Three decades after the defeat of the Galactic
Empire, a new threat arises. The First Order attempts to rule the galaxy
and only a ragtag group of heroes can stop them, along with the help of
the Resistance.
Director:
J.J. AbramsWriters:
Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams | 2 more credits »Stars:
Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac | See full cast & crew »Storyline
30 years after the defeat of Darth Vader and the Empire, Rey, a scavenger from the planet Jakku, finds a BB-8 droid that knows the whereabouts of the long lost Luke Skywalker. Rey, as well as a rogue stormtrooper and two smugglers, are thrown into the middle of a battle between the Resistance and the daunting legions of the First Order. Written bymovieUser Reviews
Another failed attempt to recapture the magic
In 1999 Star Wars
creator George Lucas finally began to give us his view on the events
that led to Star Wars IV, V and VI. The first Star Wars trilogy was, as
we all know, a milestone in cinema history and it's not easy to top
something like that. He didn't succeed to top the original trilogy and
although successful commercially, fans weren't all to impressed with the
prequels. The story was flat, the characters annoying and the special
effects too clean. It could be that this even led to his decision to
sell off his Lucasfilm and all the rights to the Star Wars imperium.
Disney picked up those rights. Maybe because they thought they could do
better. Well, commercially they were right. But better films? Their
first installment isn't that impressive. It's worse than The Phantom
Menace.
Let's get one thing straight: even though it picks up 30 years after Star Wars VI, this is not a sequel. This is a remake. J.J. Abrams tries to get back to the feel of the original trilogy. But essentially copies the storyline of Star Wars IV A New Hope. Okay, so that's disappointing. But let's see where this goes. Abrams then proceeds to give us some awkward comic relief scenes, deep friendships within two minutes of meeting each other and some wooden dialogue. The new bad guy is a spoiled brat who has a tendency for tantrums (and commands the largest army in the galaxy?) and a Supreme Leader who is a hologram. Too make a long story short: I wasn't all too impressed. It's just another failed attempt to recapture the magic of the much loved first three films from the seventies and eighties.
Was it all bad? No, off course not. Abrams knows how to direct action and impress with fine special effects. The casting of John Boyega is a courageous move and commercially smart. Too bad that his character comes off as more annoying than brave. Same goes for the character Kylo Ren. That I am not a fan off Adam Driver does not help either. Newcomer Ridley does hit the right tone and impresses as the new lead character. The familiar faces of Han Solo, Princess Leia and Chewbakka appear, but does that help? They don't bring anything new or fresh. Except for one pivotal scene near the end, which to be fair, was very well done.
It's the first installment, maybe it needs to gain momentum. But The Fellowship of the Ring and Star Wars IV were first installments too and they impressed the hell out of people. There are two other films coming in the next years. But this first one just is not all it's hyped up to be.
Let's get one thing straight: even though it picks up 30 years after Star Wars VI, this is not a sequel. This is a remake. J.J. Abrams tries to get back to the feel of the original trilogy. But essentially copies the storyline of Star Wars IV A New Hope. Okay, so that's disappointing. But let's see where this goes. Abrams then proceeds to give us some awkward comic relief scenes, deep friendships within two minutes of meeting each other and some wooden dialogue. The new bad guy is a spoiled brat who has a tendency for tantrums (and commands the largest army in the galaxy?) and a Supreme Leader who is a hologram. Too make a long story short: I wasn't all too impressed. It's just another failed attempt to recapture the magic of the much loved first three films from the seventies and eighties.
Was it all bad? No, off course not. Abrams knows how to direct action and impress with fine special effects. The casting of John Boyega is a courageous move and commercially smart. Too bad that his character comes off as more annoying than brave. Same goes for the character Kylo Ren. That I am not a fan off Adam Driver does not help either. Newcomer Ridley does hit the right tone and impresses as the new lead character. The familiar faces of Han Solo, Princess Leia and Chewbakka appear, but does that help? They don't bring anything new or fresh. Except for one pivotal scene near the end, which to be fair, was very well done.
It's the first installment, maybe it needs to gain momentum. But The Fellowship of the Ring and Star Wars IV were first installments too and they impressed the hell out of people. There are two other films coming in the next years. But this first one just is not all it's hyped up to be.
