I agree with so much of how this film has been widely assessed. The Force Awakens felt like a big fat apology for the Prequels. In returning us to the familiar ground of our beloved stories, JJ may have repeated a little more of A New Hope than we needed. But he delivered some amazing, fun and well performed new characters for us to enjoy and look forward to following through greater, farther reaching (we hope) adventures.
My issue was with the treatment of the original characters. I completely understand that if you can bring Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford back to star in this movie, you just have to do that. Who didn't want to see Han and Chewie aboard the Millennium Falcon one more time? I'm pretty sure only Hitler would vote no to that. However, and I know I'm going out on a limb here, but I have to say Hitler may have a point on this one. (I'm not sure how I just ended up agreeing with imaginary Star Wars critic, Amos Hitler, in the course of this post. Strange things happen when you sit down to write!)
My point is this: we left our heroes thirty something years ago after they had defeated Vader and the Empire and were celebrating balance in the force and love and peace and Ewoks. Ideally, the next story would start up again some 100 years in the future and there would be rich and wonderful memories of all the good our heroes continued to do and the happiness and prosperity that they enjoyed after all of their strife. But to include them in the next story sort of means they weren't really that successful. If we need new heroes this soon, then the victories of our youth were very short lived.
Just look at what this looks like! Luke Skywalker, the great, powerful Jedi is hiding??!! He is riddled with guilt because his attempt to teach a new group of Jedis has led to a resurgence in the dark side of the force??!! And then he gave up?! And he's not 800 years old like Yoda, so he gave up FAST!!! Han and Leia couldn't make it??? What? What are you saying JJ? "I love you", "I know" is NOT the greatest recipe for love ever?? I just...I don't...I can't... And Han! That scoundrel, that nonconformist! What's he up to? Is he a spy for the good guys? Is he a black ops kind of guy? Is he kicking ass and taking names? No? What's that you say? Oh, he's a smuggler hiding from unsavory characters to whom he owes money? So he pretty much failed at marriage and parenting and life?
Why did this have to happen to my favorite characters of all time???
I will give you this. Its more real, I suppose. When does the responsible, powerful woman end up with the loser guy who happens to have animal magnetism? I guess I just didn't want to finally face after all of these years that Han was just a loser! And that Luke was just an under-trained hot head who got lucky. I wouldn't have minded a little more fantasy, is all I'm saying. I think in time, I will come to respect this less fairy tale approach, but right now the wounds are still fresh.
As for its nominations? Episode 7 was nominated for its
Sound Design and Editing which I specifically think did not measure up
to the previous Star Wars films. For editing, Mary Jo Markey and Maryann
Brandon! They always nail the action sequences AND the small emotional
moments that you can barely see on an actors' face. I love them! Visual
Effects? Sure! That seems worthy! John Williams is up for score. He
already won for Star Wars before and so may themes remain the same? I'm
betting Ennio Morricone will beat him this time out.
But, its all good. Star Wars is back and I'm hopeful that some of the other movies they have planned will reveal a bit more good news about our old characters and what they may have accomplished in the intervening years. And if not, at least I have Rey and Finn and Poe to pin all my unrealistic hopes on!
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