Ed's Thoughts - Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Warning – Whilst the minor details discussed here wouldn’t typically be considered *spoilers*, I know some people want to go into this film with as little information as possible. If you want spoiler-free, check out Jack's official review. You have been warned! 

The truth is, I’m not a Star Wars fan. 

Now before you rage-mash your keyboard into a galaxy far, far away let me clarify; I enjoy jumping into the world of the three Star Wars movies just as much as any casual observer, but given the fascinating obsessiveness of the legion of Star Wars fans, I simply don’t consider myself worthy to be classified among their ranks. So what did I – the casual observer – think about Episode VII - The Force Awakens? I’ll tell you as soon as I stop grinning. 

It’s probably best to address those movies that shall not be named right now. I was about the right age when the Prequel Trilogy started to come out - and I had enjoyed the previous ones - but looking back, these films were the reason why I lost interest in Star Wars. Quite apart from the story concerns that more avid viewers so frequently chastise them with; as a general film lover, my criticisms rest with the fact that they’re so blatantly boring and contrived that I find it difficult to sit through even one of them nowadays. The poor CGI and lack-of-hindsight toward shooting a blockbuster solely on digital at such an early stage in its lifecycle also frustrate me – but the visuals are but part of the problem, so let’s just continue to ignore those films for the time being. 

The Force Awakens is another brilliant lesson from J.J Abrams in how to capture the essence of a classic franchise whilst still selectively updating it for modern audiences. From the cheesy transition effects to the myriad of landscapes – J.J has built a time-capsule that will find the most uninitiated viewer fanboying out over even the most subtle nods to the original films. The reintroduction of old characters, ships, worlds and ideologies is handled with the utmost of care and with an emphasis on fun – and boy is this movie fun! From Stormtroopers backing away from Kylo Ren’s temper-tantrums to Han Solo’s greatly-missed running commentary on the ridiculousness of the situation, The Force Awakens puts as much emphasis on humour as it does adventure, with the two intermingling and playing off each other to form what I’d consider the first quality Space Opera since The Fifth Element. I’m also SO thankful that Abrams ditched the obsession with CGI for a focus on practical effects, another major reason that The Force Awakens really feels like it belongs alongside the original trilogy. 

To be fair, the movie does have its flaws. Parts of the story are occasionally rushed through with moments of blatant exposition - particularly during a conversation between Solo & Leia – and in general it feels like they’re trying to cover too much of the thirty years’ worth of changing content, but conflictingly that gracefully-choppy feeling actually brings it more in line with the style of the original trilogy anyway. Supreme Leader Snoke feels slightly out of place in the series as an actual character and whilst he & Nyong’o’s motion-capture is superbly acted out, their heavily CG’d characters stand-out like a sore thumb in a world that feels so real. There’s also not much room for a quick breather in over two hours of action and dramatics, but that’s never hurt the series before and it’s safe to say that the film is utterly exhilarating from start to finish. 

The returning characters grace the screen with ease, as if they’ve actually been off living their own lives these past few decades – something which is extremely difficult to achieve when reanimating a franchise. The old characters perfectly bolster the new, training them up to deal with the threats of the galaxy and preparing the next generation of crusaders. These new characters really do feel like they deserve to take the baton and carry the series to wherever Disney decides to take it. John Boyega’s Finn is funny and instantly charismatic - you do really hope he finds whatever redemption he’s looking for. Adam Driver returns a sinister arrogance to the dark side through Kylo Ren with just a dash of delightful innocence to keep you interested. Issac’s Poe is as cool as he is stylish with his trusty side-kick (and the cutest character since the Ewoks) BB-8. Make no mistake however, Rey is the cone that holds this film together. An extremely capable and thought-out character who’s no doubt destined for great things, just like her actor, Daisy Ridley; who plays her to perfection – Is it weird that I fanboyed more over the fact that she’s related to Dad’s Army’s Arnold Ridley rather than that she’s in a Star Wars film? 

Watching The Force Awakens exudes the same emotions that audiences must have felt watching A New Hope back in ’77. The care taken and consideration for every detail is evident from the opening crawl. Abrams has breathed new life into the dormant series and hopefully Rian Johnson will have as much success with Episode VIII. This isn’t just a tacky opportunity to relive what was lost and revel in nostalgia. The Force Awakens will make you care about Star Wars again.

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens

This is definitely the most anticipated film release of the decade. The Avengers may have come close, but the excitement for this film transcends both generations and levels of fandom alike. A lot of that anticipation also comes from whether or not this film will be a disappointment like the prequels that came before. Well, guess what? It isn't! Yay, I know, how great is that. We finally get a film that one of my friends referred to as what the prequels should have been. It's not my job though to sit and sing the film's praises without having an in depth look at what makes it tick, so let's get to it.

This is usually the part in any review where I would set the scene for what happens in a film, but since a friend told me he would end my existence if I said anything about what happens, I won't. Not even vague details. I guess this is a chance for me to hone my skills as a critic, so I shall. J.J. Abrams had said that this is his love letter to the original films and that really shows. Almost a little too much though. There was a point where I realised that they were following the original film almost beat for beat, but they happen in different places and times. Where this episode differs greatly from the prequels is the fact that there will be an overall narrative. Yes I know they did too, but we knew how they were ultimately going to end.

