Not only expert homage for the fans, but a first-rate piece of mega-Hollywood adventure, the hugely anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens stirs more to life than just The Force. The rollicking, space-opera spirit of George Lucas’ original, masterful trilogy (you can safely forget the second trio of cynical, tricked-up prequels) emanates from every frame of J.J. Abrams’ euphoric sequel. Its also got an infusion of modern-day humour that sometimes steers the movie close to self-parody – but never sarcastically, nor at the expense of a terrific time.
The wheel need not be reinvented: virtually every plot point and action beat comes from 1977’s Star Wars or 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back (you even get a dormant lightsaber shivering in the snow), yet that’s perfectly fine when the vigour is this electric. Life is still a drag on arid desert planets like Jakku, where scrappy Rey (Daisy Ridley, a strong-jawed find) sells scavenged parts of old battle destroyers. Crash-landing onto her world is Finn (John Boyega), a Stormtrooper shocked out of his violent path serving the evil First Order by an impulse to do the right thing. On the run, they hijack the decrepit Millennium Falcon – “The garbage will do,” says Rey in the first of many exhilarating reveals – and take off toward a radicalising destiny in the Resistance. Abrams (Star Trek) brings a light touch to the performances: there’s better acting in The Force Awakens than in all the Star Wars movies combined. BB-8, a whirling football-like droid, might be best of the bunch. Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher bring unexpected pathos to roles they sometimes used to drift through. The greying hair helps. But, once again, a black-clad villain steals the show: mystical Dark Sider Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) wears the robes, face-obscuring helmet and ferocious demeanour of you-know-who. Quibblers who can’t recognise a labour of love will point to how the film repeats the same old space fascism: a bigger Death Star, a scummier cantina. But it’s wonderful to be back at the bar.
The bottom line This Star Wars reboot is a masterly revival of old themes and faces.
