You Need Not Be A Fan To Enjoy 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'. Here Is Why.

By Abdul Ahad Naushad | 6.1k | 24 Dec 2015

Jump to find out why. One of the first things I like to do after watching a film, is discuss it with friends or fellow “cinephiles”. The problem with watching a film before nearly half the world’s population, however is that one must refrain from discussing it publicly, for the fear of incurring the wrath of people who hate spoilers. And in the case of ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’, that’s pretty much everyone I know. But if there’s thing I know for certain after watching the film, it’s that I have a moral obligation to encourage everyone to watch the film, whether they’re a Star Wars fan or not and here’s why-

Nostalgia

People who grew up watching the original trilogy (including my mother, who introduced me to the galaxy far, far away) will be able to revel in the awesomeness of seeing Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia on the big screen again. And who can forget Chewbacca?

JJ Abrams has depicted these beloved characters as having aged like wine and it is simply wonderful to see Han’s lopsided grin again. They’ve kept the original soundtrack, style of the opening credits and surprisingly the scene transitions as well. As such, even with all the inevitable modern upgrades to the series, especially the VFX, it doesn’t really feel like the series has changed all that much since ‘The Return of the Jedi’ came out 22 years ago.

Audiences new to the series will be meeting these beloved characters for the first time as do the new protagonists. By intertwining the old and new, JJ Abrams has breathed new life into the franchise and with the way he brilliantly co-wrote it with Lawrence Kasdan (who wrote the original trilogy), you will find yourself rooting for both old characters and new. Without giving spoilers, I’m going to say that this film has the same reasons to make newbies fall in love with it that made people fall for the original Star Wars back in’77.

George Lucas passing on the baton to JJ Abrams

It's visually spectacular

This film has gotten with the times by updating the VFX, which are spectacular. The aerial warfare involving X-Wings and TIE Fighters are breathtaking to watch and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The lightsaber duel(s)? have a more grounded, realistic approach, rather than the acrobatics seen in the prequel trilogy.

The look of the lightsabers has been improved as well, although they’ve kept the iconic low electric hum (designed by the genius sound designer of the original trilogy Ben Burrt) when the lightsaber is, well... “unsheathed”.

The writers have also devised a few new interesting ways to utilize the Force, which makes for some exhilarating action sequences. The cinematography is brilliant, with a few establishing shots on the desolate wasteland that is the planet Jakku standing out. There are quite a few more as well. But y’know, spoilers.

A desolate wasteland

Humor

The film, despite being one of the darker entries in the franchise, has quite a few laugh out loud moments, whether in the form of dialogue or otherwise, and you don’t have to be a die-hard fan to get the jokes.

Oscar Isaac’s character Poe Dameron does get quite a few of the best one-liners in the film and with one such dialogue in the beginning of the film, JJ Abrams lets you know that the humor in this instalment will be different than the slapstick-filled prequels (a.k.a Jar Jar Binks. “Meesa likey”).

George Lucas' biggest mistake

Daisy Ridley’s Rey and John Boyega’s Finn have some interesting exchanges and Harrison Ford proves that age is just a number when he delights you with almost every frame he’s in. And who can forget the adorable little BB-8? The well-timed reactions and beeps by this little dude make sure it more or less steals every scene it’s in.

Diversity of it's characters

One thing that sets this installment apart from the others is its portrayal of women characters. We have strong women characters on both sides of the Force such as newcomer Daisy Ridley’s Rey on the side of Light and Captain Phasma - played by Game of Thrones’ Gwendoline Christie - on the Dark side.

Calling her a badass would be an understatement

There were few actors of color in the previous films who played significant roles. The only ones who stand out are Billy Dee Williams’ Lando Calrissian and Samuel L. Jackson’s Mace Windu and even they weren’t all that significant. (James Earl Jones voiced Darth Vader but we never got to see him, so technically that doesn’t count). All of that changes with John Boyega’s Finn who plays one of the leads opposite Rey. Without giving spoilers, Finn is possibly the most intriguing character in the film with a mysterious backstory which will probably be expanded upon in the sequels.

The film broke ground with its depiction of Stormtroopers, using tragedy and humor to humanize the soldiers of The First Order. This is a departure from their bland robotic depiction in the previous films, which led some people to believe they actually were robots.

Let’s face it, it’s pure awesomeness

One reason why most people who have only seen the films in recent years or have heard about it from die-hard fans have not truly fallen in love with the series is because they never saw it for the first time. By the time most of these people jumped on the proverbial Star Wars bandwagon, they knew most of the plot and the big “plot twist” at the end of ‘The Empire Strikes Back’.

This fact is what makes ‘The Force Awakens’ so special. With the way it is brilliantly scripted and filmed, it allows newbies to enter the Star Wars world of the die-hard fans who have fallen in love with it, while making the newbies fall in love with it themselves. As the film proceeds, no distinctions are made between the die-hard fan and the newbie and it “awakens” the Force in one and all who watch it.

Well, there you have it. I’ve tried my best not to give any spoilers and I hope I’ve convinced you, especially those of you who are new to the franchise to go and watch this film. Those of you who still have your doubts can check a lot of the spoiler-free reviews available online, or check out the film’s box office returns. As of the 22nd of December, the film has grossed nearly 690 million worldwide since its premiere on the 14th. Yes, all that money in 8 days.

‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ opens in India on Christmas Day, in 2D and 3D. To get you pumped up for the film, here’s a fan-made supercut of all the trailers for the movie released so far plus some of the Comic-Con footage-