******STAR DESTROYER-SIZED SPOILERS!******

I make no secret of the fact that I, my wife, and other Gen Xers we know found writer/director George Lucas’ Star Wars prequel trilogy (1999-2005) disappointing. While they offered some interesting ideas, they lacked the heart, passion and grit of the original trilogy; replacing them with clunky scripting, soulless performances, and an overly-slick, less organic feel. Of course, the prequels have since amassed their own legions of fans who grew up watching them with the same awe and reverence my generation felt for the originals. That seemed like my queue to get my AARP membership and practice yelling “get off my lawn” to passing kids. So be it… Jedi.

Enter Gen X producer/filmmaker JJ Abrams, who was perhaps best known for playing in others’ sandboxes, after directing “Mission: Impossible III,” rebooting “Star Trek” for a feature film trilogy, and helming “Super 8” (his homage to Steven Spielberg movies). It’s not surprising directing a Star Wars movie was on his dream résumé, as his “Star Trek” (2009) felt like a Star Wars audition tape. Abrams then worked with screenwriters Michael Arndt (“Little Miss Sunshine”) and Lawrence Kasdan, who cowrote the last two films of the original Star Wars trilogy (“The Empire Strikes Back,” “Return of the Jedi”) as well as the screenplay for “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Following Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012 for just over $4 billion, the mission for a new Star Wars seemed deceptively simple–bring back the feel (and actors) of the original trilogy, while adding younger characters who could expand the franchise for newer fans.

In April of 2015, the second teaser trailer for “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens” dropped online, and it featured evocative images such as the wreckage of an Imperial Star Destroyer crashed in sand, as well as a silver-haired Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and ‘the mighty Chewbacca’ (Peter Mayhew) boarding the Millennium Falcon, with a grinning Solo telling his old partner “Chewie, we’re home!” That trailer exploded across the internet. The trailer was soon paired to footage of a sobbing Matthew McConaughey from “Interstellar,” which went viral on YouTube, and hilariously captured that ‘homecoming’ feel the trailer gave Gen X Star Wars fans like myself.

I remember literally waiting all day to see “The Force Awakens” on opening night in December, 2015 at our local IMAX theater. I’d already bought tickets online for my wife and our friend. However, assigned seating hadn’t yet caught on in SoCal theaters, so I joined a small, but quickly swelling group of fans who’d also waited all day for a good seat. That gathering became an impromptu Star Wars party, with toy lightsaber-duels, soundtracks playing, and screenings of the original trilogy on laptops under sunshades. After my wife and friend joined me that evening, the now massive line began to move, and eventually we had our prime seats for an IMAX 3D showing of the movie.

While it’s a little difficult to critique any movie objectively after that level of anticipation, I’ve decided that ten years was more than enough time to (finally) do a retrospective on…

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015)

Note: The late Max von Sydow (“The Exorcist” “The Seventh Seal”) adds much gravitas with his small but important role as an older dignitary who still remembers General Leia as “royalty.” His opening line of “This will begin to make things right” reiterates that this movie will be closer in tone to the original trilogy. Shot on Kodak film stock instead of digital video by cinematographer Dan Mindel, “The Force Awakens” is loaded with lots of old-school practical creature effects as well. All seemingly reinforce the point this will be your dad’s Star Wars.

Note: FN-2187, later renamed ‘Finn’ (John Boyega), feels like an homage to Star Wars creator George Lucas’ sci-fi dystopia “THX-1138” (1971), which featured a protagonist who no longer wanted to be nameless, passionless drone in a dehumanized 25th century. Finn’s breaking point occurs on Jakku, when his dying comrade wipes a bloodied hand on Finn’s helmet. This is a dark introduction for the character, yet Boyega nicely balances this moment with the character’s lighter scenes later on.

Note: One of the first things I enjoyed with Rey’s introduction was her whimsical theme music from legendary composer John Williams. It’s one of the most memorable bits of music in Star Wars since the melodramatic “Duel of the Fates” track from the prequels (one of the best contributions from that trilogy). Beyond her memorable theme, Daisy Ridley creates a likable and resourceful character. While some dismiss her as a ‘Mary Sue’ (a does-it-all perfect character), that same criticism also applies to Luke Skywalker; a farm boy who never left his home planet who suddenly flies an advanced space fighter well enough to destroy the galaxy’s ultimate weapon. Yes, it’s established Luke could pilot small aircraft, but a helicopter pilot can’t automatically fly a space shuttle, either. We already see Rey piloting a clunky speeder-bike, and unlike Luke with his X-wing, we see Rey (and Finn) struggling to fly the Millennium Falcon later on.

