No.7 in TOYSREVIL's #TopTenFilms2015: Star Wars - The Force Awakens
It is without a shred of cheesy-cliche that I had placed THE FORCE AWAKENS on the 7th spot on my Top Ten Films of 2015! Not as cheesy as the awful film poster featured above tho, but I digress … :p
As much as I had enjoyed the film - from the comforts of my side-seat, 3 rows in front of the screen - it did not fill me with enough mojo to propel it further higher on my list … or maybe I just need to go watch it again … but the thing is, I do not feel the urge to immediately dive back into a darkened cinema to quench my thirst for Star Wars, as I had expected myself to have felt … but perhaps the Force was not as strong in me as I had thought ...
Brand new cast mixed in with classic favs, made for an interesting ensemble mix somewhat lost in heightened nostalgia - at least in my biased and tinted viewing, but was no doubt a more accessible entry for new viewers, who might be facing a wall of back-history, what with 6 films prior to Episode 7.
I was trying to explain to my sister whom I sat with for my first viewing of Ep.7 - who lamented she needed to catch up on Eps.1-3 - that all she needed was to watch Eps.4-6, as the prequels meant naught to general consumption of the Star Wars we see now, perhaps. The prequels served to deepen the lore of Star Wars, providing an empirical historic backstory to this "soap opera in space", as George Lucas had said, and that's about it for me, biased notion or notwithstanding.
"Rey" and "Kylo Ren" were the standouts, and I truly look forward to finding out more about them as the new trilogy happens. Ironically, the most effective "cast" of this film - which embodies the technological spirit of Star Wars - was the robot "BB-8", whose bleeps and movements proved more nuanced then the actors at most stages, IMHO.
[ My BB-8 3D pencil Topper / Read more HERE #onTOYSREVIL ]
I actually did not find it offensive when George Lucas commented about Ep.7 being "too retro", because it was spot-on! Not for the lack of effort on JJ Abrams' part, as no doubt he was tie-ing in to the world AFTER "Return of the Jedi" Ep.6, and not needing to bath in the over-saturated neon acid-poop-explosions in Lucas' prequels LOL
Lucas' prequels worked stand alone, as they provided a "prelude" to the subsequent trilogy of "A New Hope', "Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi", and should be viewed as such, and not lauded against, I feel.
Admittedly, The Force Awakens did not fascinate me with new shiny toys and machinery - likened to a "new taste sensation", more than it has provided me a robust round of familiar "comfort food", cooked and presented in a new way … the ingredients might have changed a bit, but remained essentially the same, and I am fine with that.
If folks are looking for "technological adventures", there's the Star Wars Prequels on DVD and Bluray, and "Jupiter Ascending", cool? Heh.
The de-evolution of technological advancement under oppressive cycle of destruction, is the anti-thesis to the thriving triumphs of the human and galactic race (a prime example being "Star Trek"), was and is what makes this fascinating, methinks.
I imagine this were as close to a "Mad Max In Space", and I would have reached celluloid-nirvana muahahahahaha
Ironically, the amount of "technology" gone into making this movie "retro", is amazing! LOL
Having covered the film in all it's trailers, speculations and (unfortunately) spoilers, I would not doubt I'd since desensitized myself to what unfolded in front of me (3rd row from the screen, side-seat), and frankly might have lost all the excitement and anticipation, but for the various reactions I'd had peppered throughout the 136-minutes long film - from spine-tingles to wide ear-to-ear grins, and even pathos at emotional moments - including scenes since spoilt online prior to viewing too! … "devastating spoilers"? No doubt, but not the sum whole of the film enjoyed in my heart of hearts tho …
As much as the film was entertaining for me, it took had been (and still is, I reckon), an example of modern technology at both it's best and worst. The massive subconscious inducing imagery bombarding folks looking at the screens with trailer, tv spots and promos, along with sneak image reveals on websites sure put the "need to watch" on folks' minds!
And thanks to cyber online technology and it's basturd offspring "social media", folks were/are quick on the spoilers too - not necessarily from fellow film fanatics, but from haters of the hype, alas. Or at the very least, content-disguised-as-"news" for media both on-screen and online … well, very much like this blogpost, actually :p
That's the world we live in now, I suppose … I was watching "Argo" on cable last night, in fact - gripped in anticipation when the Americans were at the airport waiting to escape "death" in Iran (Spoiler-Free, no worries) … and imagined if it happened in the NOW, folks'll be snapping a pic of the escapees and tweeting or whatsapp-ing them all over the place! Instead, in the 70s, folks relied on landlines and walkie-talkies … price of advancement, no doubt!
How that factors into thousands of years into the future, a galaxy light-years away, is a fictional evolution that which is "sci-fi", which fascinates me.
With that, I'd really rather not nitpick on the negatives (too much to pick out and as depressing), and instead choose to embrace the joy it offered me, beyond "entertainment", it provided me a slice of re-imagined nostalgia that soothed and caressed my worried brains, and transported me lightyears away from my current galactic trials and tribulations, to the excitement experienced when I first watched the original trilogy.
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS stands shoulder above others on No.7 in TOYSREVIL's #TopTenFilms2015!
Cheers
Andy TOYSREVIL
P/S: Funny how I've since delayed reviewing the film on this blog (except for this non-spoiler post), with needing to rewatch it under better visual circumstances (3rd row from the screen, side-seat - hard to get over this, I know) … but has since this post to answer for the lack, I suppose LOL
