Set 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, we learn from the now-iconic opening crawl that Luke Skywalker, the last of the Jedi, is missing and in his absence a new order of evil has risen from ashes of the old Galactic Empire and now threatens the entire republic, so much so that a resistance has formed (they called it a rebellion in my day), led by none other than General Leia Organa.
As the film opens, Leia has dispatched crack X-wing pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) to the desert planet Jakku to obtain a clue to Luke's whereabouts. Before Poe can take off with the vital information, the First Order, led by the Force-sensitive, Vader-esque Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), drops in looking for the same quarry, forcing Dameron to hide it inside his beach-ball-looking droid BB-8, who rolls off all alone into the desert night.
BB is soon befriended by the young scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley) and the two intersect with Finn (John Boyega), a morality-stricken AWOL Stormtrooper who's recently crash-landed on Jakku while helping Poe Dameron escape the clutches of the First Order. The trio barely get past introductions before a swarm of Tie fighters come calling, forcing our new heroes to escape in the only ship handy....a long-since-abandoned Millennium Falcon.
The Falcon isn't in the air long before it's swallowed up by a large freighter. Soon its crew, a certain Corellian smuggler of some repute and his Wookie cohort, are boarding the fabled "hunk of junk," claiming to be "home." Yes, a graying Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca have joined our adventure and eventually agree to help Rey and Finn get BB-8 to Leia and the resistance.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is surprisingly effective, full of subtle nods to the original trilogy while successfully marrying a believable, satisfying story with engaging, purposeful personalities, both new and established. While the film does mirror the 1977 original at times, right down to a Death Star-type weapon, and illicits more questions than answers, the enveloping narrative and characters allow you to forgive the little transgressions of unoriginality and plotting.
Ford hasn't been this energetic and enjoyable to watch in years, maybe decades. His Han Solo really drives this new installment and carries most of the emotional weight of what has come before, and will transpire later. It's a performance that stays with you long after you've left the theater. Carrie Fisher's Leia is a little more reserved than we remember, but it's nice to see our favorite princess still fighting the good fight and keeping Han in check.
Newcomers Ridley and Boyega are really the ones who will carry this new trilogy forward and they both have an easy, natural rapport and infuse their characters with just the right amount of heart and spunk.
The Force Awakens is an entertaining, deeply moving continuation of the Star Wars franchise, one that should satisfy both old and new fans alike, and make all of us yearn for the revelations to come. Grade: B+
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