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Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review (Slight Spoilers!)

Throughout this year I have been super-hyped for this film, and was able to see it in IMAX, which I'm very happy I did because it really was the best way to witness the scope of this film. Honestly, this film was phenomenal! One of the best cinema experiences I've ever had. It does a wonderful job of establishing this new Star Wars galaxy whilst also paying homage to the classic trilogy. However, whilst this was a great film, it's not without it's flaws. Which I will be explaining further on. For this review I don't want to spoil anything big so I won't mention any of the older cast. Also, whilst I will mention specific scenes I won't go into any huge detail.

The first thing I'd like to talk about is the use of practical effects for this film. Using practical effects helped so much in getting the audience invested in this film. The main problem with the prequels was that just about all the aliens and machines were digital, making them feel cold and lifeless. The practical costumes of the different alien species, specifically in the scenes on Jakku an Maz's bar. It definitely gave the film of an organic aesthetic, and that's fantastic!

However, whilst practical effects are awesome, sometimes digital effects are required. scenes like characters Maz Kanata and Superme Leader Snoake require face capture to be created. But that's not a bad thing because it's done so well that it doesn't lower the quality of the film. Maz looks great, taking a similar position to Yoda. Snoake looks frightening in his scenes with his disfigured face and dark eyes. the digital aesthetics for these characters worked really well that it doesn't bother me in the slightest.

The fight scenes in this film were really great. The dog fights in this, mainly the one on Jakku between the Tie Fighter and the Millennium Falcon, were done so well and looked so real it was difficult not to marvel at the beauty of them. These scenes were a great example of mixing old with new as they were a callback to other great Star Wars dog fights whilst using modern day SFX to give them more of a natural look.

Whilst the effects of the film were beyond phenomenal, I have to admit, the story itself left me wanting. Don't get me wrong, it was a good story, but it was too much like A New Hope: You have the awesome droid who's carrying an essential document for a bunch of freedom fighters who meets someone sensitive to the force, they escape the desert planet on the Millennium Falcon. But they're being chased by an evil figure in a mask, working for an organisation that's developed a planet-sized weapon capable of causing terrible destruction, and so the freedom fighters must find a way to destroy it. Again, not a bad story, but it was far too familiar. I wish they had done something different, maybe not have had the death st- I mean, Starkiller Base. Things like that which would've made the story feel like more of it's own.

As for the characters, this film has introduced us to a new trio: Ray, Finn and Poe. And I love them! Poe Dameron is seriously cool! I was worried that he'd just be a Rebel Alliance Poster Boy, but he was more like an Air force Han Solo which was great! Finn was kinda like the Ron Weasely of the group. As in he's not entirely competent, particularly in his fight scenes, but he brought a lot of heart to the table, you can't help but fall in love with him. Finally, Rey! I loved Rey! I agree with most critics who say she's a a Mary Sue (A character who does everything flawlessly), whilst some things she was good made sense, like knowing how a ship works, it was taken too far and she shouldn't have been able to achieve most of the things she did. But I kinda found that her flaws were more in her character: She couldn't see the bigger picture most of the time, she felt stuck on Jakku and she longed for a family that was never coming back. So I was more invested in her as a person rather than her achievements. That's why I liked her so much.

As for the villains. They weren't as good. Kylo Ren was doing really well until he removed his mask then all I got was like another Anakin Skywalker and the character was lost for me. I kinda felt the two actors Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) and Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux) Should've switched roles, they were horribly miscast. Gleeson is a really good actor who was given a bland role and Driver is a a bland actor who was given (what was supposed to be) a really good role! On the other hand, Supreme Leader Snoake and Captain Phasma I thought were really good in their scenes. However, I really wished we could've seen more or Phasma, maybe she should've had the Lightsabre/Lightning Baton fight with Finn!

Overall, while this film may have had its flaws I did genuinely love it! It was a great cinema experience and it really did connect with me as a fan of both Star Wars and films! If you love the original trilogy then you'll definitely love this film!


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