up intellectual properties and churning out formulaic blockbusters fueled by special effects, but which feel as though they’ve been written by a 14 year old kid. But if box office returns are any indication, the public loves it. Perhaps big budget movies like Star Wars have moved beyond critical review, reaching a level of critical mass where quality of writing and character development is irrelevant. They’re just theme park rides now. It’s no coincidence that twenty years ago it was hard to find a top-grossing film that was also a sequel. Now it’s the opposite. Studios no longer want to take creative risks. They secure source material with built-in fan recognition and market the hell out of it for quick ticket sales driven by hype.
Despite many of my negative feelings toward this installment, I’m inclined to cut Disney one free get-out-of-jail-free card on this one. It’s a segue film, and they’re tough to craft. The ending, while a bit forced, does hint at intriguing potential. Luke Skywalker’s cameo in the final scene, featuring Mark Hamill looking particularly badass in his new beard and cloak, carried some serious heft. As far as narrative jumping-off points go, this one feels ripe with possibilities. TFA ends with many questions and few answers, and the meeting between Luke and Rey presents tantalizing story threads to be followed. If ever a franchise needed the best writers in Hollywood, it’s right now.
Just to be clear, The Force Awakens is an entertaining film. I do understand and appreciate all the love it is getting from audiences. It’s nice to see a new generation discovering this universe for the first time. Disney has made it clear they intend to release a lot of Star Wars content in the coming years. I’m certainly willing to give them latitude in hopes that eventually they’ll find a narrative groove which appeals to both the popcorn crowd and the lore crowd. Perhaps at some point we’ll even see a spin-off in the hands of HBO or AMC, a character driven glimpse into the struggle between Light and Dark done in incremental seasons. But if Disney doesn’t allow for at least a modicum of creative risk at some point, this franchise will eventually grow as stale as last week’s bread.
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Chris Graham
Chris Graham is a longtime video game junkie from the wilds of Eastern Canada. While he is now a fully certified “old dude gamer”, in his youth during the early eighties he spent embarrassing sums of money on quarter-munchers in some of the skeezy local arcades. He even ventured into disco roller skating rinks from time to time, since they carried upscale titles, but always swore to his friends that he was only there for the games, since, y’know, disco sucks! When he picked up his first console, the classic Atari 2600, he used a VCR to record game clips and study patterns in order to clear tough levels.
A former mobile DJ, as well as writing teacher and tutor, Chris has spent nearly 25 years crafting literary short fiction for periodicals and university journals. He became interested in writing about games and the game industry after immersing himself in social game communities. He’s written reviews and gameplay guides for both Xbox and Playstation games. His interests run the gamut, from shooters to sports and racing genres, although he spends the bulk of his time with RPGs.
I haven’t seen this one yet and probably wont bother watching it until it comes out on dvd or on tv, but I never saw the big deal with any of the Star Wars movies. They were fun to watch but none of them were especially mind blowing. What I’ve seen and read about this one actually sounds some what more appealing to me than any of the others, I’m also in the small minority that thought the prequels weren’t any worse the the OT though so when it comes to Star Wars it wont be hard to please me.
Went to see this movie last night. Gotta say, they did a MUCH better job than I expected. My one main complaint was there wasn’t enough time to process events and people sometimes, because an action scene kicks in suddenly.
I do like that they paralleled this movie with episode 4 a bit. It helps draw in the old fans, and catches the attention of new fans. My nephew sure did enjoy it.
Just like Marvel, I hope they can continue building on things, and not end up with another Incredible Hulk.
This review really makes me want to see the old Star wars movies………………………………………………………………………………………….Adding to Netfliiiix…now
This makes me think about the live action Cat in the Hat movie. Watching it as an 18 year old, I saw so many adult jokes that kids definitely wouldn’t (and shouldn’t) get.
Gotta point out, JJ was replaced (by the guy who directed breaking ba no less.) I mean he still finished this one, but they already hired a different director for the 2nd (5th? 8th?) movie and JJ pretty consistently makes uninspired (if decent and rather popular) movies. If I had to guess, it was a lack of creativity on his/his teams part, not Disney interfering. It is, however, a guess.
As for sanitized, yes and no. Surface level, definitely. They also went whole hog on the nazi parallels, and had a villian literally forcing himself into helpless people(s minds,) only to finally be rebuffed and taken out by the female protagonist. Obvious metaphors are obvious, but kids sure aren’t going to catch it (which may or may not have been the point.)
I think you summed up mostly how I feel. Very accurate review. I think a lot hinges on the next movie, but I remain hopeful
Cas
Another well written review. Thank you Backlot! I agre on most of the points, and can identify similar things that made me think the movie was not deserving of the high rankings everyone was giving it… as a movie at least. I do like the idea that they will grow from here, and perhaps disney can stop sanitizing it to a extreme
