All of the actors, old and new, do genuinely terrific work. I love the earnest joy of Oscar Isaacs’s Poe Dameron, the heroism and nobility of Daisy Ridley’s Rey, the humor and heart of John Boyega’s Finn, and the wounded fury and ferocity of Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren. I love how Kylo behaves like a petulant child when he doesn’t get his way. I love how for a few moments in THE FORCE AWAKENS Poe Dameron becomes, basically, Princess Leia. I love Rey’s determination as she takes her first steps into a larger world. I love Finn’s camaraderie with Han Solo and Chewbacca. I adore the new droid BB-8, who has just as much personality as the droids of old. BB-8 is reduced to a MacGuffin for much of the running time, but the droid has so much charm and humor that the film gets a boost whenever it’s onscreen.
Of the new characters, Kylo Ren was the most compelling to me – his rage, once we understand who he is, feels justified, and Adam Driver gives Kylo Ren an emotional heart that betrays his dark, threatening exterior. John Boyega gives so much heart and charm to Finn that you can’t help to root for him. The same goes to Daisy Ridley’s Rey, saddled with a mysterious past, but imbued with innate goodness and light. Rey is as much a heroine as Leia was, and a joy to watch. Same for Oscar Isaac, who takes as much excitement flying an X-Wing as Han Solo does flying the Millennium Falcon.
As for the old cast, Harrison Ford is wonderful as Han Solo. He eases back into the character as comfortably as ever, and Ford is as invested as I’ve ever seen him. His fun is infectious, and Han and Chewie get many of the movie’s best moments. It’s almost as if they’ve never left. This is when THE FORCE AWAKENS feels the most like STAR WARS, and the new cast interacts with Ford with vigor and enthusiasm. Carrie Fisher is also great as Leia, and the moments between her and Han are full of emotion and memory, but Leia also holds her own as the leader of the Resistance. I love how Fisher and Ford play off each other, both wounded by their relationship, but still caring for each other very much. It is also very welcome to see Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2 (although briefly).
These relationships lift THE FORCE AWAKENS, not the plot. We care about all of them, old and new. It was during these character moments that I truly felt the work of Lawrence Kasdan. The banter and give-and-take dialogue between all the actors was a pleasure to watch and hear, and THE FORCE AWAKENS comes alive with fun when these people interact. The performances are fantastic – the STAR WARS films have never been praised for their acting, but here they feel true and fit right into this world. I also admired how Finn and Rey were front-and-center heroes, giving STAR WARS a much needed diversity. These films are for everyone, and THE FORCE AWAKENS feels especially inviting in that respect. One cannot help but notice that this new batch of actors seem very thrilled to even be there, and I’m sure that helped inform their performances.
I’m deliberately being vague about the story – mostly, because the plot is so similar to A NEW HOPE that the few surprises there are in THE FORCE AWAKENS should be experienced by the audience for the first time. But the galactic dynamics are so elusive and difficult to follow that I still have no idea of the significance of the Resistance and the First Order. The First Order’s Supreme Leader, Snoke (Andy Serkis) is obviously knowledgeable in the Dark Side, but THE FORCE AWAKENS never reveals how he knows the Force or where he comes from. Ordinarily I would have no issue with this – the original trilogy only truly acknowledges the Emperor in RETURN OF THE JEDI – but because the film is so unwilling to answer so many questions, it becomes one more aspect of the plot to become frustrated about. What does it mean when the Force awakens? How does Finn overcome his training and programming as a stormtrooper for the First Order? Why was Rey abandoned on Jakku? How does Kylo Ren become consumed by the Dark Side of the Force? That question, in particular, forms much of the emotion and backstory of THE FORCE AWAKENS, and Adam Driver is very effective as the enigmatic dark enforcer of the First Order. But it’s also something I really wanted to see explored more than the movie was willing to go. The original films, while holding certain key plot points close, never teased the way THE FORCE AWAKENS does. Each new piece of information expanded the STAR WARS world; THE FORCE AWAKENS seems to make this universe that much smaller, especially considering the coincidences that plague the movie (granted, the original films had similar wild coincidences).
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