Sunday 17 January 2016

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (Spoiler Free)



 

Finally was I able to gather a few friends to go and see it!

Alright this is isn’t going to be very easy and I am not one of the devoted fans so the credibility of this review is based on a mediocre fan’s personal views. I should probably point out that I haven’t pursued any of the Star Wars Universe works such as Clone Wars or Rebels, just a movie fan and that’s it.

So let’s see, I was warned by many before I went to see the movie and had been subjected to so much diverse opinions that emotionally I had lowered my expectations to a minimum before I went in. I was completely certain that it was going to be an immense letdown when considering the movie has got a disappointing 8.5 on IMDB.

 That wasn’t the case…

 Not only did I have a great time, it was the one movie from the Star Wars universe that I enjoyed the most before the cinema screen. So before I go on I should announce that amongst the new movies, and the new movies only, I find The Force Awakens to be the best, followed by Episode III in a close second.
Why?
 
Well firstly I did not make the mistake of going to 3D, but instead chose to watch it in a DOLBY ATMOS  room which enhanced the experience a lot. 

Why?



It was more contemporary with a touch of Nostalgia. The direction was the best (including the old movies) Star Wars direction ever. The lame and annoying Windows Movie Maker transitions between scenes were kept to a tolerable minimum and I felt uplifted by the experience because of the story flow quality. The relations and affairs were handled in a much much less mushy manner and all in all I found the entirety of the movie very compelling. And thankfully; no dart shooting koala bears or minute (meant as an adjective) lightsaber master goblins were there to ruin the experience for me. Yes that’s correct, you can shoot or hang me but I still detest Ewoks and Yoda…

However I get it…I know what it is like to be a hardcore fan to something and have your expectations crushed. I went through a most horrible series of disappointments by the (shm)Hobbit movies, the last of which I did not even bother to watch on a cinema screen. So yeah, I get it…



I have to say that neither was I moved by the new evil character which felt as if he was but a mere space filler for Darth Vader, and I cannot for the world remember his name without checking IMDB first. Was it Clio Ren??? Cleo? Clay? Argh whatever dude; poor name choice. And the choice of actor was as if they wanted to go for Keanu Reeves as Neo but they changed their minds the last second. I admit, the new antagonist comes nowhere close to the grandeur of the likes of Darth Vader or Darth Maul (who was about the only thing that was worth watching in Episode I)
 

As for  Snoke…The only thing I can say is this: I KNEW HE LOOKED LIKE GOLLUM!!!
General Hux was a very well-rounded character, as a matter of fact if they left out Cleo, and included only the general I think the movie may have been much better. The actor Domhnall Gleeson , whom I watched in the series Black Mirror, gave a very good performance, and as an antagonist he was more convincing than Kylo Ren (checked IMDB again).


The story line had inevitable retrospective references to the old movies and some parts did give the viewer a sense that they were watching a far too similar story in another setting. However disregarding certain aspects which usually focus on our dear Cleo, the story still stood strong enough to make me watch it at the edge of my seat at certain parts, but in full attention at all times. 



So; In conclusion I have to say that I thoroughly and truly enjoyed The Force Awakens despite the imperfections and am looking forward to watch what comes next. In the name of keeping this post spoiler free I am not going to refer to certain events which I found… well… no…! Not going to ruin it for anyone. Go find out for yourselves.

As for the allegations, I suppose I get it, but that doesn’t mean that I agree.

P.S: R2D2 was one of the best franchise makers in the history of mankind and now I have a new favorite: