Baltimore, MD
Curious to see what others' reactions are. I'm an "original, non-fanatic" fan from 74.......
Ok, you've had enough time to see Star Wars, which should have been sub-titled "The Return;" a return to the very first film that started it all.
Originality is not one of the new SW films'stong points. Main character is a young orphan, stong and smart and able to survive on the sandy, difficult planet they live on - oh, and soon a small round droid with a cute "personality" shows up which will introduce her into the world of "The Force" - stop me if you've heard this before.
A young character is thrust into the job of tail-gunner on a hulking ship called the Millenium Falcon where he must learn to operate the spinning turret and fire on aggressive tie-fighters - he does a good job and gets all giggly and excited.
Han Solo finds himself in trouble with "customers" who confront him for swindling them as a cosmic cargo "pirate."
There's a Death Star that must be destroyed, yes, by entering a long trough and shooting up the "energy unit" at the end of it. And, yes, it has a huge death ray that can destroy entire planets.
Bad guy is a Darth Vader wanna-be with scary metal helmet and all black wardrobe - and he is gifted with "The Force;" and yes, he strangles co-workers in mid-air with a black gloved hand.
There's a bar that Han visits complete with alien-sounding "pop" music played by a band on weird instruments, and the patrons are all various alien creatures from neighboring planets.
Major confrontation occurs on a large span of bridgework across an impossibly deep chasm within the Death Star.
Light saber duels.
R2-D2 and C3PO.
Chewbacca, Pincess Leia, Luke Skywalker (token "please the fans" 3 minute appearance).
Ok, there is a lot wrong with Star Wars, including gaping plot holes (ie: why did the girl lose her parents (ok, probably taken by the baddies but left to the audience to surmise), who the heck is that huge and scary old dude who lives on the new Death Star and seems to be made up of pure energy and resembles a hologram and wants Luke dead, dead, dead? How did the new Darth Vader end up the troubled son of Leia and Han? Wait, Leia and Han - when, how? How Han Solo appears and finds his lost Falcon is ludicrous.
However, this entire franchise gets a huge pardon because so many of its fans have been blinded by the Force of Star Wars and simply love the characters, stories etc. And there's a lot to love. As usual, the art direction is top-notch, you get the gritty pre/post/all mixed up reality of a struggling futuristic world with all of it's goofy creatures and interesting vehicles. Cinematography was good, there's several well staged shots and lighting the dim interiors of the Death Star is always challenging. CGI effects are thankfully kept to a minimum or done so well that you don't always notice them, acting is good, and the characters endear themselves to the audience. It's nice seeing Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher back, although I was moved by how old they are now, and reminded of just how many years have flown by since falling in love with Carrie and thinking Han was the coolest cat around, as I struggle with my own mid-life crises.
The plot clips along and weaves all the aforementioned set designs, creatures, vehicles and of course, tie-fighter and x-wing battles, laser combat and light saber duels into a smooth fabric of entertainment - it's a "new" introduction to another generation of soon-to-be consumers who will gobble up the merchandise, watch the "older" movies and anxiously wait with money in-hand for the next installments of the Star Wars phenomenon. I liked that the franchise FINALLY addressed the question as to who exactly are these storm troopers and why are they willing to take on such a dangerous job if not for a paycheck rivaling any major league baseball player?
Hopefully, future installments will advance themselves in new and interesting directions and be willing to take chances with their stories, something the "new" Star Wars makes clear that the script-writers were not willing to do because of the "less successful" entries and some unfortunate characters like Jar-Jar Bing that left audiences unhappy. Hopefully, "the fans" have not taken over the control of what they expect to see, because, evidently, what they want is "the same old Star Wars" and this time that's exactly what they got.
It's fun, and very well made, but isn't anything we haven't seen before.
