Post Viewing: Five little things I appreciated in Episode VII (And a few bits that could have been better)

Star Wars Episode VII is a fantastic film, but if you read my review of it last Christmas, you already know that. It’s the only film of 2015 that I went to see a second time and having taken in the plot and characters, I decided to home in on the smaller things. Some that make the film so memorable and ways the film could have been even better.

This post does contain fairly heavy spoilers; keep that in mind before reading on.

Five things I appreciated

1. The new Stormtroopers have proper discipline

In the original trilogy, the Imperial Empire was a force to be reckoned with, especially in the later films; but that mostly came down to Darth Vader’s ruthless and often brutal methods. The Stormtroopers really couldn’t hit anything when the chips were down, despite Obi-Wan pointing out that “only imperial blasters are so precise” in the original film. Things didn’t get much better for the armoured soldiers when they found themselves humiliated by the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi. It did put a dampener on some of the tension, leading some to dream up the idea of “plot armour” which all the main characters had on at all times.

Episode VII set out to change this and it was evident from the beginning that the First Order had a much more effective ground force; led by Captain Phasma, they rounded up the lowly Jakku village efficiently and also took down Poe’s X-Wing with little resistance. Other small touches such as the new melee focused TR-8R and how the new troops quickly set up the turret in the ship hangar to cut off Finn and Poe from escaping are clear signs that they have been training overtime since the events of the original trilogy. In the future films, this should really up the stakes in the battles to come, creating more dramatic tension in the characters.

2. The final duel between Rey and Kylo Ren gets everything spot-on

Ever since we all saw the first trailer featuring Kylo Ren brandishing his red cross-guard lightsaber in the middle of a dimly lit forest, we were all anxious to see just how the sequel trilogy would handle the saga’s well known sword duels. What we got in Episode VII was a brilliant fight with many different components working together. First of all, we’re rooting for Rey and Finn to win, thanks to their strong introductions and brilliant acting from Daisy Ridley and John Boyega. Secondly, the fight has real tension; Kylo Ren is a lethal opponent and we see how he uses the cross guard saber to his advantage, severely injuring Finn before turning to Rey. Finally the battle is just as psychological as it is physical; Ren feels challenged by Rey and attempts to sway her into joining his side, but our heroine resists his influence and subdues him. Overall the fight is a near perfect blend of physical and mental combat, and an affirmation of Rey as the central protagonist in the sequel trilogy. Even the little touches, such as Ren drawing his weapon first and Rey refusing to kill him outright all fall in line with the lore from the original trilogy.

3. The humour and charm is back

There was a huge expectation for Episode VII to improve on cast performances and characterisation and it most definitely succeeded at accomplishing this. But what made me enjoy the film even more was the humour mixed into the plot. This mostly came from the new characters, a great choice to make for their initial introductions. Finn is regretful of what he was once part of, but he’s not a completely blank slate. His character has been lovingly laced with charisma and once he returns to the First Order as a resistance fighter, he ends up having a bit of fun with the whole thing and it’s this trait that makes him so likeable, making the audience care for him that much more when the battle with Kylo Ren comes to fruition. It doesn’t stop at Finn though; BB-8 had some great moments, whilst Han Solo and Chewbacca are again really funny in the way they banter back and forth, particularly in the later act of the film. After a long and cumbersome series of wooden performances in the prequel trilogy (Mainly in episodes I and II), it was a breath of fresh air to see the more light-hearted aspects of the saga make a much needed resurgence.

4. The camera work is a roller-coaster ride of variety

The Star Wars saga has utilised numerous shooting techniques over the decades and while the cinematography in the prequels gave a clear and coherent view of the action taking place, it wasn’t all that dynamic; this lessened the film’s more engaging moments as a result. But for The Force Awakens, Cinematographer Dan Mindel takes the audience on a wild ride, using a strong variety of tracking shots, angles and frames to give the action much more weight and impact. When the Millennium Falcon is flying through the ruins on Jakku, the audience receives a sense of exhilaration; the wings of Tie Fighters fly into the camera, the film pans over the Falcon as Rey pulls off a daring U-turn and ship parts fly all over the place as they break apart. The same holds true for the battle on Takodana where tracking shots shift organically to show off the scale of the sequence and the special effects of weapons cracking and hitting the terrain. If all three episodes are filmed and edited this well, then we’re in for a treat over the next five years.

