Marval Movie

And so there finally came a time where a new Star Wars movie would be released. Not one of the prequels but a continuation of the now considered holy trinity of the original's. People have waited for this day for so long and to some it will be impossible to live-up to the hype and others they will be blind to all faults.

The plot consists of an underdog against a mass, oppressive dictatorship that is subjugating the rest of the galaxy to their whims. The secret to turning the tide to this fight is Luke Skywalker, that is unfortunately missing. But one solider has the location on (essentially) a pen-drive, which he places inside a little droid. The information is then found by an orphan in a baron desert planet. Does any of this sound familiar?

Yes this is indeed, very nearly, the same plot of the original, A New Hope. But then again so many other movies are, even before the first Star Wars movie this was the same formula for other tales and lore. So what the real question is, is it done well? Yes it is. There is conviction, creativity and heart put into all that is going on with this movie.

Our protagonists this time are a young, former, Stormtrooper that is given the name Finn, he's someone that simply tries to get away from all the fighting and murder but fate seems to have other plans. John Bogega made a strong first impression with me in Attack the Block and now he gets the true main man spotlight to shine in. The other is a girl named Rey, that is a scavenger on a Desert planet (apparently not Tatooine, but it really looks like it) she has more of a goal, scavenging what she needs but also is waiting for her family, whoever or wherever they be. She is played by Daisey Ridley that only has one other credit to her name, she is a real find, she is so sharp with characterization and dynamic within her own self contemplation and interaction with the other actors.

Meanwhile our antagonist  is a figure by the name of Kylo Ren. As is traditional in Star Wars movies he dresses in all-black and his helmet (similarly shaped to Darth Vader's) conceals his true identity. But the most distinctive thing about him is his new lightsaber that has the traditional beam, plus two smaller ones that shoot-out the side, giving it a broad-sword or anti-Christ effect.

J.J. Abrams fills the directing and part writing chair on this new movie. This isn't the first rebooted franchise he's hemmed, he had his shot at Star Trek and now he gets to head the franchise that was always his true passion. He is a very sharp, energetic filmmaker, having quick-witted obrolan scenes with fast and fluid camera movements.

There is as much practical effects used for this movie as there could be. There are creatures that wander in the background and their real puppets, animals that do things, sets that were really put-up and the actors can move around in. The most impressive, part of it is BB-8 that is like R2-D2 but his body is a ball, it is a charming and very impressive work of robotics. This will age the movie gracefully and give it a feel of realism, something to distinguish itself from the nearly entirely synthetic world and locations that are created with C.G.I. these days.

The story unfolds at a tight passe and rarely relents, we get breathing space at the beginning going long without any spoken dialog. But unlike in Mad Max Fury Road where we were given the most engaging, intense action sequences where we get few but precious moments to catch our breath. This movie is tight action sequence or heavy exposition scenes that moves on to the next. There needs to be a shot where the characters simply absorb everything so we can adsorb. It is tight, but maybe so tight is a little suffocating?

The musical score is one of the all-time greats. Whats left to be said about it? John Williams returns bringing all the wonder, grandiose and bombast that we expect and get.

This movie is indeed a conundrum of how your suppose to feel. It tells you the same thing as the first one, but it also shows you new things. It comes with much backstory and clearly sets things up for future movies, but that's what all the Star Wars movies did and it can still be enjoyed by itself. This is the best acted and best looking Star Wars movie.

This is not the worst Star Wars movie (that goes to Attack of the Clones). But is this the best? I leave that to the real test for movies, time. Time will tell if the fans do accept this and if it is a story that will become its own lore. But for what it is, it looks like a Star Wars movie, it feels like one, sounds like one, shows me more, and I was entertained. It seems to fit the qualifications to me.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 4