When does the statute of limitations on a spoiler run out? I’ve heard stories from my parents’ generation which claim that the secret of Darth Vader’s identity was kept for months after “The Empire Strikes Back” was released in May of 1980 in order to not ruin the surprise of fans who had not yet seen the film. But eventually, the truth leaked.
With this in mind, all I will tell you about the identities of characters is this: The villain is the son of major characters from the Original Trilogy, and that one of those characters is killed by the main villain. With that out of the way, let’s dive in.
The film opens to the slaughter of villagers on the desert planet, Jakku, and the escape of BB-8, the beach ball-shaped droid who is actually more enjoyable to watch than R2-D2, either in the Original Trilogy or his brief cameo in The Force Awakens. During the attack, pilot Poe Daemeron (underutilized Oscar Isaac) is captured and interrogated by Kylo Ren (played wonderfully by Adam Driver), who is a wickedly violent and angsty rendition of Darth Vader. Clad in an unnecessary mask as an homage to Vader before him, Ren’s instability is demonstrated when he destroys an instrument panel with his lightsaber after Poe refuses to give him information.
As far as plot, “The Force Awakens” is just too similar to its predecessors: good guys find each other on desert planet, unite with Republic forces, have to destroy planet-sized space station that destroys entire planets with a death ray. The entire film feels like a thinly veiled rehash of A New Hope. References to Mos Eisley Cantina and the destruction of the Death Star all mirror A New Hope.
While the plot was rather ho-hum, the characters were not; relatively-unknown actors John Boyega and Daisy Ridley star as a reformed Stormtrooper and a Force-sensitive scrap harvester, respectively, and both surpass very high expectations as they wield Anakin Skywalker’s original lightsaber. Isaac also shines in his limited screen time, and Original Trilogy actors Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill all add weight and continuity to the film that the prequels lacked.
“The Force Awakens” is the first film in the Disney trilogy, and thanks to the strong acting and story lines, I will be looking forward to the next two, which hit theaters in 2017 and 2019.