Star Wars – The Force Awakens

Read, or read not – but there are no spoilers.

So, I got to go to a premiere screening of the new Star Wars film, The Force Awakens (hooked up by a fantastic person, who knows another fantastic person, who works at the fantastic cinema that is Genesis!). I have to admit that while I was excited, I was also sceptical and a little worried that I’d leave feeling the same disappointment that filled me after each of the prequel series.

That was not the case! This film is Star Wars – you get the sense of awe at seeing spaceships do dazzling stunts, the excitement of seeing massive battles take place, and the swells of emotions as the music and visuals match seamlessly, making you forget that you’re in a cinema surrounded by other people. Instead, you’re in the galaxy far, far away.

As Michael Barryte said in his “What if Episode I was good?” YouTube video, the key to making a prequel or sequel is to have a feeling of old and new. Making things feel familiar to viewers, but with enough new stuff to get them to come see the latest instalment. The Force Awakens has nailed this, across characters, settings, costume design and theme. Now, in saying that, there were a few moments where I was thinking, ‘Well, this seems a bit too familiar’, but it was brief and is probably just because I watched the Original Trilogy (IV, V, and VI) waaay too much when I was a child. But we’ll move on.

The pacing of this film is nearly perfect. Straight off the bat we get some good action, while also being introduced to key characters in a dynamic setting. No sitting around tables talking nonsense and boring politics, and there are no points in the first three-quarters of the film where you are thinking about anything else other than, “Man, this is awesome!” Admittedly, the last 5 or so minutes do slow down a bit, but considering there’s been 130 minutes before that, you’ll be fine.

It’s also such a relief that the new characters are actually likeable and can show a wider emotional range than whiney or disinterested. While this is mostly good casting (Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac are great additions to the Star Wars line-up), I believe a portion of the credit must go to the use of actual sets. Yes, there are CGI elements – its space battles, robots, and aliens – but the cast get to react to the things (mostly) in the physical space around them. It must make getting into character a lot easier than standing in front of a blue screen being told “And now a big, intimidating beast is going to chase you.” Hats off to the set and costume team – excellent job!

There were elements that I felt a little dissatisfied with, things like the name of the film itself, the terms ‘First Order’, ‘the Resistance’, and the story’s general background. It seems a little odd that a galactic power is relying on a small group that it somewhat funds to hold off a gigantic threat. But maybe that’s just politics, and who wants politics in Star Wars, right? And like I said before – old and new. It feels like A New Hope (Episode IV), with a powerful enemy bearing down on a small group of freedom fighters. Some of dialogue feels a little clunky and forced, but nothing like what it was in the prequels. And lastly, the handling of Daisy Ridley’s character, Rey, is a little...odd. Some critics have said they weren’t convinced by her performance, but I don’t see that as the problem. She seems just a little too perfect, knowing how to fix things she’s never encountered before, fly things she’s only ever gazed on, and win fights she is in no way prepared for. However, I’m sure she’ll grow into the role, just like Luke did in A New Hope.

Without giving anything away for the die-hard Star Wars fans, this film will confirm a few things you think you know, disprove others theories you may have, surprise you with things you didn’t see coming , AND (most importantly in my mind) leave you with questions. Questions you want answered. And it has a hefty amount of nods to the Original Trilogy. You’ll like those.

Best of all, this film is accessible. You don’t need to have seen the others to come into this to enjoy it. It would help, but there is enough character introduction and explanation (of both the old and the new faces) that you’ll be able to thoroughly enjoy the film. And not in the ‘let’s sit down and get to know each other’ kind of way. You’ll get it in the dialogue or the way they handle themselves in the action.

As for its reception – I have but one word. Epic. The audience at the screening I was in loved it. There were woops and applause when the old cast members showed up, a torrent of clapping at the beginning and end, and a lot of laughs at the decent jokes made throughout the film. It may have helped these were all fans willing to go to a film’s opening midnight launch, but I think it was more that they just really enjoyed it.

If you love Star Wars, go see it! If you like Star Wars, go see it. If you’re unsure about Star Wars, this may be the film to get you into it. If you don’t like Star Wars...well, you’re missing out.

