Star Wars - The Force Awakens DCF Review (Spoiler Free)

So the new Star Wars has been out guys, almost a week now. Counting the premier its actually over a week.

Was it any good? Well, here are my thoughts.

This is not the review yet, if you want to skip right to the review scroll down to Chapter 02, this is a backstory of how I got to see the film for those interested.

For starters, here is a little secret that many people might call me stupid over... but, hear me out. Its worth the ride in the end.

I have never been affected by spoilers. It's true. It really is. Even on main plot twists and what not. I have had people watch films with me (they have seen them, I have not) and they are sitting on the edge of their seat looking at my "reaction" to what they think might bloowww my miiind awaaaay.

And, well, usually nothing (hence my quotation marks). I don't know if it is a curse or what, but I certainly doubt it since I am obviously enjoying myself so much in films I still watch them (extensively) and re watch films I love many many times. It's just that I don't get surprised easy. Even the Red Wedding... I mean who didn't see it coming guys seriously now? This young guy walks into an old farts domain after breaking a treaty/marriage with him and not marrying his daughter, putting their alliance at stake, and he does this whilst prancing about with his new wife... Did anybody really think it was going to go down any other way? Especially with the high death ratio of Game of Thrones?

Back to the point. Many times in plot twists I do not see it coming, many more I do. The later is more common unless I am mistaken. Each time it isn't the plot twist that gets me, it is how it is filmed.

Keeping that in mind and moving on to my initial point on spoilers. I have had the same exact reaction for scenes that I had spoiled prior to seeing them with scenes I did not know anything about. These reactions range from positive to negative on both occasions.

It occurred to me in the end that the plot itself was not what got me when seeing it in each occasion, but how it was filmed. You can have the best plot twist or scenario ever, yet poor execution will have me not care one small bit about it. On the other hand, I could know a plot twist like reading it in a book and be as excited about it as seeing it for the first time.

Moving on from this. Knowing that spoilers do not bother me at all, I tried to identify some things about myself with regards to all this. I came to realise that 1) it is sometimes how a spoiler is done that counts, and 2) that a spoiler is still an experience of the story for me. I just simply work that way.

Now to where all this is going. Having a delayed screening here of over a week, I was not able to do either one of the two following things:

1) Wait any longer to find out what happens in the story.

2) Put myself through the torture of "avoiding" spoilers online.

Especially when I know they do not effect my final experience of a film. We work online, we play games online, we do so much on-line. And oh god spoilers are even in places like forums for games from people that simply didn't get hugged enough when they were young and are craving for any form of attention out there.

At this point, I refused to put myself into such turmoil.

I knew the story to Star Wars The Force Awakens before I saw the film, and to a pretty good extent as well. I have been waiting over a decade for this film. In fact, for what comes after the story of Luke, like many, I have been waiting almost 30 years. Why muster the power to keep it in shroud and mystery any longer?

The result is that you all get to have the rarity of a review from a fan that had the films spoiled. It is indeed a rather rare perspective. At which point I think that if a film holds up to being an exceptional experience for someone that had it spoiled, then that says a lot.  

My personal experience with the spoils? I chose it. Choosing it simply made me calm again, whilst I also did not hear plot points in the worst possible way. The experience was such for me at that point like hearing a tale of song from others. My imagination conjured images and expectations. In the end it was like reading a book. Just, a thousand times faster.

I enjoyed the "story telling" side of it all. Like hearing of rumours of a battle far away. Then, I finally got to see it.

My thoughts on the film itself? Star Wars The Force Awakens my friends did not disappoint. Not, one, bit ;)

It all started in a galaxy far far away, and we are now back to that galaxy.

Although I loved the worlds depicted in the Star Wars prequel trilogy it was hard to bring them across (for whatever reasons, all belonging in another article) to film in an effective way.

That aside, no matter how much I loved that world - which was later mimicked and expanded even more with The Old Republic, another setting and time period I loved from the Star Wars lore - seeing that galaxy we first met in the originals in the same shape and form, same composition and feel, was a true wonder.

I can strongly say that Star Wars is back. Not only for the larger portion of fans that loved only the classics (but especially for them) but also for all the fans that also liked the prequels.

The tones set are so much what we once knew and grew up with, the designs of ships, stations, sets, costumes, everything, was superb! Simply amazing in likeness to that first galaxy we always loved yet so much better.