Note: BB-8 existed as a practical prop (and CGI creation) pushed/pulled by a green-suited performer digitally erased in postproduction to help sell the illusion the rounded droid could somehow traverse any surface. BB-8’s streamlined appearance looks almost like an astromech droid designed by Apple. Rey and BB-8’s kismet encounter is evocative of “A New Hope,” where R2-D2 and C3PO somehow wind up at the same Tatooine moisture farm where the memory-wiped C3PO used to live (“Attack of the Clones”).

Note: Oscar Isaac creates a memorable character as roguish X-wing pilot Poe Dameron. Poe’s interrogation scenes with Kylo Ren have a bit of Marvel movie-style humor to them, with Poe smart-assing his interrogator, despite the torture. Even better are Poe’s scenes with his unexpected First Order rescuer, Finn (whom Poe names). Isaac and Boyega have great chemistry together, and it’s understandable that speculation ran rampant the two might become lovers in the sequels. That never happened, of course, but neither did any other romantic relationships in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, beyond harmless flirtations. This is one of the sequel trilogy’s most glaring shortcomings; no romance, just friendships.

Note: One of the more exciting sequences in the movie is Rey and Finn’s escape aboard the Millennium Falcon while outrunning First Order TIE fighters. The classic cinematic spaceship banks and dives through the hallowed-out hull of a decaying star destroyer–much like when the ship outran TIE fighters through an asteroid field in “Empire Strikes Back.” We also see the ship with a rectangular antenna now; a nod to the rounded one which broke off in “Return of the Jedi.”

Note: Enter Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew/Joonas Suotamo). I have to admit; no other moment of fan service in a Star Wars movie ever moved me quite like Han and Chewie’s return to the Millennium Falcon (I loved the moment so much I used it as my site’s home button). However, the pointless shenanigans that follow with the squid-like ‘rathtars’ and ‘Kanjiklub’ gangsters (silliest name ever) could’ve easily been cut from the movie. These distractions siphon oxygen from Han & Chewie’s reunion with their beloved ship. Also, the late Peter Mayhew suffered mobility issues before his death in 2019 and played Chewbacca mainly in non-ambulatory shots. Actor Joonas Suotamo does most of Chewbacca’s action scenes, and would appear as the character in future Star Wars projects. Mayhew reportedly coached his younger costar on the character’s movements.

Note: Han tells Rey and Finn that he now believes in the Force. The most famous agnostic of the original trilogy is now a believer. This is a very significant step for the character. Even as an atheist, I found it interesting that Solo now accepts the existence of the Force. Too bad Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) wasn’t around to see it… or was he? Also interesting that Han’s son is given Obi Wan’s “New Hope” nickname/alias of ‘Ben.’

Note: Han Solo’s relationship with young Rey mirrors that of John Wayne and Kim Darby in the classic 1969 western “True Grit,” with old gunslinger Rooster Cogburn mentoring teenaged Mattie, who contracts the retired, aging marshal to avenge her father. “True Grit” was remade in 2010 with Jeff Bridges (“Starman”) as Cogburn and Haylee Steinfeld (“Sinners”) as Mattie.

Note: Maz Kanata (voice-acted by Lupita Nyong’o) is clearly set up as this trilogy’s earthier answer to Yoda, but unfortunately this is the most we ever see of her in the sequel trilogy. The character was rendered in CGI for this film and “The Last Jedi,” but would appear as a fully animatronic creation in “The Rise of Skywalker.”

Note: The brief montage Rey experiences after touching Luke/Anakin’s lightsaber Luke’s battle with Vader on Bespin, her own childhood abandonment, and the Knights of Ren. She even briefly hears the voice of Obi Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) calling her by name (edited from “A New Hope,” by carefully extracting the syllable “Rey” from Obi Wan telling R2-D2 “Don’t be afraid”). It’s never explained how Maz acquired the lightsaber after it fell towards Bespin after Luke and Vader’s duel. She only says, “That’s a long story for another time.” Right…

Note: I have to confess a bit of confusion the first time I saw the movie, as I mistook Hosnian Prime for the Republic core planet of Coruscant, which was seen in the prequels. Actor Domhnall Gleeson is the screaming, Hitler-esque General Hux, who oversees the firing of the Starkiller Base weapon. Gleeson and Oscar Isaac previously costarred in the disturbing sci-fi movie, “Ex Machina” (2015), where they played very different roles. The name “Starkiller” of course, comes from one of the original drafts of “The Star Wars” (c. 1973) when Annikin ‘Starkiller’ (later Anakin Skywalker) was the son of Kane Starkiller and the ‘Jedi-Bendu’ Padawan to Luke Skywalker (Anakin and Luke would later become father and son).

