For the last few days I have mostly stayed away from the internet, I did not want it to spoil the new Star Wars movie for me. The cast and crew themselves had done their best to not let anything out, but I knew in the last hours leading up to the movie things were bound to slip. I was able to avoid anything other than the basic character info that was given out. In hoping that you will be able to avoid anything you don’t want to find out in advance I will warn you now that I will be letting it all out here. Turn away now if you aren’t ready.
I have been looking forward to seeing this movie ever since the day it was announced Disney had bought Lucasfilm. I was full of doubt but also very full of hope. Star Wars was a huge part of my childhood, teenage years, and even adulthood. I know I am far from alone in this but I loved this galaxy far, far away and sometimes I was very worried about its future. There was an ebb and flow that went along with the news cycles about what was going to happen to this beloved universe. News would build me up and let me believe things were going to be great, followed by news that would negate that same belief. From that fateful day in October of 2012 when a new breath of life was put into the Star Wars world until tonight we hinged our bets on every new bit of info we could get. Today we got to see if what we had hoped to come had come true.
It turned out that hope was A New Hope. Through out my entire viewing of The Force Awakens, all I could think of how close the plot was to Episode IV. I had sort of seen this coming, I can’t say I was completely stunned. I had shared my thoughts after multiple viewings of the trailers and various bits of info that had leaked in both private conversations with friends and sometimes on our podcast. I thought Mr. Abrams and company would try and pay homage to the classic trilogy, bring back the lived in feel of the universe, the hope, the wonder. I didn’t not expect it to be such a close replica.
Right from the opening we get the view so fully, even if we don’t realize it. I know it won’t take long for someone on the internet to start putting up shot by shot comparisons. We get the open with secret plans being hidden in a droid, our new Vader questioning people about where the plans went, a rebel, or in this case resistance, member being taken back for interrogation. We even let the droid get away in the desert. There are so many things that are the exact parallel that I could point them out all night. Some shots were exactly the same as from A New Hope, so much I could see it. Even the biggest surprise in the movie was direct call back to Luke watching Ben get cut down in front of him. The whole movie was like this.
I understand what this movie is setting out to do, building a bridge to a new generation in the universe while playing on our nostalgia. There had to be a better way to do it though. The movie looked great, it was very well acted and out side of the ending the story moved a long very smoothly. How could it not though when you are using one of the best movies of all time as your reference? The new characters do fill me with confidence however that this new generation can break away on their own though. I liked Finn, Poe, and Rey, and I look forward to watching them grow in to their own. I do hope however that we move away from direct clones of the classic trilogy. Given the way it ended though I can’t help think we are about to get a new version of The Empire Strikes Back.
Currently I am going to give The Force Awakens 3.5/5 popcorn buckets. This may change with further views, but always in motion the future is.