It's the little things here and there.

We get an advanced X-Wing, colours blue and white are the most common, and as some have noticed in posters and trailers, a black and orange one as well. If I had to chose I would say the red and white was a better combination which I preferred over the blue, but the black and orange was a perfect addition and extension to that. Their shape is almost identical with small differences less keen eyes wont even notice. It all feels like an evolutionary upgrade to that world to which we were first introduced.

When your complain is only a slight preference over a colour chosen for a prop in the film, then you know that it is doing it right and leaving you room to nitpick small details alone.

This evolution in the X-Wing goes on in every other aspect as well. The new Tie Fighters are identical, only a little more menacing with the blacks and reds. The new storm troopers slicker and well, better, the new villain looks every bit Star Wars, and on the list goes.

Suffice to say that the world we are thrown into is familiar, yet evolved and also its own. It is truly our loved and known galaxy far far away. Keeping to 3 sets that (no spoiler, these are all in the trailer) remind us of Hoth, Tatooine and the Forest Moon of Endor is an even better way to bring us back to a familiar feel and the cherry on top of all this was bringing back the classic cast as well.

Right out of the gate, SW:E7 was simply a pleasure.

After (as I explained in the pre-chapter to this) having the plot "spoiled" (I can barely call it spoiled at this point as it was a blast to be a part of the process of finding out what it was), I had seen a lot of opinions on the film. Most were positive, but everyone was or is trying to keep a balanced mindset on the film and not sound like a fanboy.

For this reason there are plenty of reviews out there, even from (and especially from) people that liked the film, that had things they didn't like or had to nitpick on.

Going into the film I had formed a certain open minded state. I expected something that was going to be great visually, with some flaws in the plot explaining and what not, and my expectations were many in some ways but toned down in others. On the contrary, some things that people complained on were actually things I expected to be disappointed on.

To my surprise, I actually ended up disagreeing to a lot of the things people nitpicked on. Hey, maybe I am fan-boying out, but a review is not honest unless we give our personal opinion on it. There were things about it that people didn't like that I completely understand why they wouldn't like them. I agree with their perspective. I simply do not share it as those very things they disliked ended up being things I myself liked.

On the other hand, I noticed some things in the film that I wasn't 100% on board with if I had to nitpick. Some of these I am baffled as to how they were not things others complained on.

Knowing the twists and turns I also had the luxury of seeing how it all played out. My focus in the film was free but also concentrated on the overall product created as a theatrical screening. And having already seen it twice, I think I am in a place were I can say wholeheartedly that the film delivered far beyond my expectations. And, in certain areas I had quite high expectations.

Han Solo for example. People built him up so much I was expecting nothing short of perfect at that point and doubted I would get it on every turn. How wrong was I. Harrison Ford was amazing reprising his role as Han Solo, and the film delivered in its entirety with flying colours.

Star Wars, as has been analysed before, plays out in a way like a poem. The last verse reflects the previous one. However in SW each verse is the opposite of the one it rhymes with.

The prequels, although many think they have little in common with the classics, are in many ways much more joined than most would think. The short quick and ugly version of this analysis and the most obvious one of all is that of Darth Vader (spoiler for the older films for those having not seen them). The classics speak of his redemption, the prequels of the fall. The parallels are many more but besides the point for this article at the moment. The analysis can be found even on the official SW page unless my memory serves me wrong.

In this new addition to the franchise, Episode 7 is as some would say, so much a rhyme with its previous poems that it becomes a rewording of one of the older poems. A rehash if I may.

I find this to be true in some ways and false in others.

SW7 has a lot in common with SW4 (A New Hope). However only few of these can be directly joined between each other, whilst other parts are only similar, and others are only borrowing from each other and one would have to be a little biased to see them as rehashes. People seem to sometimes reach the point where they are trying to find similarities even in places where there are none. One of those are the character parallels. Like, who is the new Luke meant to be, the new Han Solo, etc etc. I will cover this in much more detail in my spoiler heavy review.

In my opinion, the characters are simply the characters. They are their own. Nothing more nothing less. Similarities can be drawn, but then if one goes into it with further detail similarities can be drawn between any character really, whilst the differences are just as many.

I personally found that the balance of the familiar and the completely new to be spot on, whilst even the familiar was updated and taken one step further than the classics, resulting in a work that as much as it may follow in the steps of Star Wars A New Hope, it remains to be completely its own thing entirely.

