Friday, December 18, 2015

Non-Spoilerish Review of Star Wars




The fans cheered as they watched Star Wars, and immediately spoke in hushed whispers as soon as they left the movie theatre. Multiple groups and people on facebook were warning each other not to speak about the movie. Reviewers passed along their opinions to each other in tiny pieces of paper to be burned later. Okay, I made the last one up, but you get what the popular opinion is right now:



With that in mind, here is a NON-SPOILER(ISH) review of Star Wars.



Um......

Um.....

It's pretty?

Okay, there's a few incredibly minor details about the movie I need to mention. First off, the first scene is simply bad ass. Gone are the days when the stormtroopers and the Imperial Force are cannon fodder who can barely shoot straight. J.J Abrams made them a force to be genuinely afraid of. 

Overall, if there was a way they were going to relaunch Star Wars, this was the right way to do it. The Force Awakens goes in a different direction and has a slightly darker feel to it, while at the same time paying homage to the original movie. The new characters are brilliantly acted and they feel like a crucial part of the story, which is usually really difficult to do in an established setting. And the sets and fight scenes are simply fantastic as they usually opt for real settings instead of CGI (take note, George). 

So what didn't I like? I may do a more detailed review later that would include spoilers, as it is simply impossible to talk about those things in this one. But here are a few only slightly spoilerish things I didn't like:

-While the Imperial Force is awesome, Kylo Ren is kind of a wuss. Remember in the original Star Wars how all the Generals usually get Force Choked by Darth Vader? Well if they're outshining Kylo Ren in this one, there is a big problem. 

-The actor who plays General Hux. It gets nitpicky, but he seems a tad bit cartoony at times. If you're looking for a realistic, terrifying force, maybe not have your leader look like he just came from the set of a pro-Nazi film?

-While a lot of original characters were important to the plot, it seemed like Carrie Fisher had a pretty reduced role. It would have been nice to see her do more given how badass she used to be in the original movies. It was a decent scene, I just wish there was more. 

-One or two issues with the main plot in general. I would say more...but the Liam Neeson meme is glaring at me.

FINAL GRADE: 4.5 out of 5. Despite a few nitkpicks, this is a great film and I can see how it would make any fan eager for more. The only thing that could have made this film better was Jar-Jar's head on a spike somewhere on the Imperial Vessel. 

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