Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review

Tien-Li Hsiung

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the long awaited sequel to the famous Star Wars trilogy, directed by J. J. Abrams and starring John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Daisy Ridley, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Andy Serkis, and Adam Driver. Three decades after Return of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker (Hamill) has disappeared and a new organization known as the First Order has come to replace the Empire; opposing them is the Resistance, led by General Leia Organa (Fisher). Resistance pilot Poe Dameron (Isaac) was on a mission on Jakku until First Order commander Kylo Ren (Driver) intervenes and Dameron is captured. However, stormtrooper Finn (Boyega) helps Dameron escape and along the way he meets up with Jakku scavenger Rey (Ridley), a unique droid by the name of BB-8 and Han Solo (Ford).

The Force Awakens is a great action film. The flight scenes with the Millennium Falcon, the X-wings and the TIE Fighters are probably better than the original trilogy. The Force Awakens is also better than the now-infamous Star Wars prequel trilogy. No weird political conversations or awkward character moments here. Instead it’s a thrill ride from beginning to end. The actors also do a great job — John Boyega as former stormtrooper Finn and his friendship with both Poe Dameron and Rey is completely believable, although Boyega can get a bit overexcited when delivering lines. Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher return as Han Solo and Leia Organa and give surprisingly heartbreaking performances, making it clear that their characters have aged with them. Adam Driver is great as Kylo Ren, and although he may be rather juvenile as a villain, that’s the point of his whole character.

However, the quality of The Force Awakens is brought down by it’s lack of original plot. Without spoiling too much, The Force Awakens shares way too many similarities with the first Star Wars film, A New Hope. In A New Hope, the evil Empire captures Princess Leia, chases the droid R2-D2 on a desert planet, where Luke Skywalker meets said droid, learns of the Force through an old mentor, fights the Empire and gains some new friends along the way. In The Force Awakens, the evil First Order captures Poe Dameron, chases the droid BB-8 on a desert planet, where Rey meets said droid, learns of the Force through an old mentor, fights the First Order and gains some new friends along the way.

These plot similarities are the biggest flaw of The Force Awakens, but it doesn’t end there. There’s another version of the Death Star, now called Starkiller Base, and its inclusion is completely baffling. The filmmakers shouldn’t have created another Death Star if they’re not going to make it the center of the final battle. Then there’s Supreme Leader Snoke (Serkis), who’s the most forgettable character in the film. Snoke is only in the film just so The Force Awakens can have a character similar to the Emperor in the original trilogy and nothing more.

Overall, The Force Awakens has potentially interesting characters in Finn, Rey, and Poe. However, they are stuck in between plot points that rip off A New Hope way too much and a film clearly made for a trilogy. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a 6/10.