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Ten years ago this week, a new era of Star Wars kicked into gear with the debut of Episode VII in the series. Given the drama that would follow in the years since, as far as the fan reactions and debates that have accompanied most other Star Wars releases, it may be hard to believe it, but\u2026 everyone was pretty damn happy<\/em> after they saw The Force Awakens! <\/p>\nLook, obviously there is literally no movie in human existence about which everyone<\/em> is on the same page, and Star Wars especially has simply been too big and too popular for too long to ever have a uniform reaction to anything new. But still, between the reviews and initial audience response, it was clear that the majority felt like there was a lot to enjoy about The Force Awakens, and a lot to be optimistic about going forward. <\/p>\nThen The Last Jedi came out, and, well, people are still <\/em>losing their minds arguing about that movie, which has to be one of the most divisive films in the history of major Hollywood franchises. The Rise of Skywalker got the fandom a bit more back on the same page\u2026 except that page was that most viewers seemed to be at best indifferent if not outright unhappy about what that conclusion to the Star Wars sequel trilogy had to offer.<\/p>\nThat makes the tenth anniversary of The Force Awakens land differently than it might, because it\u2019s understandably forever connected to the two films that followed it in this particular trilogy. And if you didn\u2019t like where those films went \u2013 and so many didn\u2019t<\/em> \u2013 it\u2019s easy to think negatively about the entire sequel trilogy as a whole. <\/p>\n<\/p>\nBut The Force Awakens is still a really strong Star Wars movie; it has its notable flaws, to be sure, but the positives far outweigh the negatives. Rewatching the movie this month, I was struck by how much fun I was once again having, and how much it holds up. So grab some portions from Unkar Plutt, and read on for what makes The Force Awakens work! <\/p>\n
Recapturing Those Star Wars Vibes<\/strong><\/h2>\nWith The Force Awakens, co-writer and director J.J. Abrams and his collaborators were clearly trying to atone for where the prequel trilogy had gone wrong by delivering things fans had been missing in those films\u2026 some would even say to a fault (we\u2019ll get to that). But overall, it remains very impressive and gratifying how The Force Awakens managed to truly feel like Star Wars in a way that no live-action project in the franchise had accomplished since Return of the Jedi 22 years before. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\nYes, a big part of that is in the visual approach, with a return to far more actual locations, physical sets, and characters brought to life via puppetry, elaborate makeup, and costumes, as opposed to George Lucas leaning so heavily on digital environments and characters for so much of what was on screen in the prequels. To be clear, this isn\u2019t a case where things were completely opposite on either end; after all, the prequels did still use some awesome miniatures, physical sets, and real life locations for many elements. And, clearly, The Force Awakens is also packed with terrific, highly realistic digital effects. But just look at the opening scene of The Force Awakens and how much more effective and immersive it is to see a group of real people wearing real Stormtrooper outfits vs. the completely digital Clone Troopers in the prequels \u2013 always one of the more egregious examples of Lucas turning to digital creations in a distracting and unnecessary manner. There is a stark contrast, with The Force Awakens approach innately more inviting and more at home for Star Wars. <\/p>\n
Beyond the visual language of the movie feeling so much more welcoming, one other major strength of The Force Awakens is in how its main characters behave, and how they interact with one another. Abrams got his start on TV, and one thing his shows prior to Force Awakens \u2013 including Felicity, Alias, and Lost \u2013 have in common is that they are very well cast and have strongly defined, likeable characters at their core. This talent has served Abrams well throughout his career, including in The Force Awakens, where he assembled a wonderfully talented young cast and effortlessly establishes their characters as an engaging, charismatic group you enjoy watching. Daisy Ridley\u2019s Rey, John Boyega\u2019s Finn, and Oscar Isaac\u2019s Poe all quickly make you want to spend more time with them and see what\u2019s in store for their characters. Where the prequels had nearly every character speak in oddly stilted, formal language, these people sound like, well, people<\/em>, letting you buy into the bonds that form between, say, Finn and Poe or Finn and Rey (Finn\u2019s just making friends left and right, honestly). <\/p>\nThe Force Awakens managed to truly feel like Star Wars in a way that no live-action project in the franchise had accomplished since Return of the Jedi. <\/div>\n
There\u2019s a lot of nice little character moments throughout the movie, from genuinely funny banter (\u201cThat\u2019s not how the Force works!\u201d) to small exchanges or observations. When Rey, who\u2019s been raised on a desert planet, first arrives on a planet filled with foliage, her awed reaction \u2013 \u201dI didn\u2019t know there was this much green in the whole galaxy\u201d \u2013 is a sweetly human one, adding an appreciated touch to a universe where often characters seem to be pretty blas\u00e9 about experiencing an entirely new environment unlike anything they\u2019ve ever seen before. <\/p>\n
Harrison Ford and Han Solo: Awesome Again!<\/strong><\/h2>\nPrior to The Force Awakens, the thought of Harrison Ford playing Han Solo again actually had many filled with trepidation, myself included. After all, Ford had long made it clear he wasn\u2019t exactly a Star Wars super-fan, clearly appreciating what George Lucas and the series had done for his career while also having little investment in the story being told\u2026 and having famously suggested Han Solo be outright killed off in Return of the Jedi, feeling there was nothing else left of interest to do with the character. <\/p>\n
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On top of that, during the years between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, Ford\u2019s public persona had gradually become an easy-to-parody grump \u2013 a semi-muttering, often seemingly disinterested guy we saw in talk show interviews, which began to bleed over into a feeling he was rarely giving his all in his performances any more. So it was easy to fear that when he came back as Han, it would feel incredibly insincere and like a hollow shell of the character audiences fell in love with. <\/p>\n
