Why Star Wars: The Force Awakens Is The Movie We Needed

This is what we've been waiting for, and it's as good as it was ever going to be.

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (heretofore known as TFA) has been a part of the world at large for over a month now. It's made all of the money, looking to break literally every box office record, and has been well received if not embraced by the general public. And yet, as there always is, there are major criticisms. The difference here is that I have issues with the arguments being made against the film and this blog gives me the opportunity to retort.

I have seen TFA a number of times now, and have enjoyed each viewing more than the last. And while I have always been a believer that everyone is entitled to their opinion and can accept that some might just not like the movie, specific issues with the film keep being brought up that I can and will defend. Frankly, I could talk about this film, and Star Wars in general, all day and invite anyone to that discussion as I don't want this writing to seem one-sided. Many of my friends have voiced negative opinions of TFA and they have vexed me. Since I'm not as good in expressing myself in person as I am on here, this is where I present my opinion on what I believe to be the second best Star Wars film released to date (Empire Strikes Back FTW).

Oh, yeah. Spoilers. But seriously, if you're reading this, then you've seen it already anyways.

• TFA is not A New Hope, it's better. 

I've never been a fan of Episode IV. It does a good job of setting up story for two better films, and is an excellent part one of a trilogy, but as a stand alone film it doesn't hold up for me. There's too much reference to past events that don't end up explained until the prequels are released, and nothing in the film has any lasting impact. We learn characters' names, the setting is explained. that's about it. I find it deeply ironic that TFA receives that same criticism considering we know for a fact that Episodes VIII and IX are inbound. The fact that the two films are similar in this way doesn't make TFA worse, it makes it better. There's an expectation that a story is in the process of being told, not that it will be told now from start to finish. We know that any unanswered questions we have by end credits will be addressed. We just need to shut up and be patient. 

The big complaint is that TFA is a carbon copy of A New Hope. I have two issues with that.

One, it's really not. TFA abides by a long standing tradition that every successful film franchise adheres to. A formula that applies from the first film to the last, as an identifier that this film is part of a bigger whole. It's why so many films telling superhero origin stories are similar. It's not unoriginal or lazy storytelling, it's an established and effective way to begin a story. Star Wars is just a specific example. TFA is an effective combination of new stories and familiar content. We can identify the beats because that's how a Star Wars story is told, but with new faces, words, and context. For example, if TFA were the copy of A New Hope that people are claiming, there's no way we find out Kylo Ren is the child of Han and Leia. Putting that up on front street already speeds up the pace of the established pattern, meaning there's more story that can be told in Episode VIII. To infer that this film is a recreation of an older one means that we know what's going to happen. We don't. 

Two, and more importantly for me, what's wrong with it? If the new trilogy is going to match the original three films beat for beat, isn't that a good thing? We can't ask for what we don't know we want. That's what happened with the prequels. We didn't know what we wanted, other than wanting MORE STAR WARS. We got the prequels and they were what they were. If I were charged with the task of continuing a franchise with as volatile a fanbase as Star Wars, after living through the notorious reaction that the prequels got 15 years ago, you bet your ass I'd be going back to what I know worked. 

• Character Development is a fundamental part of the story. 

This film is structured around the choices and changes made by the central characters of the story in a way that the other Star Wars films aren't. We see the lives of Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren change drastically from the beginning of the film to the end in a way that is meant to, and succeeds in, creating a contrast with TFA's predecessors. We are given necessary background information on each character without too much detail (the movie can only be so long) but enough to understand them and can watch them progress from that point. Finn was conscripted into being a stormtrooper, but his moral fibre goes against his training and programming. It takes one opening scene and a throwaway line from General Weasley to establish all we need to know about a main character for the purposes of this film. He goes from that to trading lightsaber blows with his old boss in the span of two hours, and the story makes sense for that result to happen. 

While Rey has the most question marks left about her after TFA, the film is able to establish her as a better focal point than either trilogy before it. It's made clear that she has the same inherent skills as both Luke and Anakin had, only instead of having one specific skill (Anakin and podracing/piloting) or being a bitchy farm boy (Luke and power converters), she's more well rounded. She can do a little bit of everything but can't explain why. The audience can. We've seen it before. As the old saying goes, The Force is strong in this one. 

