Several years have passed since Darth Sidious was killed. However, his influence is still present in the form of the First Order and Kylo Ren who are decided to expand their dominion over the universe unless the Resistance is able to find the legendary last Jedi, Luke Skywalker.
First of all, I can't talk completely about this movie without mentioning SPOILERS so if you haven't watched this movie yet I would suggest you to not read this unless you want full details about it (but read it anyway once that you see it).
Second, you know how I roll, Star Wars is also important in the comic industry so it makes sense for me talk about it (and let's be honest, I would do it even if that wasn't the case).
Third, I'm not exactly a big fan of the franchise. Sure, I have seen the movies like most people but my knowledge ends there. I haven't played the videogames, nor read the comics (although the recent ones seem interesting enough) so excuse me if I'm not as excited as most people who are really invested in the universe.
Finally, let's start with the thoughts.
The movie begins solidly enough with the persecution of Poe Dameron who at first seems to be the protagonist due to the amount of importance he receives but we quickly learn that is not the case since the attention quickly goes to a Stormtrooper who after seeing one of his fellow soldiers die, decides to help Poe to escape and he gives the Stormtrooper the name of "Finn", and Rey, a Scavenger living in the planet Jakku. Both Finn and Rey will find themselves in a mission to take the droid BB-8 to the Resistance so they can get the info to find Luke Skywalker and stop the First Order.
As I've already mentioned, it was pretty interesting to see how the perspective changed from someone like Poe Dameron, who has all the characteristics of a typical protagonist, to people like Finn and Rey who are a bit more unconventional. Both protagonists have compelling personalities for the most part, Finn is the classic comic relief character but has an intriguing background to differentiate himself while Rey is more of a mystery due that her own origins are not really really explored (but they're heavily hinted) but shows to be a quite capable fighter and pilot.
That's the first thing that caught my attention. Most of the Star Wars films are about the protagonists who have a predetermined destiny to fulfill and these seemed to be unlikely heroes, people who just found themselves in a mission bigger than themselves but are willing to continue with it for the sake of everyone. That's something quite appealing to me and made me really invested in their success.
Buuuuut then it was greatly implied that Rey actually has a bigger destiny to fulfill because she has an affinity to the Force and is most likely Luke Skywalker's daughter. Seriously, the hints all over the place from her being stranded in a desertic planet, to Han Solo trusting her immediately, to Chewbacca liking her, to being called by Luke's Lightsaber, etc. Nothing is really subtle and for that reason is both predictable and a disappointment. I actually think that Rey is a solid enough character but all those things were unnecessary and makes her less unique in that regard.
I also have a complaint about Finn and this is more a nitpick but, how does a Stormtrooper who spent his life training for war suddenly has a sense of humour? I mean, I would understand if he developed it slowly during the course of the story but from the beginning you see him telling jokes and everything. It doesn't seem logical.
That's not to say I don't like the humour by the way. In fact, I think is one of the strongest aspects of the film, I found myself laughing more often than not at the jokes.
Despite of those complaints, I still like both protagonists and think there's potential for them in the future.
The biggest complaint goes for the "villain" of the movie: Kylo Ren.
At first I thought: "Eh, he seems to be Vader-lite, let's hope he has an interesting personality".
He does not, is the complete opposite actually.
Halfway the film we learn that he's actually Han Solo and Leia's son. Kylo hates his father, that's the reason why he joined the Dark Side and if you think that makes him a completely annoying and emo teenage boy then you would be frikking right. He starts showing some serious rage and daddy issues early on and things don't get better once that he reveals his true face and somehow gets even more whiny complaining about how much he hates his father and throwing more tantrums, I was rolling my eyes everytime he appeared in scene.
Is this big and angsty baby the villain of the film? Really?
Seriously, we had enough of this shit with Anakin in the prequel trilogy.
He even managed to kill Han Solo which made me literally facepalm in front of screen. I suppose it was to make him, the new villain, a bigger threat but considering that a quite obnoxious kid killed one of the most popular characters in the franchise, this doesn't really give the right message.
Worst of all is that he wasn't even killed in this episode. I was rooting for Rey to kill him not really because of his crimes but because I couldn't stand him anymore and I don't want to see him in future movies but alas, that wasn't the case and he apparently will continue to play a prominent role in upcoming stories.
Maybe if fans complaint enough about him the director will decide to pull off a disappearance like Jar Jar Binks.
But enough about this douche, as I've already said, the rest of the characters are pretty solid and they present some surprises. For a second I thought that they were going for the cliche of "Oh, the two protagonists are a man and a woman, let's make them a couple!" and while at some points it seemed like that was what was going to happen, they managed to make their relationship mostly platonic (although I suspect that won't last for long).
Speaking about the cast, they're all pretty good. Daisy Redly does a good job as Rey, portraying a competent enough protagonist. John Boyega follows suit as Finn, who despite of my criticisms, is a nice comic relief character who still shows some powerful moments. I don't think is Adam Driver's fault that I disliked Kylo Ren so much but his skinny and typical teenage kid's face didn't help. Andy Serkis as Snoke, the other antagonist, does better in terms of personality but so far he seems Palpatine-lite. Oscar Issac as Poe Domeron definitely shined, one of my favorite members of the cast and I would like to see him more in the sequels. Harrison Ford as Han Solo is frikking Harrison Ford as Han Solo. Carrie Fisher as Leia is frikking Carrie Fisher as Leia. No complaints about the returning cast.
About the director, J.J. Abrahams seems to have heard all the criticism from the prequels about how boring the whole political angle was and decided to go for a more action-based story and it certainly delivers in that front. The plot has a lot of intense moments, they're truly a spectacle and are reminiscent of the first trilogy. The special effects are also nicely handled.
Overall, I would say that Star Wars: Episode Seven: The Force Awakens is a decent entry in the franchise but has a few flaws and cliches that stop me from calling it great. If you're a fan of the series, you will most likely enjoy to see the somewhat return to its roots but don't expect to be impressed by it.
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