Andres Canales

English 1101- Hughes

Tues/Thurs 12:30
The Force Awakens

Whether you love it or hate it, it is impossible to deny that the Star Wars franchise has
become an important part in our culture since its release in 1977. Just ask your parents, they
probably went to go watch at least one of the original three. I challenge you to go to any mall or
shopping center and see if there isnt some type of Star Wars merchandise. Focusing just solely
on the movies however, there were six main installments up until The Force Awakens. The
original three, also known as the Original Trilogy and the Prequel trilogy. While many revere the
original films to be quintessential movies of their times (it can be argued of all time), the later
three left a bad taste in many peoples mouths. Whether due to muddled story, lack of focus, poor
writing or a number of other things, some were left wanting more. While I admit I do sometimes
enjoy parts of the Prequel Trilogy, I too was in this category. Step in The Force Awakens. From
its announcement the previous year people were hyped for this movie. At last we might have the

Star Wars movie weve been waiting for. Does this movie live up to the hype? Yes, but not
exactly how you might be thinking.
In traditional Star Wars fashion the movie begins in space with a ship. This imposing and
ominous looking ship is overshadowing a planet in the distance. We see flashes of Stormtroopers
(the iconic enemy) as they appear to be getting ready for a fight. Meanwhile on the ground of a
desert planet, two men talk about restoring balance in the force and finding the now mythical
Luke Skywalker. Poe, a Resistance (basically the Rebel
alliance from the originals) pilot is given a map said to
have the location of Skywalker. Almost immediately the
movie begins with action (a breath of fresh air after the
sociopolitical undertones of the prequels) as the
Stormtroopers attack the village.
We are then introduced to the new villain of the
franchise, the mysterious and imposing Kylo Ren. Poe
gives the map to his droid who escapes the chaos. He attempts to shoot Kylo Ren but his blaster
bolt is stopped in midair (something weve never seen before). Poe is taken prisoner and Ren
gives the order to kill all the villagers, however one Stormtrooper seems conflicted, almost
panicked by everything happening. This concludes the introduction to the first scene. Right off
the bat, I have to say the movie is stepping in the right directions. The action draws you in as
well as the questions you begin to ask yourself. Why is Luke the iconic Jedi missing? Who is this
Kylo Ren figure and the First Order? What happened to this galaxy in the last 30 years?
One worry people had before the movie came out was the introduction of new characters.
To move the story forward there had to be some new faces but this could have been easily

messed up. Im happy to say that the characters were a breath of fresh air, from the cardboard
ones in the Prequels. Finn is a Stormtrooper who deserts the First Order and Rey is an orphan
scavenger on the desert planet who then gets wrapped up in all this when she finds Poes droid.
Though Im loving the movie, I cant help to think they played it a bit too safe. Comparing it to
the original 1977 movie is just a little too easy. The following passage can be used to describe
both this movie and A New Hope:
A droid on a desert planet has something that the evil organization is after. The droid then
stumbles upon the protagonist. The protagonist feels tied to the planet but is eventually
convinced to leave. They make their way to the Millennium Falcon where they narrowly
manage to escape.
Putting these complaints to the side, the movie has a lot of fun with itself showing off the flashy
visuals during the Millennium Falcon escape scene. At this point in the movie Im having a lot of
fun but I cant help to feel its because Im watching A New Hope Again.
The heroes of the past meet with the new ones, and a nostalgic wave comes over you. I
really enjoyed how Han and Chewbacca were introduced with the simple line, Chewy, were
home. At first it seems like an awkward pairing between them but as the movie continues and
they face challenges together, their relationship seems believable and not like the screenwriters
just forced them to be together for the plots sake. This is especially true of Rey and Finn. Yes
they have to be together because of the plot but the way the two interact it becomes clear that
they are both growing on each other. From their rocky introduction (Rey hitting Finn in the face
with a staff) to their genuine concern for one another in danger, is an engaging part of the story to
watch. Han and Chewbacca also seem like they are in the story for good reason and not just
shoved in there for purely nostalgia. Character development in this movie is one of the best parts.

Speaking of character development, Ive been completely neglecting to talk about what
might be Star Warss most intriguing villain and this is coming from a huge Darth Vader fan.
Kylo Ren is so much more than a Darth Vader copy with a cooler lightsaber. He is a genuinely
interesting character who drew me in asking even more questions. Though he is not a copy of the
Dark Lord of the original movies, it almost seems like he wants to be. Not the screen writers
want him to be, but he wants to be. (Spoilers past this point, but if you want to have seen this
movie you probably already did.) We find out that he is the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia.
This means that he is the nephew of Luke but more importantly, the grandson of Darth Vader. He
almost worships his grandfather, keeping his burned helmet and practically praying to it. It is
clear however that he is quite different. While Vader is calm and cold, killing officers who fail
him without showing any remorse or even anger, Ren has serious emotional problems,
specifically anger. He also has very conflicted feelings
about the dark side, the light side and most importantly,
his family.
After two hours of action and emotion the climax
of the movie, the epic face off between Kylo Ren, Finn
and Rey is everything that I hoped it would be. For me, I
wasnt interested in seeing a flashy choreographed lightsaber fight. The emotion and desperation
of the characters during the fight made the scene for me. It was a great climax to the movie and a
great way to also appeal to our nostalgia (just hearing the sounds of the lightsabers clashing)
The final scene of the movie is Rey searching for Luke, after recovering the map. In the
last shot we finally see Mark Hamil who apparently made the second most amount of money
next to only Harrison Ford. He doesnt say anything as Rey hands his missing lightsaber back to

him. Walking out of the theater the first time seeing this movie I almost immediately wanted to
watch it again. It does such a good job at being entertaining which is what movies are all about.
However, I cant shake the feeling that I like it so much because it reminds me so much of the
original. Regardless of this I still enjoyed the movie and most importantly had fun watching it.
J.J. Abrams seemed to know how to target everybody with this movie. Someone who doesnt
really enjoy Star Wars will find enjoyment with this film just like die hard fans wills. Ultimately
this movie marks the return of Star Wars to a grand form and I look forward to seeing what more
this trilogy and these characters have to offer.