Development is most apparent and important in regards to Kylo Ren. It would have been so very easy for him to just be a younger, newer version of Vader. Clean cut bad guy, one dimensional face of the enemy. While Vader is and always will be #1 in the canon's villains, we don't really see who he is until the last 10 minutes of the last film he's in. Here, we see enough of Kylo to know he's dark side bound, but we get to watch him achieve that goal, we see him become Big Bad proper in a way we don't get to see with Vader. In short, Kylo Ren is what Anakin Skywalker should have been in the prequels. We have a clearly conflicted young man in the middle of being seduced by the dark side finally submitting to it by getting rid of the monkey on his back that might redeem him. In the beginning, we have a bad egg who could be influenced to either side of the spectrum, complete with inner turmoil and uncontrollable fits of rage. By the end, we have a focused, decisive, albeit injured, villain of the piece. 

• The true weakness of the dark side is addressed. 

At first viewing, I had one major complaint that fits with all the rest, and that's the retreading of the Death Star. OK, so it's been super sized, it's still the god damn Death Star. Until I thought about it for a second and realized that Starkiller Base fits a pattern that the Empire has been following since Episode IV and hasn't ever paid off. We've gone through 3 Death Stars now. Why? It's simple. Hubris. Overconfidence. It's what allowed a one-man fighter to be able to destroy Death Star I. It's why Vader was sure that Luke would join him. It's why the Emperor not only knew he would beat the Alliance, HE GAVE THE FUCKERS HIS HOME ADDRESS. They were wrong every single time. And they keep on being wrong because in their mind, there's no way the good guys can pull it off AGAIN. The devil-may-care attitude of the antagonist is textbook bad guy, and the repeating/escalation of the Death Star formula is a case in point example of it. Don't be surprised if by Episode IX we have a bunch of planets combine to make the equivalent of a fucking Death Star Megazord. 

• The 'Big Death' meant something.

So, Obi Wan died for literally no reason. Everything that Luke accomplished after that point, could have been done just as well if Ben didn't straight up stop trying and let Vader cut him down. The TFA equivalent to this is the death of Han Solo at the hands of his son. This accomplishes two things that are going to play out big in the story to come. First, as previously stated, it cemented Kylo Ren as Dark Side faithful. It effectively killed Ben Solo, the boy he once was, and now Supreme Leader Gollum can finish his training. The second is from Leia's point of view. The leader of the Resistance had a major conflict of interest going into the climax of TFA. She simultaneously wanted to defeat the First Order and to bring her son back to the light side of the force. That conflict of interest is, for all intents and purposes, null and void. If Kylo Ren had the capacity to kill Han in cold blood, there is no saving him. So now Leia can pursue her fight against the Order with a new focus. Although, I doubt she'll feel much need for vengeance at this point, for after all she's been though at this point, she still hasn't been tempted by the dark side. Because Leia = Head Bitch In Charge.

She knows. 

• While not the Star Wars film we might deserve, it's the one we need. 

I'll be the first to admit that this movie isn't perfect. It's not my favourite film, Hell it's not even my favourite Star Wars film. But it's exactly what we needed a Star Wars movie to be at this exact point in time. By now, TFA may have made $2 Billion worldwide, and the vast majority of those who threw money at it have lived through two trilogies, three if you count the rereleases of the original trilogy. Star Wars fans have been put through the ringer over the last 20 years, JJ Abrams and company included. They knew what the average fan wanted to see. It wasn't Greedo shooting first. It wasn't a cartoonish throwaway scene with Jabba that was just a rehashing of Han's encounter with Greedo (but with BOBA FETT). It wasn't the Sarlacc having a fucking beak, and it wasn't Jar Jar. We wanted the magic that is the essence of Star Wars. The stand out moments. The destruction of Alderaan. Han saving Luke in the trench. Luke firing blind and destroying the Death Star. Vader's revelation to Luke about being his father. So many iconic moments that were either sullied by the rereleases or ignored by the prequels. There are moments like that in TFA that reach back and grasp that magic. Rey finding Luke's lightsaber in that basement. Starkiller Base wiping out an entire system. The death of Han Solo and Chewbacca laying waste to fucking everything. And one of my new favourite moments in film, where a trained but wounded Kylo struggles in a lightsaber duel with Finn. When the dropped lightsaber hilt was deflected from Kylo for Rey to catch it = chills in my soul.

Basically what I'm saying with all of this is TFA needed to be a reboot as much as it needed to be a continuation. It accomplishes enough of both. I've talked a lot here, so congrats on making it through, but I could go on more. That's how much I love and appreciate this movie. Not because it's perfect, but because it's flawed in the same ways that the films of the original trilogy were flawed. They all tell incomplete stories for either future films or our own imaginations to complete. TFA is equal parts new adventure and heartwarming nostalgia. And after all the waiting for justice to be done, all the hype and disappointment...sure, it's not the film we might deserve after all this time. It's just what we needed.

