Star Wars Episode VII Awakens a New Hope for Fans

Warning: Mild Spoilers

There's no doubt that Star Wars, Episode VII: The Force Awakens draws many parallels to the original Star Wars film that aired almost thirty years ago. Whether or not these parallels contribute to or diminish the overall "goodness" of the film may be up for debate.

I could spend time dissecting the parallels and differences between the plot of ANH and TFA (stay tuned for that at a later date), but for me there was one major difference that not only separates TFA from ANH, but separates the seventh episode from the entire rest of the series: the spirit.

It comes through in the writing. Not necessarily the plot, but the dialogue and the way the characters interact with each other. I overheard someone say that TFA isn't quotable, that it lacks one-liners. Well, maybe that's because people don't talk in one-liners. Like Harrison Ford once said of Lucas' writing:

"You can type this shit, George, but you sure as hell can't say it."
(Blockbuster: How Hollywood Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Summer by Tom Shone, p. 54)

But TFA is full of lines people can say. Their words flow naturally, they talk how people really talk. We get witty back-and-forth, from Poe and Finn, Finn and Rey -- but don't think The West Wing walk-and-talk, it's not over the top. Even BB8 has a wit, when it flashes a "thumbs up" by sticking out's lighter. Han, of course, keeps up the sarcasm we know and love.

Consider this line from an opening scene, when Kylo Ren captures Poe Dameron. There's a long, awkward pause, you know, the kind everyone has had. And finally Poe says, "So who talks first? Do I talk first?" It's nervous chatter, and it's so unexpected in a Star Wars film. It's even somewhat self-aware and on the verge of parody, making fun of those dramatic entrances, undermining the villain's big first scene. Could you imagine Leia saying that to Vader in ANH? And yet it's also so perfect because you can imagine Han maybe saying something similar. It's not totally out of place.

Poe's nervousness demonstrates another part of what makes TFA feel fresh. People have emotions. Not that there are no emotions in Star Wars (Luke and Anakin are experts at whining). It's just that there are emotions other than anger.

There's honest fear in Finn's desire to flee as far away from the First Order as possible. (Compare that to Luke's eagerness to attempt to rescue a stranger, nevermind how pretty she is, from the freaking Death Star and Darth Vader. Even Han's worry of being caught in ANH is played out more as pragmatic than shakin'-in-his-boots. Not that we would expect Han to be afraid, but someone ought to be.) Meanwhile, when Rey is given Anakin's lightsaber, she flees. She doesn't want that. She just wants to be home. She just wants to see her family again. Compare that to Luke's desperate "my life is so boring I want to go fight in a war" attitude that he barely mourns his aunt and uncle before jettisoning off to Mos Eisley, so he can finally begin the adventure he'd been whining about forever. Out of both of those reactions, which one is the more probable?

There's honest joy when Rey and Finn escape the First Order and leave Jakku -- exhilarated from their success and overcoming a new challenge, they run into the hallway raving about the other's quick learning and prowess at their individual skills (flying and shooting). It was raw enthusiasm, unrestrained. While Han yells at Luke "Don't get cocky" when he celebrates hitting a TIE fighter, this is a rarity in previous Star Wars films. (Besides, we all know Ford ad libbed a line or two.) So much of Lucas' dialogue is stilted, and even Luke's spectrum of emotions is quickly tamed by Empire Strikes Back.

There's honest concern between Finn and Rey. They bond fast after their escape from Jakku -- who wouldn't after that kind of experience? For Finn, Rey is one of the first people to actually treat him like a person. So when Finn decides not to run after all, but to go back and save Rey from Kylo Ren, it feels real. The way John Boyega and Daisy Ridley perform it feels sincere and natural. There's true feeling and caring behind the words being spoken. Compare to ANH: Luke is eager to rescue Leia mainly because he thinks she's beautiful and she's a princess! Later, when Leia comforts Luke after Obi-Wan's death, it feel strange. Luke lost a person who he'd known as a strange hermit, who he'd actually known for only a couple of days. Leia lost her home planet and the people who raised her. Leia had just been imprisoned and tortured by one of the most ruthless men in the galaxy.

Are there parallels between ANH and TFA? Of course -- but isn't that what you want? The callbacks to the original trilogy, those were the moments that triggered the biggest reaction from the audience. (Good to see you too, C-3PO.) That's what makes The Force Awakens the perfect reboot of our beloved series. It takes what we loved about the old, and fixes what we hated.

The campiness? The corniness? Diminished. But the fun? It's still there.