The ‘new’ finally wore off Star Wars and I found myself able to sit and watch the film without giggling like a teenager. Through a critical lens the film is very much a mirror of Episode 4 with a lot of purposeful placement of characters and even actors. Still, Abrams went to great links to delve into this world and make it his own out of the pieces that Lucas first created.
This is a movie that starts on the desert world of Jakku much like episode 4. This setting returns us to our first and likewise Abrams’ first view of the universe and does so in a way that shows us how he saw it. Where he missed an opportunity was to seize on some of the relationships in that world. We know Rey is an outsider and lives in the wreckage of a AT AT, but who does she know? What is the real value of those chips? Who are the other players on this world? Where is our bar full of colorful creatures? We see rough glimpses of that world but never stay put long enough to recognize who makes it tick.
When we hit space we are introduced (quite roughly and horribly) to Han Solo who just happens to be in the right sector of space to pick up the Falcon’s signal. I’m not going to remark on how the Falcon wound up in Jakku (sometimes you have to believe in the force). The missed opportunity here is two-fold. There was a chance to build on the Rey-Finn relationship in a way that made their connection more believable and a way to better build the mystery of who she is in relation to Solo. It just went too fast.
I have more to say but ten are up. More soon…