Note: During the First Order invasion, there’s a duel between lightsaber-wielding Finn and a stormtrooper colleague of his with an energy-charged staff. This sets up Finn’s later confrontation with Kylo Ren, and is a red herring to suggest Finn might be this trilogy’s lightsaber-dueling hero. He’s not, of course. We also see Han using Chewie’s energy bowcaster weapon for the first time. Hard to believe Han’s never used it after all their years together.

Note: Leia and Han reunite. Despite the happily-ever-after ending of “Return of the Jedi,” it makes perfect sense these two wouldn’t necessarily work as a couple. It adds a touch of realism to their passionate, conflicted pairing. Much like Luke with his father, Leia believes that Ben Solo/Kylo Ren can be freed from the influence of First Order leader Snoke, while Han seems sadly resigned that Ben is lost to them.

Note: The interrogation of Rey by Kylo Ren is a charged with ‘Force sounds’ as he probes her mind without consent–a deeply invasive assault, not unlike Vader’s use of a “mind probe” on his own daughter, Leia. In the scene, Kylo Ren removes his mask, only to prove the character doesn’t need it. The mask feels like an unneeded bit of Darth Vader-ish cosplay. This heavy scene is broken up with a humorous bit as nascent Force-user Rey later tricks her stormtrooper guard into removing her bonds and dropping his weapon. That stormtrooper was played by no less than Daniel Craig–James Bond himself (!).

Note: Regarded as one of the greatest prosthetics/motion-capture actors ever, the wildy-talented Andy Serkis (“Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy) feels underused as the movie’s Palpatine stand-in, Supreme Leader Snoke. Serkis would later show his face as Imperial prisoner ‘Kino Loy’ in Disney+’s Star Wars spinoff series “Andor.”

Note: This scene echoes the strategy sessions of “A New Hope” and “Return of the Jedi,” particularly the latter’s holographic display of the targeted super weapon. We also see brief appearances by “Return of the Jedi” legacy character ‘Admiral Ackbar’ (the late Erik Bauersfeld/Tim Rose) and new character ‘Lt. Connix,’ who’s played by Billie Lourd (“American Horror Story”), the daughter of the late Carrie Fisher. Connix would return for the next two sequels as well.

Note: Imposing actress Gwendoline Christie (“Game of Thrones,” “Wednesday”) is utterly wasted as silver-armored elite stormtrooper ‘Captain Phasma.’ Like the original trilogy’s Boba Fett, Phasma has a great costume and a cool name, but ultimately, she’s a nothing-burger. “The Last Jedi” never explains how Phasma escaped Starkiller Base’s trash compactor, either…

Note: As Rey and Han squabble over how to rescue Rey, we see Rey use her experience of scaling Imperial relics on Jakku to climb right past First Order guards, echoing Leia taking charge of her own escape in “A New Hope.” I love the interactions between grizzled veteran Han and young pup Finn (“That’s not how the Force works!” “What’s ‘this’? What’s ‘this’ mean??”).

Note: Harrison Ford told George Lucas way back in 1982 that he wanted Han Solo to be killed off in “Return of the Jedi,” but Lucas wasn’t having it. Apparently, JJ Abrams and his writers were more amenable to the idea. While I thought Han’s death gave the movie much-needed gravitas (it broke my heart when I first saw it), I just wish Han had one final scene with his old friend Luke, somehow.

Note: While the final X-wing attack on Starkiller Base is exciting enough, it very similar to the attack on the first Death Star in Star Wars, with its repeated strafing runs on a “thermal oscillator”–much like the “small, thermal exhaust port” which led to the Death Star’s main reactor.