If George Lucas did indeed 'rape our childhoods', this is the therapy.

Knight Owl

The Knight Owl Returns; An Overview Of 2015 In Movies

*Turns on monitor* *Dusts off keyboard* *Adjusts chair*

And here we go again.

Due to the ass end of 2015 getting kinda hectic, I've been away from the old blog and haven't posted since mid August. A truly sad fact that I hope will not be repeated at any point this year. However, the hiatus was with good reason, and now that I'm back, I have the stored creative juices necessary to start off 2016 with a bang. In regards to what's been going on with me in the past 6 months or so, here are the bullet points:

• Mandi and I moved to a new place of residence. It is an improvement.
• We also got a dog named Bruce. However, in the best interests of both ourselves and Bruce, we found him a new home. We maintain contact with the new owners and when last seen, Bruce was happy, healthy, and not very well behaved.
• For unknown reasons, I had a near crisis about turning 30. Then I turned 30 and now everything is fine. Yay for me!
• I am now SUPER into the X-Wing Miniatures game. I'm not too bad at it. 

That's pretty much it. Now it's 2016 and while the past year wasn't my worst, it did have its ups and downs. The same, apparently, was true for the film industry. To be honest, there weren't too many movies this year that overwhelmed me with joy, but there were one or two that made up for the majority. Some really great trips to the theatre, some abysmal wastes of time, and a lot of gray in between. In order to get back up to speed, the following are a collection of hard and fast opinions of the major releases I saw from 2015 in the order in which they were released. I promise they aren't as long winded as I usually get, and some are even shorter due to my already having reviewed them. Enjoy, and as always your reactions and opinions are welcome even if/especially because they differ from my own. 

On with the show...

• The Wedding Ringer: Kevin Hart is one of those comedians that, while I love their stand-up, does not translate well into film or TV. I'm glad he's getting his due, as I do think he's one of the funnier people in the world right now, but this is just one of the billion films he's in where his character just isn't as funny as Kevin himself. At least his career didn't go the way of John Mulaney's TV show. 

• Jupiter Ascending: Remember what I said about abysmal wastes of time? See my review for elaboration.

• Chappie: While I have a lot of appreciation for Neill Blomkamp's talent as a film maker, it's time for the visual presentation and setting of his films needs to change just to prove he's not a one-trick pony. There's a lot to really like about this film that is undone, in my opinion, by the stunt casting that is Die Antwoord. I don't know or care why they were in this movie, but it nearly turned a respectable genre film into a really long and expensive music video, and the film experience suffered for it.

• Trainwreck: Apatow at the height of his comedic powers, and Amy Schumer lighting the world on fire. This is my R-rated comedy pick of the year, which is pretty much uncontested anyways. This movie is worth the watch if only for the scene stealing performance of John Cena, who I'd rather see in a comedic movie role than a wrestling ring any day of the week.

• The Gunman: This was a less entertaining version of Jack Reacher or The Equalizer staring the french bulldog that is Sean Penn. All too little action, forgettable characters, and a predictable plot. I'll assume the book was better.

• Furious 7: It is exactly what you expect it to be, which isn't a bad thing at all. Over the top action flick is all you need sometimes, and the star studded cast adding the likes of Jason Statham, Tony Jaa, and Rowdy Ronda doesn't hurt. I wish this was going to be the end of the series, as the heartfelt send off of Paul Walker would have been a nice epilogue to the franchise that made his career, but they'll keep pumping these movies out until Vin's old and gray and needs to park in the handicap spots.

• Avengers: Age Of Ultron: I really want to like this movie more, but I don't. It is a very conflicting combination of great individual scenes, trailers for upcoming movies, and dudes chilling on a farm. At least James Spader is awesome. My review goes into it further.

• Pitch Perfect 2: As much as I enjoyed the first film, I feel as though this was just an unnecessary retreading of a movie that was already pretty by-the-numbers. When Anna Kendrick can't sell me on a movie, it's a special kind of not great.

• Mad Max: Fury Road: If Star Wars TFA wasn't as good as it was, this would be my favourite film of the year, no question. A crazy clusterfuck of amazing visuals and impossibly great action scenes. Even more remarkable that the franchise hasn't seen life in 30 years and the mastermind George Miller is in his 70's. If you haven't seen Fury Road yet, witness it as soon as possible. WITNESS!

