The Force Awakens Both Light And Dark Within Critic

With the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a massive amount of attention was given to the new addition to the beloved series of movies. Within the Fleetwood Area High School itself, there were a select few who had the opportunity to go out and see the movie on its opening day.

The film itself was greatly enjoyable. The Force Awakens is unique in that it appeals to both the general public and the fanatics. The movie is easy for the casual movie watcher to understand and follow as long as they know the general plots of Episodes IV, V, and VI. There are plenty of gripping action scenes to keep the viewer interested, as well as the occasional jest.

The few comedic scenes are both a strong point and a weak point. The jokes where characters are shown being somewhat socially awkward weakened the flow of the movie and proved to be somewhat unnecessary. These generic jokes were added to appeal to a wider and more general audience, but it still could have appealed to a large audience without the inclusion of these weak jokes. The strong jokes were those that incorporated the viewer’s knowledge of the previous movies, making references mainly to A New Hope. They were witty, and while they did appeal more to the fanatics, they referenced popular and memorable moments from A New Hope.

Many fans worried that the movie would be a disappointment compared to the previously released prequel movies; however, they need not worry. The Force Awakens does a good job of following the aesthetics of the original movies while presenting them in a modern way that felt refreshing to the viewer.

There is a fine line, however, between paying homage and blatant copying. There were some scenes that seemed to cross this line by reusing certain aesthetics in a weak and ineffective manner that is slightly frustrating to the viewer, but despite the mild annoyance one feels while watching these tired scenes, they are few in number and easily overlooked.

All in all, The Force Awakens rivals the best of the older Star Wars Films. It certainly maintains the Star Wars aesthetic of wonder and adventure without sacrificing a modern approach.