Review: ‘Force Awakens’ the original spirit of ‘Star Wars’

Let’s get the obvious question about “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” out of the way: Is it good?

The answer is a resounding, and relieving, yes. It manages to be an homage to the original trilogy, particularly “Episode IV: A New Hope,” while also setting up a new story with new characters.

I saw the 1:30 a.m. IMAX screening Friday morning, which people started lining up for as early as 9:45 p.m. Thursday, with the line stretching the length of the west Warren Theatre’s hallways. Many fans walked around in costume, a stormtrooper here, an Obi-Wan Kenobi there. People talked about their favorite characters and what they hoped the new movie would be.

The energy among the crowd was ecstatic, especially as we all started making our way into the theater. That’s when it became real. Yes, this was really happening. It was like we were about to see friends we hadn’t seen in a very long time. And there was some major catching up to do.

The movie started with the blast of the familiar theme, and it was downright thrilling when the “Star Wars” logo lit up the screen, giving way to the opening title crawl. A rush of nostalgia and excitement poured over me, and the audience cheered.

I’m not going to say much about the story, it’s best to go into “The Force Awakens” somewhat cold. But the new blood in the series – particularly John Boyega and Daisy Ridley – carry the film well and give us lively characters. It’s refreshing to see such color-blind casting and particularly pleasing to have such a strong female character drive the plot.

There are great fan moments in the film, like when we see the Millennium Falcon again for the first time. Or when Han Solo and Chewbacca show up, or when we are first greeted by General Leia (who’s been upgraded from a princess). And everyone across the board – from Harrison Ford to Carrie Fisher – is all too game.

Director J. J. Abrams certainly had his work cut out for him, to please a legion of faithful fans burned by the ridiculous prequels while also setting the course for new adventures. He does it deftly and confidently, and we can feel his respect for the original trilogy, which was itself an homage to adventure serials. Likewise, the action here is dazzling and the battle scenes epic. Abrams smartly doesn’t let them go on too long.

The script that he co-wrote with Lawrence Kasdan (who wrote “The Empire Strikes Back”), after the initial draft by Michael Arndt, has plenty of humor, and feels like a love letter to its characters. But it also gives us insight into what has happened in the 30 years since “Return of the Jedi” took place. Our heroes have been through hard times. They have a world-weariness to them. For good and evil are still at war, with many casualties on both sides.

At its heart, “The Force Awakens” is thrilling, certainly emotional and most of all, satisfying.

It’s a solid piece of cinema with some strokes of genius at play in the story. But the smartest thing here? That Abrams gives fans what they want.

For more than the Force was awakened here. So was the spirit of the original “Star Wars.”

This story was originally published December 18, 2015 at 7:02 AM with the headline "Review: ‘Force Awakens’ the original spirit of ‘Star Wars’."