• Inside Out: Pixar again shows its ability to hit me right in the feels. The movie is as funny and entertaining as it is emotional and relevant to not only kids, but to those who have kids and, specifically for me, for those who haven't really finished growing up in the first place.

• Jurassic World: Not great, Bob. See my review.

• Minions: A perfect example of too much of a good thing. A fun and charming element of another more well rounded film becomes quickly tiresome and loses its edge pretty quick. I get that I'm probably not the target audience for this movie, but I really liked the Despicable Me movies and the role that the minions played in them. But a whole movie about the little bastards is just too much.

• Southpaw: I'm a sucker for a good fight movie, even if they all end up as Rocky clones, and Southpaw isn't far from it. I walked into the film thinking it would be hard to convince me that Donnie Darko could be a boxer but Jake Gyllenhaal pulls it off. The more I see of him, the more I appreciate his work. Southpaw is pretty good, but is nowhere near as good as the other boxing movie that came out this year.

• Terminator Genysis: Haters can hate, I had fun with this movie. See my review.

• Ant Man: While it was nice to see the Marvel movie formula changed, Ant Man still suffers from some of the same problems as every other film in the MCU. It was definitely one of the more fun Marvel films, and a fresh approach to the introduction of a character, but at times feels like it was only made to justify having one more character in Civil War. 

• Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation: Much like Furious 7, you know what you're getting out of this. I've always been a big fan of the M:I films (even the overly ridiculous M:I2) and this one's no different. Props to Tom Cruise for making it seem possible that a 50-year-old midget can be the world's biggest bad ass. 

• Straight Outta Compton: While the overall plot of the film reminded me a little too much of that episode of Saved By The Bell where the group is a famous band, the true story behind NWA truly is a harrowing tale that should have an impact on anyone, no matter who you are or what your musical tastes might be. This is a much more important film than some might think, only made more so by the brilliant performances the film features. 

• Black Mass: This is the Johnny Depp I prefer over the goofy, eccentric, Jack Sparrow-y roles that he's so famous for. A serious, committed character actor doing service to the subject matter. Black Mass is a dark crime drama in the same vein as The Departed, effectively presented as a 1970's period piece, and packed with great performances from the likes of Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbiatch and what may be my favourite performance by Depp. 

• The Martian: If Fury Road is my second favourite movie of the year, The Martian is a close third. What could have easily been a very tough movie to watch is made surprisingly entertaining solely by the efforts and performance of Matt Damon. This film would live or die on the back of who ever played Mark Watney, and Damon not only made it bearable but really fun. I know the joke is that Damon has to get rescued in movies a bunch, but performances like this make it worth the effort. 

• Crimson Peak: While a visually beautiful and dark film, there's just not a lot that happens in it. What was made out to be a Victorian era ghost story and horror film ended more like a Jane Austen novel. Not necessarily a bad film, just not what I was looking for.

• Spectre: As much as most people prefer Skyfall, I have to say I enjoyed this a lot more. Christophe Waltz continues his tradition of stealing every scene he's in by being equal parts charming and evil prick. If this ends up being the last of the Daniel Craig era of Bond films, then this is a nice way to wrap it up.

• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2: Much like the second half of the book that this film is adapted from, it gets going pretty fast and doesn't let up until the end. I'm happy to see that the craze of young-teen novel adaptations is dwindling, and that one of my favourite series ended with the same style and quality with which it began. And, as it goes without saying, Jennifer Lawrence is The Best, capital letters.

• Creed: When I first heard this movie's synopsis, I could not have been less excited. Now, I can say it accomplishes the same feel, the same heart, and the same impact of the original Rocky. Stallone delivers his best performance in years, maybe decades. Michael B. Jordan is the real deal, despite being in that apparently terrible Fantastic Four movie (haven't seen it yet, can't wait). Apparently this has been the year of resurrecting franchises from my youth, and Creed is one of the best examples of it. 

• Star Wars: The Force Awakens: And we have the best for last. I've seen this film 3 times now, and can officially say I can't empathize with anyone who doesn't think this is a great Star Wars movie. Sure, this movie has its faults, but they're the same faults as the original trilogy that everyone wanted so badly to be emulated in a new series of films. Yes, it's similar to Episode IV, but in the best ways possible. This movie is a perfect combination of leaving me satisfied yet excited to see more, something the Marvel films could learn a thing or two from. It might not be the Star Wars movie we deserve after all this time, but it's the one we need. 

And that's it for 2015, folks. Happy New Year!

Knight Owl