Second Take: Star Wars Episode VII lacks force to be franchise’s new hope

This week, Daily Bruin A&E is counting down to the new year by looking back at the best and worst events in the arts and entertainment world of 2015.

Today, A&E senior staff Aalhad Patankar analyzes the lack of originality in 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

Warning: This article contains plot spoilers.

I have a confession to make. Walking out of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” I have taken solace in the dark side – that really, really dark side, huddled in the corner of the internet that believes “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was a dud.

One question drove me to the dark corner where I now dwell: What did this installment add to the franchise? Aside from an occasional prod at my nostalgia through long close-ups of Harrison Ford or an occasional one-liner from Chewie, I feel the answer is very little.

Remember the haunting feeling when Darth Vader first makes his entrance to a crescendo of ominous wheezes, or the first time Darth Maul unleashes his dual saber? That feeling that some bad Sith is about to go down and some limbs are probably getting lobbed in a glorious fashion. All trailers led me to believe Kylo Ren would pick up the mantle, armed with a promising weapon. But the roar of charisma I had come to expect felt more like a gentle purr from a villain stuck in his predecessor’s shadows both in the story arc and out of it.

Maybe it was his temper tantrums, but it was hard to appreciate the visage Kylo Ren sported when Darth Vader wore it better. Despite some cool new Force tricks, Kylo Ren never really came into his own as a villain and seemed an underwhelming clone of a much more bone-chilling villain, which brings me to the main issue I had with the film.

Although it paid its due reverence to the “Star Wars” past, “The Force Awakens'” lack of originality didn’t effectively lay the groundwork for a “Star Wars” future.

Every film before it added something new to the fantastical universe George Lucas created. Even the prequels brought a new political dynamic between the Republic and the Confederacy and added lore to the mythical Sith and Jedi orders, admittedly along with some excess Gungan baggage.

“The Phantom Menace” was light-years from perfect, but it set up a new narrative canon that expanded the “Star Wars” galaxy and had its own, distinctive feel, for better or for worse. But as my dad astutely and rudely pointed out mid-movie, “The Force Awakens” was a bit like watching “A New Hope” with fresh faces.

The Empire was recast as the First Order in a familiar struggle with the Rebels. The plot to foil the bad guys was more of a copy than an homage. Even the First Order’s secret weapon, as Han Solo ironically notes, is another Death Star, just bigger. The characters may have been novel, but the adventure felt essentially the same.

We live in a movie culture where geekdom is king, which generally makes me very, very happy. When classic franchises release much-hyped, big budget additions, we expect them to acknowledge our hours of Wikipedia research and petty arguments through graceful homages and references to the source material we’ve come to love.

The reason fans geek out over small details and passionately dive into the fantasy in the first place, such as whether Han shot first or the legitimacy of “The Rule of Two,” is because we have been captivated by a wondrously imaginative world that’s rich with fascinating characters and backstory.

Whereas “The Force Awakens” did satisfy the nostalgic craving with visually fantastic space dogfights and battle choreography, it didn’t add anything new to the Star Wars world. Because of the film’s retro style, the planets feel recycled and the background characters uninspired, so there’s not much more to geek out about that can’t be attributed to mysteries in a script that leaves far too many loose ends.

The one shot it had at novelty, through the unique perspective of a brilliantly acted Finn (John Boyega), is squandered through a script that merely scratches the surface. There is much depth to be explored in an ex-stormtrooper who turns his back on the only life he knows to run toward a scary unknown. But the narrative falls short as Finn neatly finds his place as Rey’s partner, easily turning his gun on the only people he’s ever known.

Without creative vision and depth, the film feels less like an addition to the “Star Wars” cinematic universe and more like one of the millions of merchandise products the franchise produces.

So after that rant, back in my dark corner I go. But if you do happen to venture here, you will hear me chanting my mantra proudly. That the film wasn’t all bad, but felt a little rushed and haphazard. That if this is what the Force is like after its long awakening, maybe it should have stayed in bed a little bit longer.

– Aalhad Patankar