In 2012, Star Wars creator, George Lucas, sold his entire franchise to Disney for $4 billion dollars. Disney bought the rights to Star Wars. Allowing them to reboot the expanded universe, develop animated television shows, and of course, full length feature films. The sole reason why George sold his entire franchise, is because he wants a new generation of filmmakers to let his Star Wars legacy live on for future movie goers spanning one generation after another. Disney’s first movie they’ve developed after acquiring full access is “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, was released in 2015.(same year Mad Max: Fury Road came out) Upon release, it received positive reviews from critics and fans alike. Plus it made a bunch of box office records earning $2 billion dollars at the box office since James Cameron’s “Avatar.”
With the release of “The Last Jedi” officially out in theaters. Here’s my take on the first entry to “The Sequel Trilogy” as a way to gear up for The Last Jedi, and an untitled ninth episode.
The following article contains big fat SPOILERS. Lets be honest, we all know that Rey is wielding a lightsaber from the marketing campaign for The Last Jedi. Countless memes, merchandise, etc. If you have never ever seen this movie, so be it. Read at your very own risk.
Balanced & Unbalanced Qualities
Balanced: Returning Cast Members from The Original Trilogy including, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, & Anthony Daniels, all did an excellent job on their respective performances.
Newcomers to the franchise including, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Gwendolyn Christie, Adam Driver, Lupita Nyongo, & Andy Serkis, all did an excellent job on their respective performances.
Kylo Ren has got to be my new favorite character. To put the icing on the cake, he’s the son of Han & Leia, plus, he’s the grandson of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Why didn’t George portray Anakin like his grandson?
Celebrities/Longtime Star Wars fans such as, Kevin Smith, Simon Pegg, Warwick Davis, & Daniel Craig, (as a stormtrooper) also make appearances. Would have been awesome if Daniel removed his helmet to Rey and told her that he’s a double agent of The Resistance and The First Order as well as the ability to resist Jedi mind tricks? He could’ve been the next Lando for Big Pete’s sake!
Action Sequences got my blood pumping through my veins.
Cinematography looked spotless without any camera issues.
My favorite line in the movie is “There has been an awakening, have you felt it?” It’s a quote from Andy Serkis’ character, Snoke.
Special Effects are a combination of Practical & C.G.I. Effects. I guess Disney must’ve taken Christopher Nolan’s notes on the Special Effects from “Interstellar.” I’ll give the Effects Team a truckload of Bonus Points for making the locations believable as possible. In Nolan We Trust!
Film Composer, John Williams, returns to orchestrate musical pieces.
Thank goodness there’s no awkward romance to shove down our throats. Remember Anakin & Padmè’s chemistry in The Prequel Trilogy?
If you wanna know how Poe survived the crash landing on Jakku, there’s a DLC level from Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which reveals on how he manages to survive the crash.
I’m not making this up, Han did a “Blue Steel” pose from “Zoolander.” Ben Stiller must’ve laughed his butt off watching Han’s impression of Zoolander’s infamous pose.
Admiral Ackbar, (fish guy who said “It’s A Trap!”) who participated in The Battle Of Endor; returns to help out The Resistance.
Unbalanced: The seventh installment contains recycled plot elements from “A New Hope.” BB-8’s obtaining a piece of information from Poe, is like R2-D2 retrieving The Death Star plans from Leia. Rey comes from a planet called Jakku. It reminded me of Tatooine where Luke was raised. A bar that resembles Mos Eisley, filled with bizarre looking creatures. An Imperial Spy who informs The Empire/First Order, that the good guys are present. A short looking elderly person who has a special connection to The Force. A round looking Space Station capable of destroying a planet. A mentor dies from someone they know from his past.
I have mixed feelings on how Rey was able to pilot a space vehicle without training in flight school, to put salt in the wound, I think it’s B.S. (look it up on the Urban Dictionary) for Rey who somehow, manages to easily defeat Kylo Ren. In the real world, she would’ve been defeated by the hands of Kylo. Mr. Abrams, she’s supposed to be an inexperienced fighter/pilot not Jason Bourne who retains his abilities due to memory loss! It could be worse if Megan Fox portrayed Rey.
I was shocked that Han Solo was killed by Kylo Ren. I’ll give this con a pass, because it was Harrison Ford’s idea to kill off Han since he wanted him to die in “The Empire Strikes Back.” Similar to Alec Guinness’ idea to kill off Obi-Wan in A New Hope.
The Final Verdict: B, FOR BETTER LATE THAN NEVER!
My honest opinion, The Force Awakens is in fact, a decent start for The Sequel Trilogy. Despite borrowing the same plot from A New Hope, it was a proper way to introduce a new generation of Star Wars fans. For those who’ve already seen The Force Awakens, go ahead and introduce your kids to this picture. I’m gonna be the first in line to see the latest Star Wars movie. Rian Johnson better not recycled plot elements from The Empire Strikes Back. I want The Last Jedi to be it’s own movie. Not the same movie over and over again, as in every James Bond movie (except for Daniel Craig’s films) is recycled as a pattern.
By the way, if you want more information on what happened to the other characters after Return Of The Jedi, go out and buy Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
May the force be with you my fellow Star Wars fans from across the globe! Just remember, The Force will be with you always. Don’t forget Fox’s Empire, has nothing to do with The Galactic Empire.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 