Star Wars Episode VI: The Force Awakens (2015)
Country: US
Technical: col/2.35:1 135m
Director: J. J. Abrams
Cast: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Harrison Ford, Adam Driver, Carrie Fisher, Domhnall Gleeson
Synopsis:
As the Republican resistance desperately seeks Luke Skywalker to save them from the encroaching First Order, a scavenger from a desert planet discovers the unsuspected presence of the Force in her, and a deserting storm trooper helps secure a vital map fragment.
Review:
A typically loose narrative on which to hang spectacular set pieces (cf. Episodes I-III) acts as cover for an essential re-run of IV and VI. In particular, the story arc involving the Ridley character echoes pretty convincingly that of Luke Skywalker, making it obvious from the first twitchings of the Force who she really is. In short, Abrams and his writers (Lawrence Kasdan among them, no less) take no chances alienating fans of the franchise, and what ensues enthralls the eye while leaving little for the brain. There is more humour than of late, thanks largely to Han and Chewie, and one or two dewy eyed moments, and Williams steps up to deliver a corker of a score, with all the familiar cues cementing the impression of unity of tone with what came before. However, with all the planet-hopping locations beginning to render this franchise indistinguishable from so many others (Bond, M.I., Bourne), and yet another narrative of flawed Manicheanism with familial dynamics at its heart, one wonders how the incipient trilogy can hope to be anything other than a cynical merchandising exercise.
Country: US
Technical: col/2.35:1 135m
Director: J. J. Abrams
Cast: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Harrison Ford, Adam Driver, Carrie Fisher, Domhnall Gleeson
Synopsis:
As the Republican resistance desperately seeks Luke Skywalker to save them from the encroaching First Order, a scavenger from a desert planet discovers the unsuspected presence of the Force in her, and a deserting storm trooper helps secure a vital map fragment.
Review:
A typically loose narrative on which to hang spectacular set pieces (cf. Episodes I-III) acts as cover for an essential re-run of IV and VI. In particular, the story arc involving the Ridley character echoes pretty convincingly that of Luke Skywalker, making it obvious from the first twitchings of the Force who she really is. In short, Abrams and his writers (Lawrence Kasdan among them, no less) take no chances alienating fans of the franchise, and what ensues enthralls the eye while leaving little for the brain. There is more humour than of late, thanks largely to Han and Chewie, and one or two dewy eyed moments, and Williams steps up to deliver a corker of a score, with all the familiar cues cementing the impression of unity of tone with what came before. However, with all the planet-hopping locations beginning to render this franchise indistinguishable from so many others (Bond, M.I., Bourne), and yet another narrative of flawed Manicheanism with familial dynamics at its heart, one wonders how the incipient trilogy can hope to be anything other than a cynical merchandising exercise.
Country: US
Technical: col/2.35:1 135m
Director: J. J. Abrams
Cast: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Harrison Ford, Adam Driver, Carrie Fisher, Domhnall Gleeson
Synopsis:
As the Republican resistance desperately seeks Luke Skywalker to save them from the encroaching First Order, a scavenger from a desert planet discovers the unsuspected presence of the Force in her, and a deserting storm trooper helps secure a vital map fragment.
Review:
A typically loose narrative on which to hang spectacular set pieces (cf. Episodes I-III) acts as cover for an essential re-run of IV and VI. In particular, the story arc involving the Ridley character echoes pretty convincingly that of Luke Skywalker, making it obvious from the first twitchings of the Force who she really is. In short, Abrams and his writers (Lawrence Kasdan among them, no less) take no chances alienating fans of the franchise, and what ensues enthralls the eye while leaving little for the brain. There is more humour than of late, thanks largely to Han and Chewie, and one or two dewy eyed moments, and Williams steps up to deliver a corker of a score, with all the familiar cues cementing the impression of unity of tone with what came before. However, with all the planet-hopping locations beginning to render this franchise indistinguishable from so many others (Bond, M.I., Bourne), and yet another narrative of flawed Manicheanism with familial dynamics at its heart, one wonders how the incipient trilogy can hope to be anything other than a cynical merchandising exercise.