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Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Exquisite Sequel to Movie History’s Most Influential Sci-Fi saga

  • Adam DriverAndy Serkis...
  • Science FictionThriller
  • J. J. Abrams
reviewed by
Marija Loncarevic
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Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Exquisite Sequel to Movie History’s Most Influential Sci-Fi saga

The task of recapturing the spirit of the original Star Wars trilogy while also attempting to bring in an array of fresh new faces and energy into the mix is a challenge no one wants to face and a rare opportunity thatno filmmaker on this planet would want to pass. Stepping in for George Lucas is Star Trek reboot director J.J Abrams who has managed to withstand an immense amount of creative pressure and deliver an exquisite and fittingly nostalgic intergalactic experience that the Star Wars fans have been waiting for.

With Luke Skywalker nowhere to be found, The First Order – a new Empire-like organisation guided by the darker-side-of-the-Force crusader, Kylo Ren (played by the brilliant Adam Driver) – has been given the freedom to rise and threaten peace in the galaxy.

Determined to locate a crucial piece of information heading to the hands of his enemies, the Resistance, Kylo Ren uses all of the means at his disposal to stop that from happening while one of his very own, a conflicted Stormtrooper, Finn (Boyega), decides to flee from his leader’s imprisonment, taking a captured Resistance pilot, Poe Dameron (Isaac), along with him. Crash-landing on a deserted planet of Jakku, Finn soon comes across Rey (Ridley); a lonely scrap metal collector who soon finds himself entangled in Finn’s escape.

What’s impressive most about Star Wars: The Force Awakens is that it works as a standalone film and whether you are a new to the franchise or a hardcore fan who lives and breathes Star Wars, let’s just say, you won’t be disappointed with the end result.  Technically daring and visually enticing, the use of real-life settings – the vast desert shots were filmed in Abu Dhabi – gives the movie an authenticity that’s rare in sci-fi and a warming familiar feel, while the non-stop action never comes across as overwhelming – or as a CGI overload – but offers plenty of thrills.

The introduction of new characters seems fitting for a franchise looking towards new horizons – as well as inevitable sequels – and while the appearance of familiar faces like Harrison Ford’s Han Solo and his terribly endearing and loyal hairy sidekick, Chewbacca (Mayhew,) bring a nostalgia to the proceedings, it’s the new lead characters – especially Ridley who is absolutely riveting from start to finish – that end up stealing all of the spotlight.

J.J Abrams has done the impossible; he has created – and recreated – a Star Wars movie and made it look and feel like a Star Wars movie should.  Funny, sad, exciting and enlivening, it is a definite and an absolute must-see.

Like This? Try

Star Wars: Episode IV (1977), Star Wars: Episode V (1980), Star Wars: Episode VI (1983)  

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The film has a budget of $200 million which is the highest budget of a Star Wars film so far.

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