[Herald Review] ‘The Force Awakens’ an ode to original ‘Star Wars’

The seventh episode of Star Wars -- “The Force Awakens” -- will certainly appeal to audiences who have never seen, but only heard or watched bits and pieces of, the previous space movie series on TV or on video-sharing sites such as YouTube. 

For those who grew up watching the sci-fi epic on the big screen or reading books of the Star Wars expanded universe, “The Force Awakens” will bring back childhood memories. But it could fall short of the pent-up hype following Disney's takeover of Lucasfilm in 2012 and the announcement of plans to continue the franchise. (A fair warning to the spoiler-sensitive: plot elements will be discussed below.)

With new characters in new settings, the plot of the latest installment is structured very similarly to “Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope” -- the first Star Wars movie created by George Lucas in 1977. Lucas got much of the inspiration for his trilogy from classic Japanese samurai films such as Akira Kurosawa’s “The Hidden Fortress” and Russian silent film “Battleship Potemkin.”

Director J.J. Abrams’ “The Force Awakens” stays true to the original trilogy reusing the classic story element of good prevailing over evil, while refocusing on the themes of self-discovery, friendship and family through the introduction of new characters -- Rey played by Daisy Ridley, Finn by John Boyega and Poe by Oscar Isaac.

Even though they are new to this space saga, old fans can detect bits and pieces of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo (from the original trilogy) in them -- lone scavenger Rey in the desert planet of Jakku seeks the truth of her life like Luke did in the desert planet of Tatooine in “A New Hope.” Poe, the best pilot of the Resistance, is a character mix of Skywalker and Solo, while Finn, a Stormtrooper with a conscience who brings comic relief to the movie, is much like Solo. And of course, there is a lot of Darth Vader in Kylo Ren, the new Sith Lord played by Adam Driver. BB-8, the new Resistance droid, carries on a deadly secret mission just as R2-D2 did in “A New Hope.”

For old die-hard fans, the fun starts when Harrison Ford appears on screen as Han Solo with his Wookie sidekick Chewbacca on board his old spaceship -- the Millennium Falcon that famously “made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.” Ford’s Solo with his wit and charm steals scenes throughout “The Force Awakens.”

With a few surprises -- although nothing that is on par with the scene in episode 5, “The Empire Strikes Back,” where Darth Vader reveals he is Luke’s father -- Abrams should be credited with bringing back one of the most beloved space tales as well as composer John Williams’ music to the silver screen, and reorchestrating dogfight sequences between the Resistance’s X-Wings, Solo’s Millennium Falcon and the First Order evil regime’s TIE fighters. But don’t expect to see any lavish lightsaber duels like the ones between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker in the prequel “Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith.”

Abrams keeps viewers immersed in the story -- although the audience, whether old or new, could most likely guess how the latest trilogy will unfold -- as it keeps them wondering where Luke Skywalker, the last remaining Jedi Knight, might be in a galaxy far, far away.

By Park Hyong-ki (hkp@heraldcorp.com)