B-Movie Serials

Our annual Christmas Day Mainstream Movie outing took us to the ultimate blockbuster. We had never seen a "Star Wars" movie before.

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (B) - This is throwback entertainment and tried-and-true storytelling that holds up over more than two hours of running time and two years of hype.

It's possible to follow this and enjoy it without knowing the complicated backstory. It is said to crib greatly from the original 1977, which might frustrate die-hards. But your expectations may vary.

There is no substantive critique I can contribute, so I'll just toss out some stray observations:

• The movie certainly perks up about a third of the way through when Harrison Ford shows up as the scruffy hero Han Solo. Ford is a retro movie star, and his wisecracks here elevate the script. He is surrounded by a bunch of new cast members, and none of the others jumps off the screen. Solo, with loyal Chewbacca in tow, gets off the funniest line of the movie. As they're skulking around a snow-covered landscape, Chewie gives a shiver, and Han Solo shoots the hairy beast a look and snorts, "You're cold?!" Ford's delivery of the tough-guy lines -- too easy by half -- betrays both the appeal and the weakness of the "Star Wars" movies. 
• The writing is cheesy, but it gets the job done. The original was rooted in the Buck Rogers sagas, and the "Star Wars" scripts (from the clips I've seen and reviews I've read) rarely rise above the B-movie level or old sci-fi serials. But the simplicity is almost refreshing; no need to overthink this.
• Of the big four newcomers, only one rises above the material. Daisy Ridley as the scrappy scavenger Rey (whose story arc mirrors that of Princess Leia in the original) succeeds by sheer determination. It helps that she has R2-D2's doppelganger, BB-8 (looking like a hyper-inflated soccer ball with a Roomba bobbing atop it), to play off of, and their banter is fun. Rey is much more Katniss Everdeen than Princess Leia, in keeping with third-wave feminism. Adam Driver ("Girls") looks desperate trying to get a handle on the pitch of Kylo Ren, this trilogy's Darth Vader; you could say that he's miscast. As is Oscar Isaac, looking completely out of place as an ace pilot for the Resistance, shouting out orders and hamming it up in front of a green-screen. John Boyega, as Finn, is a cardboard character from start to finish, and you get the sense that Boyega is just getting warmed up for Episode 8.
• Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) show up, and the warm nostalgia that surrounds them and Han Solo is woven in nicely with the New and Improved.
• The special effects and all the air battles and exploding planets get a bit tiresome. But there is enough exposition and character development to provide a balance for the narrative.
• The ending is epic and moving, a perfect way to tease the series toward the final two installments.

After sitting through a parade of previews for super-hero sagas and action flicks that all look as trite as can be, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" was a refreshing change of pace.