Directed By: J.J. Abrams
Directing – 9
J.J. does a great job at directing this film, the pacing is extremely great, it’s never boring and the atmosphere and the way the film is structured works extremely well. I will say there would be a few decisions that could’ve been made differently an example would be (SLIGHT SPOILER) when Rey and Chewie fly off to find Luke I thought the film should’ve ended with them going off into light speed, or when Han is talking to Leia he should have said, “I saw him, I saw Ben” instead of “our son”. It makes sense maybe in the first viewing, but I felt that it would make sense if he said Ben, but maybe that’s just me. And then I feel a few times, some things happen abruptly like maybe a line was said too fast or something. That’s really it, J.J. does an excellent job he captures the feeling of Star Wars perfectly. Some would say it relies too much on fan service, I disagree I felt like those moments were placed well throughout and helped tell the story. (SLIGHT SPOILER) Except for Luke at the end, I felt we could’ve waited to see him until the next film, that’s why I said it could’ve ended with Rey and Chewie going to light speed. I feel J.J. gives a unique vision into this universe, while still being similar and reminiscent to the world of Star Wars.
Cinematography – 10
The cinematography for this film is gorgeous there are some shots that just look extremely beautiful. The scenes where they are on the different planets and to see the environment and how it is captured on frame and the lighting is just beautifully fascinating.
Score – 10
John William’s score was fucking awesome. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again, he can’t do a bad score. He proves it again here. He introduced something new while still bringing back some old Star Wars scores. I’ve seen the film multiple times and the scores in the film are iconic to me. I remember humming to them while watching, also I love Kylo’s/First Order scores it reminds us that they are menacing and a threat, and ironically the score is beautiful as well, while still being a bit of a warning to the audience.
Story – 10
The story is incredible. It follows a scavenger Rey who crosses paths with BB-8 and Finn, a former stormtrooper running away from The First Order. BB-8 is trying to get to his base because he has a map that leads to Luke Skywalker. There are a few themes or messages that can potentially be seen through this film: The Battle of Good vs. Evil, fighting oneself mentally through inner conflict, our own family can hurt us but we’ll always love them, running away from something that is inescapable, trying to find oneself, fighting for the right cause, etc. There’s a good amount of things to take from this film in terms of themes and deeper meaning. A lot of people say that the film is very much “A New Hope”, recycled and reassembled into this film, and while that may or may not have been a blueprint for this film, the comparisons are fair. I do however know there is a good amount of new to this film, and also the film feels like it’s own story, yes it has similar shots and plot points to “A New Hope”, but the film itself feels it has it’s own unique originality to it, the plot isn’t the exact same there is a good amount of plot points and at times themes, but it doesn’t entirely feel that way watching the film. If the similarities to “A New Hope”, are going to be on the back of your mind the film could help or hurt your overall viewing experience. I do think the film and story is done extremely well, if I were to say a slight negative, it can be maybe rely a little on exposition at times, but I can overlook that. The story is crafted extremely well, also it does another a great thing: It takes us on an adventure with these characters, while telling it’s story. It’s in a way trying to remind people like me who love Star Wars, we are getting to go on this journey and adventure that we would love to go on, we are in some ways experiencing the story while going on this journey.
Acting – 10
The acting is excellent. Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Issac, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, etc. All the actors do a great and phenomenal jobs at playing their characters and telling the story.
Post-Production – 10
The special effects, the sound design, and editing are all excellent. The effects look extremely real, the editing is dine well, and the sound design are handled well. Post is handled close to perfect.
Entertainment – 10
This film in my personal opinion is awesome. It is not a perfect film, no movie is. It does have some moments where I feel somethings could’ve changed. But I do really like this film its one of my favorite Star Wars film, possibly my favorite Star Wars film. I don’t believe it’s the best, but arguably top 5, maybe even top 3.
Final Rating
9.8/10 – Really Good Star Wars Film!
