ZIMBABWE was last week treated to the global phenomenon of science fiction in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, ahead of its United States release.
BY TATIRA ZWINOIRA
The movie, heavy on special effects which are an integral part of its sequences, was screened in 3D by Ster Kinekor Eastgate last Wednesday to a rapturous response from the audience.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens comes 38 years after the Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope debuted in 1977 followed by Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002), Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) to the current instalment.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is about a resurgence of an evil empire that threatens the balance of good versus evil hell-bent on searching for the character, Luke Skywalker.
The new film is the seventh chapter in the franchise, which sees a return of original cast members, Hollywood alumni Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill who replay their roles as Han Solo, Princess Leia and the titular hero Luke Skywalker, respectively.
The returning trio helped usher in the film’s three new leads and “big baddie” of the film, namely Hollywood newcomers, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac, who play the characters Finn, Rey and Poe Dameron respectively.
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Out of the films, three new leads, the character Rey, who plays a scavenger longing for her long lost family, gets embroiled in an adventure to fight back the evil empire after meeting the redemption seeking Finn. The chance meeting takes the two on a path to find Luke, which ultimately leads to Rey being chosen to be the new Jedi.
The story of Star Wars has become part of pop culture, with many films paying homage to the very first trilogy from 1977 to 1983.
A Jedi in the Star Wars universe is a sort of knight that is trained to protect the galaxy from threats that it faces who are trained in different fighting disciplines and the use of a powerful energy called “the force” that can be used by the dark side as well.
The film was impressive in its acting, punch lines, action sequences and humour, but was bit lagging in character development. It relied too much on Hollywood veteran Harrison Ford and did not really give its new lead a place to shine. Another bright spot was the character Finn, whose story added a humorous, but emotional impact to the overall story.
The movie was awarded 95% by international critic website Rotten Tomatoes.
