Re: Star Wars - The Thread
So, The Force Awakens. For first, one can finally sigh in relief. It is not the prequels allover again. Actually, there is scene in the film which pretty much says to the viewer that "Nope, we are not going there like the prequels". The a lot of good in the Force Awakens, however, it had some moments that had me almost facepalming.
I read in some review, that now everything old is new. It is pretty well said. In story structure FA remind The New Hope a lot. The First Order, risen from ashes of the Empire, is looking for some information that a brave Resistance pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) has. The First Order attacks his location and captures him, but the secret information ends in the hands of a lone desert scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley). Rey crosses road with a ex-Stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega) and together they try get the information to the Resistance while pursued by sith lord Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and the First Order troops.
The characters of the film are very strong and likeable. Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver and Harrison Ford really give amazing performances in their roles. Rey stands out, giving really fresh breath to the franchise. Han Solo has some epic moments and the best dialogue of the film. Kylo Ren is a very curious character, which I feel could have gone very wrong easily, but Driver manages to pull the character of in a believable manner. Finn and Poe give the film nice swag.
The script of the film is a bit stiff. While the plot flows rather well, there is no real change of pace. It goes on like a jet, taking the breath out of the audience and leaving them pretty exhausted. There is also some very bad dialogue, which the actors can't save even if they are doing their best. There is also the type of writing I really hate. For example, there is a scene were a pilot pulls a spectacular feat. You can see from Boyegas portrayal, that he is very impressed. Yet still, they cut in a close up and he goes "Oh boy, that's one hell of an pilot". We know that! Your audience ain't that blind! Overall plot is rather un-suprising, but that might be just me since film school to some extend has ruined films for me, 'cause I know how scripts are written. There are some nice twists there. But there are some moments, where the heroes get just what they need a bit too easy. The Force almost works like an deus ex machina.
Visually the film is spectacular. I love how the world looks and feels. Some reviews have dissed some of the sets, but in my opinion it all work. It uses al lot of practical effects, actual sets, costumes, dolls and animatronics and goes for CGI only where it is really needed for the shot. The few CGI creatures of the film blend in pretty well. Especially the motion capture character Snoke and Maz Kanata work impressively well. The overall production design is top notch. I want all the whimsical aliens and rusty spacecrafts as figurines and models. As a cinematographer I must say I hated the last shot of the film. Though using the shot was more of an editing choice anyway.
The jokes on the film will be controversial, I know some will find them funny, others tacky and tasteless.
Overall, the film really suck the viewer in. It has that old Star Wars spirit, but brings it to this day and age. The characters are definetly the strongest part of the film. Oh, and I love BB-8, the new droid companion. While the pacing and some parts of the script are problematic, the plot and story hold together very well and as viewer I were really sucked into the adventure, which awoke the child within me. I tried my best not to sound too critical, because I really, really enjoyed the film. Gotta give hand to Abrams, he has a massive task and pressure on him, and managed tocarry it out with good grades.