Visually, the film was amazing. Real life props and sets, puppets, actual droids, real actors in Storm Trooper gear (this plays an important role as we actually see character development even behind all that gear), real space ships (well, they don't fly but they are built to scale), and more. Real location shooting, and very minimal cgi.

Visual effects are up there, of course, and yes there are a couple of those JJ Abrams flares present as well. In some scenes they completely belong. In one specific scene though it was completely intentional I think. It was so slight and quick one might not notice it, but it was there. And that made it feel to me like a personal JJ signature in the film. I could be reading into this too much, but that flare was like JJ putting his personal style that we are used to subtly in there at a spot were another director I am assuming would not have.

Some of the CGI characters come a little out of place for many. For me, well I can't say I am completely unhappy with them, yet also neither too invested. But that is probably because they were hardly too imposing in the film.

Of all the CGI characters on the other hand I have to say I truly liked one (no spoilers so I can't mention names) of those designs and its execution a lot!

Angles, shots, and so much more about the actual filming side of it all was very effective. The action sequences were wonderful and really worth multiple viewings, clear, and very passionate.

The pace of the film was ok. It needed some fixing but nothing too special. Some parts felt a little rushed (though very few). No part felt to be a drag though. Which was a really good thing. And emotional shots took the time to create the impact they needed to create. Well, now that I remember it there was one emotional sequence that dragged a little too much. But, even that one I excuse it as it needed to be that long in order for it to make sense in the context it was in.

The story telling felt a little convenient at points or that it skipped some details to be able to make for a shorter and more reasonable screening length. From what I saw and gathered, it was truly a difficult task to balance some of those things out and include more scenes into the film. As it stands, the flow now of the film is simply perfect for the most part. Pacing problems are small enough to be a part of a singular scene at times. Meaning that the pace of the film as a whole was great.

I was also expecting the story to be a little more vague. This probably belongs to the previous chapter, but it is a more technical matter. I saw reviews claim that a lot of things are not explained and leave a lot of questions open.

I disagree to some of those claims. Some questions do rise, many of which are hardly important to care about. Whilst some other questions people may have had are the result of not paying attention as I gathered. This all really would make much more sense in a spoiler heavy review.

Anyhoot, there is the chance that a newcomer to SW would probably miss out on some things. But, even so I do not see this to be true. Why? Because the fans feel that their newcomer friends are missing things out because they know back-stories and what not. At that point as a fan you feel like you want the newcomer to learn it all.

This is not possible without making a completely tiring and boring film. And with regards to the story plot as is and for the film as a stand alone chapter, it made complete sense and I did not see a single reason why any newcomer should feel alienated in it or that they are missing out on something.

Moving forward from there, the acting was superb... simply brilliant on all parts. I loved it. Emotional, expressive, and full of unique character for each individual we are shown. Whilst, last but not least, the music (score/soundtrack) from John Williams was simply brilliant.

It lacked the impact of an amazing super track like the prequels gave us, Duel of Fates, on the other hand it has more subtle and I came out feeling it was a much more familiar Star Wars sound than the prequels. If I had to rate them I would say the prequels had a more powerful piece in it when compared to most films in the franchise, whilst The Force Awakens introduced to some more sentimental pieces that were quite fitting.

It felt I needed to have this chapter at this point... But, who am I kidding? This is something that belongs in the spoiler heavy review. My complaints and nitpicks are so small and few that the only ones I can talk about here are things like "some alien designs look a little weird" in the film, or the X-Wings being in blue instead of red, or the increased "impersonation" of Nazi Germany in the First Order, or some of the above already mentioned things (plot rehashes, etc).

These are really me trying to nitpick things about the film. These are so small that aside from 1 or 2 things that stood out to me, it was all a blast to experience and hardly anything was able to ruin my mood and viewing of the film.

JJ Abrams and Disney played it safe with this film. For some it may be a little too familiar. For the rest of us that grew up in a galaxy far far away, this should be the perfect episode we were looking for to finally put us on track towards a new Star Wars experience.

The film was sprinkled with so much emotion from my experience, I welled up plenty of times, with comedy, with action, exhilarating moments, calm and reflective moments, and interesting plot themes. The balance between how much of each was present really surpasses even the originals in my opinion.

