*Plot Spoilers are contained in this review. There is no crucial information, but if you have not seen it, then stop reading now.
A not so long time ago, in a movie theater not so far, far away, I bought my ticket for Star Wars VII, The Force Awakens. I will start this by saying, I am not the biggest fan of Star Wars I, II, and III, by that I mean The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith. Those three seemed like forced attempts at rekindling a flame that was put out over 15 years prior just for the sake of marketing.
My second disclaimer is that I personally feel that The Phantom Menace is the worst movie of the “original” six. Now that I have put those statements out there, I will say that I was wary of a second attempt at continuing the Star Wars franchise. All I knew going into the theater were main characters. I was pulling hard for a reunion scene of the “Big 3,” Mark Hammill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fischer (Princess Leia), and Harrison Ford (Han Solo).
This movie’s plot line was much like the first Star Wars movie. Just like in Episode IV, there is a droid that contains a schematic of some kind that is crucial to the good guys’ cause. Also mirroring IV, the droid is separated from his human, and winds up on a desert planet, is captured by roaming scavengers, and is saved by an orphaned teenager who is trying to find their identity in the world(s). The bad guys find out about the droid, send Stormtroopers to the desert planet, and then the good guys escape on the (surprise!) Millennium Falcon. They end up meeting up with Han and Chewy, go to a cantina, meet up with the rebels on a planet that looks almost exactly like the Yavin set from Episode IV, and eventually have to take down a giant space station that has the capability to destroy planets. Sound like anything we’ve seen before? Well, it should. J.J. Abrams was given the incredibly tough task of adding to the saga 10 years after the last release, and almost 40 years after A New Hope, a task that he magically mastered.
With all the familiarity seen in this new movie, we saw splashes of fresh and new. We saw new characters, new technology, and likely the best part, a real humorous aspect; which is something that lacks in the original 3-6. It is safe to say that myself, along with all the other people who watched this, are very eagerly awaiting May 26, 2017 – the day that Episode VIII releases. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it, now. Leave school and buy your tickets. It was that beautiful. A solid 9/10. Have fun watching this great movie.