The nostalgia and name checking is probably the most noticeable thing in this movie and it's not at all a bad thing. The reveals are fun when they could be extremely tacky and little things that will make fans eyes sparkle, do. If we were to place this film on a dark/light spectrum, Empire being the darkest of the films, Jedi being the lightest, it goes further than Empire did by leaps and bounds. The stakes are higher than any of the films and that's great for tension and excitement. Technically, this is a beautiful looking film. The practical effects are amazing and the CGI is seamless. There are no dodgy insertions or anything hastily pasted on. I was always amazed by the lighting and how it reflects on surfaces around it, especially the lightsabers, which were more impressive than in films gone by.

It should be easy for the returning cast members to slip back into character by now (and they do it well), but to bring a new character to the screen and make them likeable is a difficult task, but the young leads do well. Daisy Ridley is phenomenal as Rey and shows incredible promise as a lead for the series and John Boyega will do remarkably well in his supporting role. Oscar Isaac is one of my favourite actors so of course I am going to demand more screen time with him, but I know we'll see more of him in the upcoming films. Both Domhnall Gleeson and Adam Driver play bad guys way too easily if you ask me.

Giving this film seems like a pretty arbitrary task to me, but I have to give it one. I wouldn't go so far as to give the first Star Wars five stars, it gets a 4 1/2 from me, and the next best is Empire, just half a star down. I'm just really justifying my score now. Go out and see it!

Star Wars VII finally gets title!

After months (if not years) of speculation, and now at the end of principal photography, Star Wars Episode VII has finally had its offical title announced as: 'Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens'

Walt Disney Pictures announced the title, and that filming had finished, on Twitter

Star Wars VII is the first in a planned sequel trilogy, that will see the saga rebooted. J.J Abrams is currently directing VII, starring Andy Serkis, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Domhnall Gleeson and Gwendoline Christie. Rian Johnson is rumoured to be taking the helm for Episode VIII.

What do you guys think of the title? Are you excited to see 'The Force Awakens'?

Benedict Cumberbatch cast as Shere Khan in Jungle Book: Origins

Fan favourite Benedict Cumberbatch has been cast as the voice of the villainous tiger Shere Khan in the live action Warner Bros. flick Jungle Book: Origins. The movie will mark the directorial debut of long time motion capture actor AndyHobbit films.

Serkis. This isn't Cumberbatch's first voice acting role, he has played the dragon Smaug in the

It will come a year and a week after Disney's own remake of the original film, starring Idris Elba as the tiger, with a release date of October 21, 2016.

Stay tuned for more updates. Story comes from Variety.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

The Planet of the Apes franchise has had a bit of a checkered history. It is generally agreed upon that Tim Burton's remake of the original 1968 classic was terrible, but prior to that there was a short series of films that directly followed the original, these being Beneath, Escape, Conquest and Battle (all with the of the Planet of the Apes suffix). Of these movies, only Escape from the Planet of the Apes was good. So I think we're kind of lucky that 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a success, especially after the franchise had died two times over.

Dawn begins a decade after Rise which ended with the hint of a virus which only affected humans was about to spread. Well this 'simian flu' (as it's called in this movie) spread and wiped out the majority of mankind. Caesar and the apes from the first film are living in a colony outside San Francisco. A group of humans led by Malcolm (Jason Clarke) stumble upon this group while trying to find a hydroelectric dam in the area and become the first humans to contact the colony. This contact, combined with distrust between the two groups, eventually leads to violence.

The evolution of the world between the last movie and this one is really amazing. The fall of human society while the ape one flourishes is a fantastic contrast. The humans don't want to return to the time just after the fall of society because they were no better than animals, while all that the apes want is a safe community where they can live.

Again there are references to previous Apes films. The opening scene is one of the apes hunting some deer. These techniques are the exact same that they will use to hunt humans in the original film. They now have horses, which is their preferred mode of transport in the original. Also the name of Caesar's wife(?) is called Cornelia, a homage to Cornelius the chimpanzee who helped Taylor the lost astronaut. There is however, no sign of the eventual status quo that we know the planet will eventually fall into, with the orang-utans as the leaders.

This cast almost reads as a who's who of my favourite actors. Aussie Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty) leads the human cast superbly and his relationship with Gary Oldman pulled at my heartstrings at times. Keri Russell, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Kirk Acevedo (my all time favourite actor) round out the human cast.

But the most praise has to go to the actors who play the apes. Motion capture technology has come so far in my lifetime and it's only going to get better. Andy Serkis (Caesar) is so good at this now, it's second nature to him. His performance is unbelievable in this movie as are the others. Toby Kebbell (RocknRolla) and Judy Greer (Arrested Development) are also great, especially being the first time they've both done this.

Verdict: A great follow up to Rise of the Planet of the Apes and the series can only get better from here.