Cinemazlowski 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' exceeds the hype

Dec 17, 2015

In a world where 500 TV channels and thousands of websites offer seemingly countless choices for entertainment, it's becoming ever rarer that one particular movie or TV show can truly stand out from the crowd and become a full-on, must-see event. But the latest space epic in the "Star Wars" series, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," has clearly managed to do that, with a near-constant presence in its own ads, hundreds of sometimes-ridiculous product tie-ins, and an endless parade of media stories about every aspect of the film.

The question that hundreds of millions of film buffs have wondered for months now is: Can it possibly live up to the hype? Or will it fail to deliver, like the ridiculously disappointing 1999 prequel "The Phantom Menace"?  And will the filmmakers respect viewers' intelligence by steering clear of creating annoying characters like Jar Jar Binks?

I'm happy to report that "Awakens" does indeed deliver in spades, and without any stupid creatures dumbing things down. Knowing that this latest adventure was put in the hands of one of Hollywood's current top popcorn filmmaker, J.J. Abrams (who has also revived the "Mission: Impossible" and "Star Trek" series), there was plenty of reason to be excited from the very first second the famed John Williams score kicked in. The critic-heavy audience burst into applause with the Lucasfilm logo, the title appearance and the start of the explanatory scroll that brought viewers up to speed on the movie's events.

That's three rounds of applause in about two minutes, and the first actual image of the film hadn't even been shown yet. So what's the plot about?

The plot takes place well after the events of its predecessor in the storyline, "Return of the Jedi," and has the brilliance to involve the three most popular characters of the original trilogy: Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker, backed by an impressive trio of new characters. Luke has disappeared, as the evil Empire's even more evil successor government known as the First Order is scouring the galaxy looking for him since he is the last of the Jedi warriors.

Meanwhile, Leia is now a general in the rebellion, and sent a brash fighter pilot named Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) to a planet called Jakku  to find a map that would lead to Luke's whereabouts.  He finds it in holographic form, and in a nice homage to the very first "Star Wars" film, he places it into his robot sidekick, BB-8 and sends it off on its own to seek help when an army of Stormtroopers comes to capture the map.

The robot is discovered by a young woman named Rey (Daisy Ridley), whose  existence as an orphan living in a desert landscape bears intriguing parallels to the origins of Luke Skywalker. She at first tries to sell it off, but suddenly realizes that there's something important about BB-8 and winds up having to run for safety and hide inside a spaceship that's seemingly out of commission. It turns out to be the Millenium Falcon, which of course brings her into contact with the legendary Han Solo and Chewie as that dynamic duo helps lead the adventurous quest to find Luke and once again save the galaxy from the forces of evil.

There's plenty more to the story, but I'm not going to ruin it for anyone. Suffice it to say that Harrison Ford takes his chance to revisit his most iconic character and runs with it, bringing the same swagger and wit to the character that audiences have loved for nearly 40 years. Carrie Fisher brings a surprising sense of regret and gravitas to her portrayal of Leia, and her chemistry with Ford is affecting as she carries the weariness of a lifetime of struggle and loss.

But the new generation of faces is also impressive, with Isaac appearing to step into the shoes of Solo as a cocky pilot from a younger generation. Ridley owns her role on multiple levels as she moves from naïvete to surprising skills with a lightsaber, particularly in a climactic battle with fellow newcomer Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, the primary villain of the film. And John Boyega does a nice job as Finn, a Stormtrooper with a change of heart who helps our heroes.

Writer Lawrence Kasdan returns for the first time since penning what is widely considered the best prior film in the series, "The Empire Strikes Back," and he teams with Abrams to create a fun and exciting set of new events that strongly parallel the events and characters of the first "Star Wars" film in a way that feels both fresh and nostalgic at the same time.

As always in the "Star Wars" series , there is no foul language, sex or nudity in this entry. The movie is rated PG-13, but that's a reflection of its frequent action scenes and occasionally dark tone when villains are on the screen. The first three films from 1977 to 1983 were rated PG, but that was before the PG13 rating was created to bridge the gap between children's films and adults. "Force Awakens" is terrific entertainment for all ages.  

As such, they have wisely made a movie that will appeal to both old fans and new, ensuring that the upcoming movies in the series will likely be popular for another 40 years.