James Bond: Spectre review

(No spoilers were harmed in the making of this review)

I’m just going to clear it up now – I didn’t think Skyfall was all that good. I liked the bits of humour that were thrown in, and some of the action scenes were pretty cool, but on a whole it was too drawn out. And don’t get me started on the Home Alone BS at the end.

Spectre is in a similar vein, but less ridiculous. The humour is present and genuinely brought some giggles to the theatre and while the action is a little on the overdrive side, it’s ultimately entertaining. There are some good characters outside of Bond, and then there are some convenient characters to get things moving. And then bits where you really have to remember it’s a film and it needs to be taken as such. 

Suspend that disbelief of yours.

Without ruining it for those of you out there who haven't seen it, Spectre does what Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises did – it ties up loose ends. The plots of Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Skyfall are integral to Spectre. The story is not as contrived as Skyfall though, and the evil scheme of the villain is not as meticulous as knowing you’d be running from Bond in the Underground and setting an explosive on a particular wall to try and hit him with a conveniently timed train. I know the Underground is fairly regular, but really?

Spectre is a continuation on the idea that surveillance is of great power, but one that should not be relied on over the advice of people in the thick of it. We’ve been seeing this metaphor in films a lot lately, which is funny considering the likes of Theresa May and her cronies are all pushing for greater surveillance powers – seems we haven’t got the message yet. Maybe next time...

Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, and Ben Whishaw reprise their roles as M, Moneypenny, and Q respectively, being of importance to the plot and helping to keep things moving. Bond can’t do all the work, can he? Much was stated on the ‘forward thinking’ of bringing a woman closer to Bond’s age in as a love interest, but Monica Bellucci’s screen time is all too brief, and is literally used to move Bond from her house (bed) to a location that he needs to find. Missed opportunities, but at least we’re getting a little bit of a break in the norm there. Léa Seydoux’s introduction is pretty sudden, and at first we see a strong bad-ass woman who don’t take no crap from nobody (thanks, Cool Runnings!) but she unfortunately does fall into a bit of the stereotypical Bond girl towards the end.

Speaking of which, this Bond is quite long. Clocking in at two hours and twenty-eight minutes, it’s actually the longest of all the Bond’s, beating Casino Royale by four minutes. On the plus side, you don’t notice the time. The film has enough action to keep you occupied and not wondering how long until you can finally get to the loo. A stand-out is the particularly great chase scene about halfway, which is very different for a Bond film, as there is no shooting - just great driving.

As for the suspension of disbelief, there are a few moments where you’ll be asking yourself, “Ummm, why is no one concerned about that?” A particular scene that springs to mind (no spoilers, promise) is where Bond and the main henchman are in a fight. It’s a crowded location, with other people and staff members around in a situation where it’s hard to get away. The fight happens, and a lot of stuff is broken. After said fight, things seem to just carry on as normal. No questions, no concerns about so much damage, nothing. There are quite a few more, but I’ll leave them for you to sit there and say, “wait, what?”

On to the more technical things, this is a solidly shot and edited Bond film. The lighting and tone of the scenes are spot on, with no jolting cuts or obvious hacks to make a scene work in post production. The visual effects are of the high quality we’ve come to expect (not to be a dick, but Skyfall’s Komodo Dragon? Who let that through?) and the sound is well balanced, with the action scenes and dialogue not being drowned out by the music. And the music itself is classic Bond.

Except that horrid Sam Smith song. That was awful.

All in all, this Bond film is at its core a Bond film – The man is still a misogynistic alcoholic who has trust issues and a massive chip on his shoulder, and women still throw themselves at him, but I doubt we’re going to be seeing any progressive steps to move away from a tried and true model. At least, not yet. But it is also an entertaining and easy to watch film, and a good addition to the Bond line-up. Should you watch it? Yes. Should you see it at the cinema? That depends on how much you like Bond, I guess. Though I will say, it's best to find a reason not to be in the room during the Sam Smith intro song. Honestly, you're not missing anything.