For such a hard task to accomplish and pull off, and with so much to say and a limited time to say it, SW7 is the perfect chapter for SW I could ask for.

I'm rolling out of here with a 10/10

And, no regrets.

It is not perfect. Of course not. It has flaws, although few. It has some drawbacks however some of which are drawbacks to some and not drawbacks at all to others (for example... the more like a New Hope for me the merrier). It has things to nitpick, it has some missteps here and there. But they are like mini-hops somewhere in the background covered by all the things it got right.

And since this is my personal opinion based on 1) what I feel it deserves in my heart 2) how much fun I personally had 3) what my experience was and how many different emotions it pulled out of me and 4) what it actually managed to achieve and how hard it was... based on all that, if this film does not deserve a 10/10 then no film deserves it at this point.

Sure, I would probably give it a 9/10 rating if I was trying to be objective, maybe drop it at 8.5/10 but no less. For fans however, I would pump it to 10/10 without a second thought. As a fan, it is more than I expected and more than I could ever ask for. I actually also did feel like a child again so many times in this film. That was a monumental achievement in my books and deserved of my highest rating.

Lastly, I am also rating this according to how much more I want to see and how many more times I want to see it. When a film makes you want to see it again on the spot, then I don't care what it is it deserves a 10/10 right on the spot.

To have a little fun with this, I thought I also rate it to the classics and give my personal opinion on how it stands along side those other three films I grew up loving.

Many will disagree, but nostalgia aside, this for me is by far the best SW film I have ever seen. And no, this is not fan-boying out.

I would love to explain exactly why I feel this way and back it up with many points, unfortunately most of them are spoilers.

All I can say is that from a film stand point alone, looking at technical aspects, it has more character depth than all the classics in my opinion, the feeling of introducing characters and the force from a New Hope, the dark moments from The Empire Strikes back (yet darker), the comedy of all but simply better, a pace that is much more balanced than all the classics (Empire had plenty scenes that dragged, whilst Bespin became also a drag, and it had some flaws in the pace, A New Hope was too slow period and too little happened in it compared to SW7, Return of the Jedi had a slow start that lingered too long in Jabas palace however from there the pace kind of picked up and got to a really great point for the classics, however Return of the Jedi lacked in other areas... and so on) among other things making my pick for the top SW film of all time to be (nostalgia and childhood aside) Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens!

After that I would have to say personally that A New Hope and Return of The Jedi are side by side in second place, with The Empire coming at a close 3rd place behind them.

The reasons to them are multiple, as it is very, very, hard to place them in a certain order. Although Jedi had the most moments that were not so good from all three, it had some of my favourite and most powerful moments and largest nostalgia after A New Hope.

A New Hope had less moments that stand out as the best in the franchise and some pacing problems, but a greater nostalgia feel.

The Empire again had many moments that I found lacked the interest I was looking for, and at the same time made up for them in so many other ways (Vaders' reveal, Dagobah, etc).

All in all however, the fact is for me that SW7 is basically the best from all 3 classic films into one, with todays filming which brings much better visual advancements as well as overall themes.

Haven't seen Star Wars 7 yet? Why? o.O

If you are not a fan of Star Wars, you should check it out regardless. It has the potential to give you a great experience if not just a good one, whilst it has also the potential to make you a Star Wars fan altogether. I doubt some of the plots points that it didn't explain well enough that fans are talking about will ever even be noticeable to begin with.

If you are a Star Wars fan, I highly recommend it and wonder why you have not seen it yet.

I can't wait to see it again. I am rocking the official soundtrack to the film as I am typing up this article, and I am, as time is passing, appreciating the film more and more every second with each detail I am remembering.

I simply cannot wait to find out what happens next in one and a half years from now, though surprisingly enough the film has my Star Wars thirst quenched so much that I am cool with the wait. Another achievement in my books.

Lastly, keep an eye out for my spoiler heavy review, as I leave with a couple words on my thoughts on the characters. Something I barely touched on as it belongs much more in a spoiler review in my opinion.

Moving on towards my favourite character of them all, we have:

Leia

Chewie

BB-8

Finn

Poe

Rey

Han

and... drum roll......... my favourite character of all by far was, Kylo Ren.

Another Darth Vader? Far from it. This has got to be one of the best Star Wars villains ever.

And thats' all... for now. Till next time, may the force be with you.