5. The film lays down tantalising mysterious for the future of the trilogy

Above all else though, the film is as I put it “a roaring start to the sequel trilogy”; it not only marks itself as one of the most entertaining and well put together blockbusters in recent years, but it also makes creates a brave and bold expansion to the Star Wars universe ripe for fans to sink their teeth into. We’ve been introduced to Rey, Finn and Poe but there’s still plenty to discover; what happened to Rey’s family? How was Finn conscripted into the First Order? These are just some of the questions brought up by The Force Awakens, making audiences salivate even more for the upcoming Episode VIII. According to Abrams himself, the script for the next episode is “so good that he regrets not directing it” and with a bit of luck, it should go even deeper into the mysteries brought up by this opening chapter.

Things that could have been better or added

1. The New Republic (or lack thereof)

Thirty years have passed since the Rebel Alliance bested the Imperial Empire and with a new Republic having risen, we’re all interested to see how they go about things now that Darth Vader and the Emperor are long gone. It’s just too bad that we only hear about this new Republic rather than seeing it. Much like Alderaan in A New Hope, it’s tough to have sympathy for the destruction of a planet (or in this case a whole set of unnamed settlements) and all its inhabitants when we know little about it. This narrative element may do a good job of showing the First Order’s power, but from a development standpoint it comes up short again. I’m hoping the New Republic will make more of an appearance and impact in the next two episodes.

2. No Lando Calrissian or Wedge Antilles

The Force Awakens had all three main characters (alongside Chewbacca!) from the original trilogy returning and we find out how far they’ve come over thirty years. But one main character that didn’t make a comeback was Lando Calrissian. He came relatively late in The Empire Strikes Back, but his smooth moves mixed with the way he worked to redeem himself made him another memorable and beloved character. Apparently Billy Dee Williams was never approached by JJ Abrams to star in Episode VII. What makes Lando’s absence even more conspicuous is that Williams continues to play the character outside the main films; he returned to voice the character in games such as Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast and Star Wars Battlefront. Most recently he appeared in the The Lego Movie in 2014 and Star Wars Rebels, proving that the actor is still interested in playing arguably his most recognisable and popular role. It would have been an interesting dynamic to see how his camaraderie with Han Solo has grown and changed since the Empire’s defeat. Perhaps they may save him for episodes eight and nine.

As for Wedge Antilles, Denis Lawson said in a 2014 interview that he would not reprise the role for The Force Awakens because it would have bored him. In my book, he’s one of the more unsung heroes of the original trilogy, falling somewhere in between the main leads and the other nameless rebel soldiers that fought for the alliance. It’s a shame not to see him back; he played a fairly pivotal part in both death star assaults and survived to tell the tale. If the role is recast, it would make for some great banter between him and new flight ace Poe Dameron in the future events of the sequel trilogy.

3. The bounty hunters and their relatively basic role

Towards the halfway point of Episode VII there’s a scene where several groups of bounty hunters converge on Han Solo and Chewbacca’s stolen freighter, resulting in a pretty intense game of cat and mouse between them and some seriously ugly tentacle creatures. Among the bounty hunters is newcomer Brian Vernel, as well as Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian from The Raid films. They look imposing enough when we first see them, but they aren’t given much to do. It would have switched things up a bit more if they ended up following the Millennium Falcon into the action sequence on Takodana. It’s likely that the gangs still have a role to play in future episodes, judging by Vernel reporting Han to the First Order, but they still have yet to live up to the wildly popular Boba Fett from the original trilogy.