Acting: 4.5; Theme: 4.5; Content: 4.5; Language: 5.0; Overall: 4.5

The First Order, thirty years after the battle of Endor, seeks to destroy the New Republic. Led by Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), the resistance movement, must face the reemergence of the evil empire. With the help of Rey (Daisy Ridley), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), and Finn (John Boyega), the resistance battles the son of Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) in order to defeat the evil influence of the empire. Highly recommend.

***July 25, 2023*** ( )

The First Order has risen from the ashes of the Empire and is beginning their quest to conquer the galaxy. In order to thwart their return, the Resistance scours the galaxy to find the missing Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. With a group of new heroes -- including the scavenger Rey, former stormtrooper Finn, adorable droid companion BB-8, and hotshot pilot Poe Dameron -- we reunite with familiar faces like Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Princess Leia as the First Order begins their reign of terror.

Rewatching this film for the first time in years, I am reminded of just how good of a movie it actually is. Yes, there are some criticisms to be had -- my biggest gripe being that it plays out like so much of a retread of A New Hope -- but its new parts are so good that you can't help but feel excited, and in rewatching it, I felt the same excitement I had 8 years ago whenever it first came out. Unfortunately, so much of the cool stuff that was set up didn't come to pay off in the follow-up sequels, but it set in motion a story that definitely has some quality moments within it. Not to mention the new cast -- played to excellence by Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Adam Driver -- stole the screen along with returners Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher in so many of their scenes. It's an amazing start to a new era that, unfortunately, somewhat lost its way (although, to be fair, I enjoy elements of all of the films, even the much-maligned Episodes 8 and 9). Highly recommended for fans of the franchise; it's packed to the brim with nostalgia, while adding new elements to spice things up.

Content Concerns: Violence throughout, with characters getting blasted, blown up, stabbed, and otherwise killed. There is a bit of blood in some scenes, but nothing too gruesome. There are also 3 uses of vulgarity (2 "h-ll" and 1 "d-mn").

(July 25, 2023) ( )

I am an old Star Wars fan. ( )

The choice to do a paint-by-numbers rehash of the plots, themes, arcs and even character dynamics of the original trilogy is of course the safe way to go, but it didn't necessarily have to be a bad one. And indeed, despite the inane even-bigger-death-laser plot of the third act, the film is surprisingly decent. My main non-laser peeve is the completely underwhelming use of the (stellar) premise of the stormtrooper growing a conscience being one of the protagonists. The character, who on paper should be the standout of not just this but virtually any Star Wars film, is instead somehow bland and uninteresting, and gets nothing of importance to do. (And that's in this film, where he actually has screentime and a sense of agency.) But oh well. Wasted opportunities is what Star Wars prequels and sequels are all about. And everything else works, more or less. It's pretty, it's exciting, it's even a bit emotional. Would have been a very good first, safe step to more innovative and daring sequels. That such weren't forthcoming, well, it's not this film's fault. In isolation, at least, "Force Awakens" is quite even and, in my opinion, fun and watchable. ( )

Treinta años después de la victoria de la Alianza Rebelde sobre la segunda Estrella de la Muerte (hechos narrados en el Episodio VI: El retorno del Jedi), la galaxia está todavía en guerra. Una nueva República se ha constituido, pero una siniestra organización, la Primera Orden, ha resurgido de las cenizas del Imperio Galáctico. A los héroes de antaño, que luchan ahora en la Resistencia, se suman nuevos héroes: Poe Dameron, un piloto de caza, Finn, un desertor de la Primera Orden, Rey, una joven chatarrera, y BB-8, un androide rodante. Todos ellos luchan contra las fuerzas del Mal: el Capitán Phasma, de la Primera Orden, y Kylo Ren, un temible y misterioso personaje que empuña un sable de luz roja.