RATING:
PG-13 for usual sci-fi violence
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 15 minutes
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 15 minutes
STARRING:
Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones, Blade
Runner, Star Wars)
Daisy
Ridley (newcomer); John Boyega (Attack
the Block)
DIRECTOR:
JJ Abrams (Star Trek, Mission Impossible
III)
WRITERS:
Abrams (Lost, Alias, Armageddon,
Regarding Henry)
Lawrence
Kasdan (Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of
the Lost Ark)
PLOT:
A droid has valuable info and a large object needs to be destroyed. Sound
familiar?
FULL DISCLOSURE: I am a gigantic Star
Wars fan. I don’t dress up for the movies, but I have lots of action
figures and ships, including the Millennium Falcon. I also camped overnight for
Phantom Menace tickets. Surprisingly,
I don’t regret doing it.
STORY STUFF: I felt like a kid again watching this film. The story just
brings you in from the very start. I know that history repeats itself, so some
of the storyline callbacks make sense to me. The dialogue is fantastic, full of
humourous lines and grave explanations. Probably the best Star Wars writing since Empire.
There is hardly a dull moment in this film. I hope all of you can avoid
spoilers, so you can enjoy this film to the fullest.
ACTING STUFF: Ford still rocks it as Han Solo. He may be older but he is
still chock full of grumpy charm. I found I liked Chewbacca a lot more in this installment;
he got more stuff to do. Ridley & Boyega are amazing as the new heroes, they
quickly get you rooting for them. BB8 is adorable as predicted. And Adam Driver
does a pretty bang-up job as Kylo Ren. There is something he does a couple
times that usually ticks me off, but I felt was well-earned in this film.
ARTISTIC STUFF: What a beautifully shot film. The cinematography is
mesmerizing. Abrams does a great job of using wide shots to show contrast and perfectly
framed close-ups for intensity. I don’t know why this was done in 3D. Only two
or three scenes seemed to benefit from it. The music is fantastic as always. As
for art direction, I loved seeing the Falcon again (it got its own applause in the
theatre). I will say for Empire (now First Order) architectural design, invest
in some railings! Being somewhat afraid of heights, some hand railings would
definitely put my mind at ease.
VERDICT:
SSSSS (yeah,
you heard me)
SEE IT IF:
You want to relive your child-like excitement for adventure.
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Spotlight, The Big Short
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