Instead, as it turned out, Ford was really great in Force Awakens! In many ways, he felt like a newly revitalized actor, bringing with him all of the wit, charm, and not-so-hidden depth that made Han \u2013 and Ford in turn \u2013 beloved in the first place. It wasn\u2019t just a huge relief; it was vital to the movie, with Han\u2019s prominent role being more than justified by the legendary actor living up to his own legend once more. <\/p>\n
Yes, it was sad to learn Han and Leia were no longer together, and how their marriage fell apart after their son, Ben, had fallen to the Dark Side. But Ford made sure we saw the regret on Han\u2019s face about all that occurred, even while he forged a really touching surrogate parent-and-child bond with Rey that I found especially effective on this most recent rewatch. Here\u2019s a girl who grew up without a parent, and a parent who\u2019s essentially lost his child, and we see a genuine connection grow between them that each desperately needs. <\/p>\n
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Star Wars: The Force Awakens Premiere<\/h3>\n<\/output><\/p>\n
All of this, of course, makes it all the more upsetting when Han is killed by his own son, Kylo Ren \u2013 the man who was once Ben Solo. While the death of any iconic hero will always have some pushback, Ford plays Han\u2019s final moments just right, from the way he pleads with Kylo Ren to come back with him, to how he lovingly touches his son\u2019s face even after he\u2019s been mortally wounded by him. <\/p>\n
In the years since The Force Awakens, Ford has continued to not only give many wonderful performances, but maintained a notably more upbeat, accessible attitude in his media appearances. Maybe all it took was stepping foot on the Millennium Falcon again to put the pep back in Harrison\u2019s step! <\/p>\n
The First Order\u2019s Empire Echoes Make an Impact<\/strong><\/h2>\nYes, The Force Awakens leans more heavily into the iconography of the original trilogy than it needs to, but the depiction of the First Order as a group who are mimicking everything they can about the Empire, including the look of their vehicles and their uniforms (as they likewise bring back the Empire\u2019s attempt at galactic domination), always felt like something that made sense when looking at our real world. Unfortunately, and somewhat chillingly, this only feels more genuine a decade later. <\/p>\n
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Star Wars: The Force Awakens Costume Concept Art<\/h3>\n<\/output><\/p>\n
Seeing members of a new generation take on the mantle, beliefs, and imagery of a hate-filled group from the past? Yeah, that sadly tracks. The fact that our main onscreen representatives of the First Order are Kylo Ren and General Hux, two guys who read as a hell of a lot younger and less confident than Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin did, also feels appropriate. We never get Hux\u2019s backstory in the films, but it\u2019s easy to imagine the sort of crappy upbringing and hateful holonet media a guy like him might have been consuming to make him into this genocidal brat. <\/p>\n
The Nazi imagery for the Empire was clear from the start in Star Wars, but Abrams goes even further with the echoes here for the First Order, especially in Hux\u2019s big speech. The idea that a bunch of people are buying into what he\u2019s selling sadly resonates even more now than when the film opened. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\nAlright, Let\u2019s Deal With What Doesn\u2019t Work<\/strong><\/h2>\nSo where do these echoes of the past go too<\/em> far? Well, as much as the First Order specifically trying to look like the Empire feels appropriate, it\u2019s notably forced that the Resistance in turn just looks like the Rebel Alliance with a few tweaks. These guys are still<\/em> using X-Wings as their main combat starfighters? Come on, change that up! It\u2019s been a few decades; let some of the original trilogy elements go, and show us that for those representing the light side, there actually has been progress. Hell, let\u2019s give Poe and his fellow pilots some new uniforms that aren\u2019t so similar to the orange ones Luke and his buddies wore. Everything<\/em> doesn\u2019t need to look like what came before. A cool thing about the prequels was how different the ships looked from the original trilogy, and how even when they began to introduce visual elements we\u2019d recognize \u2013 like how the cockpits on the Jedi Starfighters in Episode III resembled those on a TIE Fighter \u2013 it wasn\u2019t just the same exact<\/em> ship, design-wise. <\/p>\nIt was already a bit silly when Return of the Jedi said, ‘Hey, there\u2019s another Death Star.’<\/div>\n
And then there\u2019s Starkiller Base, which is just a dud. I\u2019ve never had an issue with the basics of Rey\u2019s situation mimicking Luke\u2019s for a simple reason \u2013 George Lucas already did this when he introduced young Anakin Skywalker, and we learned he too<\/em> started out as a nobody on a desert planet. So having all three trilogies introduce their protagonist this way? Sure, let\u2019s do it, because it\u2019s now a fun recurring element. As a great man once said, it\u2019s like poetry; it rhymes. <\/p>\nBut The Phantom Menace doesn\u2019t also lead towards a showdown with a Death Star like the original Star Wars did. Oh, it sure evokes<\/em> that battle, with Anakin joining a bunch of Naboo pilots in a battle against a sphere-shaped threat, but that particular threat \u2013 the Droid control ship \u2013 is not anything like the Death Star in terms of its capabilities. <\/p>\nIt was already a bit silly when Return of the Jedi said, \u201cHey, there\u2019s another Death Star.\u201d The Force Awakens saying, \u201cHey, there\u2019s another Death Star, but now it can destroy entire star systems at once, not just a single planet,\u201d just feels lazy, especially because it feels like it wasn\u2019t even a concept anyone making the movie was excited about, given how little weight it has in the story even after we see it used to kill, presumably, countless billions of lifeforms. <\/p>\n
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There were a million other purposes Starkiller Base could have served, and different missions that Han, Chewbacca, and Finn could have been sent on while also rescuing Rey, because as much as I like Poe Dameron, the least interesting part of the third act is those X-Wings attacking Starkiller Base\u2026<\/p>\n