Before I get into this quite weighty issue let me first state my credentials. I never had the experience of watching Star Wars at the age of 8, my Dad was more of an Ice Cold in Alice and Titfield Thunderbolt guy. As a result I was always aware of Star Wars through the Simpsons and a million other pop culture references but without any of the emotional baggage. In fact it was the Simpsons that taught me that Darth Vader was Luke’s father when Homer hilariously gives the greatest reveal in cinema away to a hundred queuing punters. The final proof came when an exasperated friend had to chastise me for asking what the fuss about the clunky Millenium Falcon was; “It’s the fastest ship in the galaxy. God!”

As the years went by I saw 4,5 and 6 and even persuaded myself to get excited by Episode One. There was the cool Anakin poster with the shadow of Darth Vader, the game was amazing and the pod racing sequence seemed to be fun. It would also be fair to say that my critical/cynical faculties weren’t at their best so I was happy to accept that a blockbuster by George Lucas must be good and that was that. Then the years went by and I realised it was cool to not like things (chicks love that)  and Episode I was deserving of a special place in hell. Young Anakin says Yippee, Old Anakin tries to convey intense emotional pain by having a twitchy lip and of course… Jar Jar Binks.

In short, when I went to see The Force Awakens on Thursday I simply didn’t have the emotional baggage of many other fans. Perhaps this was why I could come out declaring that this was one of the best films I have ever seen at the cinema (never underestimate the power of the big screen to elevate, just try watching Avatar on TV this Christmas and see how crap it is) when Empire could only give the film 4 stars. I think I may finally know how it felt to be an 8 year old going to see A New Hope in 1977.

So what’s so great about Episode VII?

Firstly, it’s Star Wars and anyone with a passing love of cinematic iconography can’t fail to be excited by the Lucas Film Logo, the rolling titles and ‘that’ John Williams score pounding out in Dolby surround. Clearly this is not enough in itself; what is fantastic is that throughout the film Abrams manages to integrate these 70s icons with the new. C3PO and R2-D2 show up; but ultimately the new ball Droid BB 8 steals the show. Han Solo plays his part with Chewbacca; but Fin (Boyega) is the comic and emotional heart of the film. We see Vader’s helmet; but Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren builds on this legacy to be the best Star Wars bad guy yet.

Ren’s presence is the core to what makes this film so great. Vader was always an ok villain however, despite a final last minute change of heart he was always somewhat one dimensional in his preference for the darkside. Hayden Christenson obviously did not nothing to make him any more complex (seriously hate that man) leaving the mercurial and awkward Driver with something of a blank slate. On that slate he builds a Kyle Ren capable of both icy cool brutality and also petty rages using his light sabre to smash up a command console at one point. He not only understands his links to Vader, he actively wants to be him, aspiring to a purity of evil that ironically even the Sith Lord was unable to achieve. In an era full of great heroes and crap villains (see any Marvel film) Ren is a beacon of hope and we can only praise Abrams for the brave casting of Driver in the role.

Then there are the effects. I’ve heard people say it’s nice to see Abrams reverting back to the campy 70s aesthetic. This is frankly deluded. The weight and heft of the Millenium Falcon in flight dwarfs anything we have seen in the prequels. I was genuinely gasping and swaying in the Tie Fighter sequence. This is all set against a gorgeous backdrop of scuttled Imperial battleships and ATAT walkers whose scale has much more impact by the proximity to the ground. Call me boring but the fights in space never had much of an impact on me as there were no obstacles to dodge or surface to scrape. I know that the ‘art’ of cinema shouldn’t be reduced to mere special effects but in a vehicle such as Star Wars which relies in a large part on spectacle I think we can forgive it. Just look at the shot below and tell me that would not grace any mantelpiece.

The new lead character, scavenger Rey (Ridley) is the new Luke in many ways. Abandoned on a planet for mysterious reasons and pulled into an adventure not of her own choosing her arc, along with Boyega’s Fin, is the core of the film. As a brit I did find her Head Girl accent a little hard to swallow considering she was supposed to be on the fringes of society getting by on street smarts alone. But this is a minor criticism. She is a strong female lead in the film that impressively smashes the Bechdel Test. Her refusals to be repeatedly saved by Boyega’s Fin are symptomatic of a film that ignores an obvious and tokenistic romance in favour of creating  genuine human relationships that feel plausible for characters who frankly have bigger things to worry about.

Yes, this is essentially a reboot of the original in the form of the next episode. But guess what? History repeats itself and in an age where nothing is too sacred to be remade it is nice that Abrams has given us something fresh without forgetting that he is standing on the shoulders of some pretty big giants.

 

*** I apologise for any butchering of Star Wars mythology here. It was not done on purpose.