For as long as I can remember, I have been an avid Star Wars fanatic. I could watch the original trilogy every week if I had unlimited time on my hands, and the prequels, while extremely flawed, are still films that I watch on occasion. So for the past two years or so, I have been beyond anxious to see what director JJ Abrams would bring to the galaxy far, far away with episode seven, The Force Awakens.
I am writing this on December 23. The movie came out on December 18. I've already seen The Force Awakens twice and I will see it again at least six more times (and probably more than that).
Abrams and company pulled off the impossible in making an installment for the legendary franchise that is worthy to be mentioned in the same breath as the original Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. It's simply that great. I got chills on at least twenty eight different occasions during both viewings and I fully anticipate getting even more chills as I go back to see it over and over again.
I was fortunate enough to see the first showing my local theater showed on the Thursday before opening day. I was surrounded by a sold-out theater full of Star Wars fanatics just like me and it was a night that I will truly never forget. Witnessing legions of fans from age six to sixty pile into a movie theater was a sight to behold. Every single one of us was anxiously awaiting the arrival of our beloved trio: Han Solo, Leia Organa, and Luke Skywalker. We also couldn't wait to see Chewbacca, C3PO, and R2-D2 once more. For the night, we wanted to be transported back to the late seventies/early eighties and live in the glory days of George Lucas's fascinating universe. From the moment that John Williams's legendary theme began coming through the speakers, we could get a sense that we were in for a truly special evening.
*WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD! PROCEED WITH CAUTION IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS!*
Throughout the film, we lovingly welcomed back Harrison Ford's classic Han Solo along with his trusty sidekick, Chewbacca. We saw Carrie Fisher continue to literally be Leia. The droids were there and they were still awesome. It took him a while, but we finally got to see the last Jedi standing from the old Republic, Luke Skywalker himself. As each familiar face donned the screen, they were greeted by boisterous applause, adding to the truly incredible showing, and here's the phenomenal part about seeing these characters back in The Force Awakens: they all had their moment to shine. Ford, as evidenced by the trailers, was on screen the most along with Chewie each step of the way, and they both crushed every scene. It was so amazing to see Ford having a blast once again as everybody's favorite smuggler, and his rifts with his best Wookie will never cease to put a smile on any Star Wars fan's face. Fisher has some really nice moments towards the back end of the film and her presence should only increase in the coming movies. C3PO may have had the funniest scene in the entire movie for a diehard Star Wars fan like myself, and of course, Luke Skywalker wasn't on the screen as much as we thought he might have been, but he surely make his presence felt and will undoubtedly be very present in the coming films as well.
While it was an unforgettable experience seeing those characters I consider family in a sense, upon leaving the theater, I offered my praises to the original cast, but during the drive home with my sister and my dad, the topic of conversation wasn't about Han Solo or Luke Skywalker; rather, it was about the newcomers who absolutely stole the show. Daisy Ridley's Rey, John Boyega's Finn, Adam Driver's Kylo Ren, and Osacr Isaac's Poe Dameron quickly and seamlessly take the torch from the original cast and begin forging their own legend. This fact became even more apparent when I saw the film the second time. During my first viewing, I was just excited to see the old characters, but the reason I had to go see it again was because I wanted to know more and more about these fresh faces.
Years from now, we will not be remembering The Force Awakens exclusively because of Han Solo or Luke Skywalker. We will be coming back to JJ Abrams's masterpiece for Rey, Finn, Poe, and Kylo Ren.
First of all, if you haven't seen Oscar Isaac before Star Wars, I strongly encourage you to check out his filmography and seek out his movies. He is the next big thing in Hollywood as far as I am concerned, and as Poe Dameron, he has never been better. Admittedly, I wanted to see more of Poe than we actually did, but I have no doubt that the upcoming films will feature him more prominently. He is a phenomenal talent, and the Star Wars universe is extremely fortunate to have him.
It was never going to be easy to create a worthwhile villainous successor to perhaps the greatest villain in the history of cinema, Darth Vader, but what Adam Driver did with Kylo Ren in The Force Awakens was something special. We get a sense of heartache and genuine pain during every line of Driver's dialogue. In maybe the most iconic scene of the new film featuring Ren and Han Solo, Driver is flawless in building hope within the audience that Ren may actually not be lost for good to the Dark Side before ultimately crushing that hope and fully embracing the Dark Side like never before by killing his father, Han Solo himself. His presence is dominating and his lightsaber is mind-blowing. I cannot wait to see what Driver does in future installments.
With Finn, John Boyega was able to give the audience a fresh and new vantage point never before seen in the history of Star Wars by giving us the character arc of a former Stormtrooper. Throughout the franchise, droids/clones/Stormtroopers have been glorified props on some occasions and simple minions to the Sith/Empire/First Order on their best day, but in The Force Awakens, we come to find out that the new generation of Stormtroopers are actual human beings with a soul, none with a more tender soul than Boyega's Finn. Boyega portrays Finn with hilarious tenacity, never truly revealing his motives while also remaining completely faithful to Rey and company. His character is something like we've never seen before, so it's appropriate that Boyega is something like we've never seen before. Finn is an instant legend, and so is Boyega.
Finally, we come to the star of a generation, Rey. Newcomer Daisy Ridley has taken the world by storm with her portrayal of one of the greatest characters in science fiction history. In fact, I would go as far to say that Rey is already one of the greatest characters in movie history period. While that is due in large part to Abrams and his writing team, Ridley ultimately deserves the lion's share of the credit. She's daring, fearless, and every single other adjective that relates to 'awesome.' In just one film, she has become one of my new favorite actresses. With Rey, Star Wars has an exciting future ahead as we will hopefully delve more and more into the legend of Rey. Personally, I am thrilled beyond belief to see Ridley do battle with a lightsaber again. She's already so well equipped with the powers of the Force. Imagine what training with Luke Skywalker will do for her potentially.
As the viewings continue to mount and the years go by, the allure and excitement of seeing the characters from the original trilogy will slowly fade. Isaac, Driver, Boyega, and Ridley will continue to bring fans back for more. Sure, we'll come back for Ford and Fisher too just like when we watch the original films, but when I watch The Force Awakens twenty years from now with my family, I know I'll be watching for this incredible new cast. Abrams created this masterpiece thanks in large part to some of the best casting in a film in movie history. My heart will forever belong to Star Wars, and after The Force Awakens, that looks to never change.
-Cody Fleenor
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