Note: I’ve read criticisms that Force-trained Kylo Ren should’ve mopped the floor with Finn and Rey. However, he was bleeding out from an earlier blaster shot, so he wasn’t operating at full capacity (much like the aging Vader and Obi Wan’s duel in “A New Hope”). Personally, I prefer a more ‘hack-and-slice’ style of lightsaber dueling over the gravity-defying, overly-choreographed pirouetting seen in the prequels. I also enjoyed the ‘dark forest’ scenery as Starkiller Base drains a nearby sun. The setting feels mythical, like something from a beautifully-staged Russian ballet.

Note: Nice to see R2-D2 reactivate after his long depression. Actor/comedian Kenny Baker (1934-2016) played the plucky droid during R2’s two-legged stances for both the original and prequel trilogies. Sadly, Baker was in declining health during “The Force Awakens” shoot, but he remained as a consultant for other actors who’d play the droid. Baker also had roles in “The Elephant Man” (1980) and “Amadeus” (1984).

Note: Mark Hamill returns in the final moments of the movie as reclusive Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, who (according to Han) went into seclusion after his failure with Ben Solo, and the destruction of the new Jedi Academy (glimpsed during Rey’s earlier flashbacks). “The Last Jedi” takes Luke’s visible torment in this scene and turns it into flippancy, with Luke casually tossing his old lightsaber away. It’s another example of the sequels squandering the setup of this film.

The End.

Summing It Up

Rewatching “The Force Awakens” for this retrospective, the criticism that it’s a razor-thin remake of the original “Star Wars” is certainly valid. In addition to another opulent John Williams musical score, “The Force Awakens” features a small droid delivering an important message to a heroic resistance that hopes to destroy an enemy super-weapon. Along the way, we see another force-sensitive teenager on another remote desert planet, another bar filled with aliens where our heroes try to book passage, another wizened old sage, and a climatic lightsaber duel just before the new planet-killing super weapon is destroyed. Check, check and check. However, the appeal of this movie lies with its characters–at least as they’re presented in this film.

Despite the flack they receive, I personally enjoyed the introductions of Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Isaac). Many characterize Rey as a ‘Mary Sue,’ but so was Luke Skywalker, for that matter. Rey’s hyper-resourcefulness is easier to swallow for the fact that Daisy Ridley is a terrific actress. Boyega’s Finn is a traumatized ex-stormtrooper who’s had enough of being cannon fodder with a number for a name. Isaac’s Poe is the ace pilot of the movie, and his relationship to BB-8 is like a pet owner with a beloved dog. Sadly, knowing how unevenly these characters will be serviced in the sequels mars their glowing introductions. However, watching “The Force Awakens” in isolation, these characters have great potential–almost as much as Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia did in the originals.

Speaking of Han, Leia and Luke, I greatly appreciated the return of Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill as well. I also enjoyed Han Solo’s “True Grit”-style relationship with young Rey. The return of the Princess–nee, General Leia Organa is also gratifying, particularly her bittersweet reunion with ex-husband Han, and the shared pain over their son which drove them apart. Seeing Leia return to leadership makes sense, though seeing Han and Chewie return to smuggling is odd, since the two of them seem really bad at it. The movie’s coda with Rey meeting Luke Skywalker is nicely presented, but puzzling, since running from responsibility feels like the antithesis of Luke’s character. It’s also unfortunate that Luke never gets a final scene with Han…

Brooding villain Kylo Ren–nee: Ben Solo (Adam Driver)–is one of the movie’s more successful elements. Driver is a strong presence who’s nearly impossible to ignore. His Kylo Ren doesn’t just occupy space–he devours it. Driver excels during Ben’s painful, patricidal reunion with his dad; it’s the most “Empire Strikes Back” moment of the film. We really feel the conflict in Kylo/Ben that was more implicit with Luke and Anakin. Much of that springs from Driver’s soft-spoken, yet powerful delivery. All the same, his character didn’t need a mask or muffled voice. They should’ve kept the mask off.

The criticism that “The Force Awakens” is a one-for-one remake of “A New Hope” remains valid. Even “Return of the Jedi” borrowed heavily from the first movie. However, “The Force Awakens” seems less focused on reinventing the Star Wars wheel, and more about recapturing the original trilogy’s vibe, while introducing us to a new generation of characters. Watching the movie as a standalone experience (apart from its increasingly uneven sequels), it more or less succeeds. “The Force Awakens” is not the best of the Star Wars lot, though certainly far from the worst.

Where to Watch

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is available to stream on Disney+, and is also available on Disney DVD, Blu-Ray and 4K physical media releases (via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and various online retailers).