“Are we really doing this?” exclaims John Boyega, hitherto best known as the sullen, tortured Moses from Attack The Block, as he and Oscar Isaac escape a vast fleet Star Destroyers and send Star Wars: The Force Awakens rocketing into action. It really is difficult to contemplate the enormity of J. J. Abrams and co.’s achievement in a single viewing, as its lush visuals and infectiously energetic new characters race across the screen in a frenzy of excitement. For Episode VII of the sci-fi blockbuster franchise, the first new entry in over a decade, Abrams and co-writers Lawrence Kasdan and Michael Arnt have crafted a breathless adventure that instils a genuine anticipation for the future of the series while affectionately recreating the timeless look and feel of George Lucas’ original trilogy. This extends beyond a return to gorgeous tactile creatures and droids after the anaemic CGI of the prequels to the reappearances of galactic veterans Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill, all of whom receive well-earned swan-song moments and avoid outstaying their welcome. The new actors, meanwhile, almost universally impress. Boyega retains some of the inner turmoil from his previous big-screen role as the rogue stormtrooper Finn but is also given considerably more funny moments this time round, proving himself to be a naturally gifted comic actor. He, along with Isaac and newcomer Daisy Ridley, bring an earnestness and good humour to their early interactions that will make even the hardest cynics smile. Ridley’s Rey is bright, tough and effortlessly likeable, a welcome shot of joy and feminine strength in the arm of an infamously male-heavy franchise. A subtle supporting performance comes from Domhnall Gleeson as the sneering General Hux, bringing a complexity and ambition to the villain that Grand Moff Tarkin in the 1977 original never had, whilst Adam Driver lends a panoply of emotion to the caliginous Kylo Ren that sets him up as an intriguing Dark Lord-in-training instead of just another Darth Vader. Abrams’ commitment to the series’ heritage brings not just the film’s greatest strengths, however, but also its biggest weaknesses. The reliance on themes and plots from the first Star Wars become most obvious with the eventual unveiling of an enormous, planet-sized Death Star, the Starkiller Base. It is only at the film’s climax, when a fleet of X-wings once again zip down armoured trenches avoiding TIE Fighter fire, that this deference to the previous films becomes disappointingly derivative. Yet the rather unimaginative final battle does little to detract from the rush of sheer joy that comes from seeing the iconic ships, the crackling lightsabers and John Williams’ rousing themes polished up like new. The Force Awakens makes the prospect of successive new Star Wars films exciting again; which is lucky, since the continued box-office dominance of Episode VII means they’ll soon be back – and in greater numbers.
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