This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
Viewing The Force Awakens outside of the context of its release is a strange experience. Without the ludicrous amount of hype building up to its opening and a crowd blindly cheering for every drop of fanservice, the film is a disappointingly dull retread of previous material. It’s an enjoyable film to be sure, but enjoyable in the way expected from JJ Abrams: flashy, fast-paced fun that ultimately rings hollow.
It’s been said a million times before, but Force Awakens really…
This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
One of the things I love about film is the way it can make me feel about fictional characters. Happiness, sadness, fear, excitement - In a well crafted movie, these are all things I can and often do experience during my viewing. One thing I’d never experienced though is disgust. Not a joking “eww” when someone’s head is cartoonishly decapitated in a horror film, but a genuine stomach churning sickness that sticks with you long after the movie is over.…
After the drought of quality filmmaking that is the first five (in chronological order) Star Wars films, rewatching the original for the first time in years is truly a transportive experience. From the first brilliant shot which immediately establishes the setting and its core struggle (as a helpless Rebel ship soars across space, dwarfed by its intimidating Imperial pursuer) to the the credits, Star Wars takes complete hold of the audience's attention through both stunning visuals and likable characters. Each…
This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
Wow, I can't believe I even complained about Solo's over-reliance on nostalgia when this exists, holy fuck. Reference upon reference with not the slightest bit of originality in between. Gareth Edwards doesn't even have the restraint to keep those elements in the background, instead deciding to violently bludgeon the viewer with egregious fan service every chance he gets, whether or not it even makes sense (man, it sucks that Bail Organa must've gotten back to Alderaan literally just as it…
