Impressive, Most Impressive! Amanda Dal shares her thoughts on Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens

It’s finally here! Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens takes us back to a long time ago in a galaxy far far away, and it does it really well.



Whereas the expanded universe gave us a good explanation of what happened after the Battle of Endor and set the scenes for a new era, The Force Awakens takes us right back to the beginning of A New Hope; the evil and extremely well equipped bad people in power vs. the good not so well equipped rebels (now called The Resistance). It seems that if defeating the Empire 30 years ago achieved nothing, then this new struggle against a very similar enemy must indeed also be useless. We get no explanation as to why the First Order is in power but it doesn’t deduct from the thrill of the movie and Abrams manages to keep the balance between nostalgia and new material extremely well. 37 years’ worth of stories and adventures can't be crammed into one film and so far they've chosen wisely which story lines to re-use and develop.

The Force Awakens is a very well-made film. Overall it looks great and has that exact rugged feel fans have loved and wanted since A New Hope. It does have some unnecessary cheesy one-liners and over-explanations, but the characters are well-written and well-acted. It does mirror A New Hope to a great extent, but somehow they get away with it. It takes us back to the galaxy far, far away we know and love but adds a modern feel to it.

The inclusion of actors of different ethnicities and genders is a much welcome addition as this diversity makes sense, not only inside the SW universe with its vast array of planets and species, but also in relation to the fans around the globe who will see and love this film. The score by John Williams is absolutely beautiful and fits perfectly, especially Rey’s Theme. The pace is good and the action intense, but we do get time to catch our breath to enjoy the spectacular locations and cinematography. The film leaves us with many unanswered questions and characters we’ve barely begun to explore, leaving us wanting more – just as it should be.

As sad as I am to see the expanded universe go I'm very glad that future generations will be able to take part in this great space adventure. The Force Awakens is a worthy episode in the Star Wars universe, and similar to my own introduction which was the special edition of 1997, The Force Awakens will definitely awaken the fandom in countless people, both young and old.

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens Film Page | Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens Review

STAR WARS: EPISODE VII - THE FORCE AWAKENS IS OUT NOW IN CINEMAS AND IMAX