By Emma Cummins
Editorial Page Editor
As I walked into the movie theater, my expectations were high; I could now take part in the history that is Star Wars. Thanks to J.J. Abrams, I would now be able to tell my kids about the time I got to see the seventh episode of the monumental series in theaters, much like my parents did with me, and their parents with them.
I was not disappointed. The film lasted about two hours and 15 minutes, but it felt like it passed by in 30 minutes. Filled with new and old characters, the film had Han Solo, Chewbacca, General Leia and new characters such as Fin, Rey and Poe.
In order to not give away any spoilers, the basic summary is this: A new evil regime has risen up called the First Order. General Leia has built another resistance in order to keep them at bay, all while Luke Skywalker has disappeared, taking the balance of the force with him. Rey, a scavenger, has found a droid that contains a piece to finding Luke. Finn, a defector of the First Order has met Rey, and the two find themselves paired up with Han Solo and Chewbacca to get the droid back to the resistance. Another twist, Solo’s son, Kylo Ren, has turned to the dark side and is pursuing them.
While some of this may sound familiar: the resistance, the evil generals of the new glorified Death Star, the evil man in the mask, the film manages to stay fresh for me. In the other films, there had never been a strong female character who was a Jedi such as Rey, nor did it have an African-American storm trooper. While this may be a ploy to play to the political correctness of the day, the two new characters are enjoyable and talented.
The film does feel a bit like Star Trek in the beginning, probably in part because of J.J. Abrams’ influence, but, it feels like a normal Star Wars by the end of the film. Filled with references to the older films, Star Wars: The Force Awakens takes you back in time, but with a modern twist. But, I suspect that the next two Star Wars films will be much more modern, now that the directors have paid homage to the classics.
The end of the film leaves anyone wanting more, if the beginning of the movie did not already do that. The movie has all the lightsaber scenes everyone so enjoys, and this time with graphics that are volumes better. Although, this film has quite a bit more face time with the characters, more so than in the original films, it will be interesting to see how the next two pan out.
But, seeing Star Wars: The Force Awakens is an incredible experience, and I’m convinced the next two will be just as enjoyable.
