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Star Wars: The Force Awakens

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Star Wars The Force Awakens Theatrical Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJ. J. Abrams
Written by
  • Lawrence Kasdan
  • J. J. Abrams
  • Michael Arndt
Based onCharacters
by George Lucas
Produced by
  • Kathleen Kennedy
  • J. J. Abrams
  • Bryan Burk
Starring
  • Harrison Ford
  • Mark Hamill
  • Carrie Fisher
  • Adam Driver
  • Daisy Ridley
  • John Boyega
  • Oscar Isaac
  • Lupita Nyong'o
  • Andy Serkis
  • Domhnall Gleeson
  • Anthony Daniels
  • Peter Mayhew
  • Max von Sydow
CinematographyDan Mindel
Edited by
  • Mary Jo Markey
  • Maryann Brandon
Music byJohn Williams
Production
companies
  • Lucasfilm Ltd.
  • Bad Robot Productions
Distributed byWalt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures
Release date
  • December 14, 2015 (2015-12-14) (Los Angeles)
  • December 18, 2015 (2015-12-18) (United States)
Running time
138 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$259–306 million
Box office$2.069 billion

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (also known as Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens) is a 2015 American epic space opera film produced, co-written, and directed by J. J. Abrams. Produced by Lucasfilm and Abrams' production company Bad Robot Productions, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the first installment in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, following Return of the Jedi (1983), and the seventh episode of the nine-part "Skywalker saga". The film's ensemble cast includes Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Max von Sydow. Set thirty years after Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens follows Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, and Han Solo's search for Luke Skywalker and their fight in the Resistance, led by General Leia Organa and veterans of the Rebel Alliance, against Kylo Ren and the First Order, a successor to the Galactic Empire.

The film was announced after The Walt Disney Company's acquisition of Lucasfilm in October 2012. The film is the first Star Wars film to not extensively involve franchise creator George Lucas, who only served as a creative consultant in the early stages of production. The film was produced by Abrams, his longtime collaborator Bryan Burk, and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, co-writer of the original trilogy films The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi, rewrote an initial script by Michael Arndt. John Williams, composer for the previous episodic films, returned to compose the score. Principal photography began in April 2014 on a $259–306 million budget and concluded the following November. Filming took place on sets at Pinewood Studios in England, and on location mainly in Abu Dhabi, Iceland, and Ireland.

The Force Awakens premiered in Los Angeles on December 14, 2015, and was released in the United States on December 18. It received positive reviews for its screenplay, direction, acting performances, musical score, visual effects, editing, and action sequences, although some critics found the movie too similar to A New Hope (1977). It broke various box office records and became the highest-grossing installment in the franchise, the highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada, the highest-grossing film of 2015, and the third-highest-grossing film at the time of its release, with a worldwide gross of over $2 billion and a net profit of over $780 million. When box office is adjusted for inflation, the film is the top-grossing sequel of all time in North America. The Force Awakens received numerous accolades, including five nominations at the 88th Academy Awards and four nominations at the 69th British Academy Film Awards, where it won the award for Best Special Visual Effects. Two sequels within the sequel trilogy have been released: The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

Plot[]

Thirty years after the Galactic Civil War,[N 1] the First Order has risen from the fallen Galactic Empire and seeks to end the New Republic. The Resistance, backed by the Republic and led by General Leia Organa, opposes the First Order. Leia searches for her brother, Luke Skywalker, who has gone missing.

On the desert planet Jakku, Resistance pilot Poe Dameron receives a map to Luke's place from Lor San Tekka. Stormtroopers commanded by Kylo Ren raid the village and capture Poe, while Kylo kills San Tekka. Poe's droid, BB-8, escapes with the map and encounters a scavenger named Rey. Kylo tortures Poe using the Force and learns of BB-8. Stormtrooper FN-2187, disillusioned by the First Order, frees Poe, and they escape in a stolen TIE fighter. Upon learning that FN-2187 has no other name, Poe gives him the name "Finn". As they head to Jakku to retrieve BB-8, a First Order Star Destroyer shoots them, and they crash-land. Finn survives and finds only Poe's jacket in the wreck, leading to the assumption of his death. Finn encounters Rey and BB-8, but the First Order tracks them and launches an airstrike. Rey, Finn, and BB-8 steal the Millennium Falcon and escape the planet.

The Falcon is discovered and boarded by Han Solo and Chewbacca. Gangs seeking to settle debts with Han attack, but the group escape in the Falcon. At the First Order's Starkiller Base, a planet converted into a superweapon, Supreme Leader Snoke allows General Hux to use the weapon for the first time on the New Republic. Snoke questions Kylo's ability to deal with emotions surrounding his father, Han Solo, who Kylo states means nothing to him.

Aboard the Falcon, Han determines that BB-8's map is incomplete. He then explains that Luke attempted to rebuild the Jedi Order, but exiled himself when an apprentice turned to the dark side, destroyed the temple, and slaughtered the other apprentices. The crew travels to the planet Takodana and meets with cantina owner Maz Kanata, who offers help getting BB-8 to the Resistance. The Force draws Rey to a secluded vault, where she finds the lightsaber once belonging to Luke and his father, Anakin Skywalker. She experiences disturbing visions and denies the lightsaber at Maz's offering. She then flees into the woods, confused and terrified. Maz gives Finn the lightsaber for safekeeping.

Starkiller Base, much like the Original Death Star, destroys the New Republic and its fleet leaving just the Resistance left. The First Order attacks Takodana in search of BB-8. Han, Chewbacca, and Finn are saved by Resistance X-wing fighters led by Poe, who survived the crash. Leia arrives at Takodana with C-3PO and reunites with Han. Meanwhile, Kylo captures Rey and takes her to Starkiller Base, but she resists his mind-reading attempts. Snoke orders Kylo to bring Rey to him. Discovering she can use the Force, Rey escapes using a Jedi mind trick on a guard (guest cameo by Daniel Craig).

At the Resistance base on D'Qar, BB-8 finds R2-D2, who had been inactive since Luke's disappearance. As Starkiller Base prepares to fire once more, the Resistance devises a plan to destroy it by attacking its thermal oscillator. Using the Falcon, Han, Chewbacca, and Finn infiltrate the facility, find Rey, and plant explosives. Han confronts Kylo, calling him by his birth name Ben, and implores him to abandon the dark side. Kylo seems to consider this, but ultimately kills his father instead. Devastated, Chewbacca shoots Kylo and sets off the explosives, allowing Poe to attack and destroy the base's thermal oscillator.

The injured Kylo pursues Finn and Rey into the woods. Finn fights Kylo with the lightsaber to protect Rey before Kylo knocks him unconscious. Rey takes the lightsaber and channels the Force to defeat Kylo in a duel; they are then separated by a fissure as the planet's surface begins to splinter. Snoke orders Hux to evacuate and bring Kylo to him to complete his training. Chewbacca rescues Rey and the unconscious Finn, and they escape aboard the Falcon. As the Resistance forces flee, Starkiller Base implodes. R2-D2 awakens and reveals the rest of the map, which leads Rey to the oceanic planet Ahch-To in the Falcon.

On Ahch-To, Rey finds Luke atop a cliff on a remote island. Without a word, she presents him with his father's lightsaber.

Cast[]

See also: List of Star Wars characters and List of Star Wars cast members
The cast of Star Wars: The Force Awakens at the 2015 San Diego Comic Con International
  • Harrison Ford as Han Solo:[1]
    A rogue and a smuggler, formerly a key player in the Rebel Alliance. Ford said, "[Han] does not aspire to the position of Obi-Wan, nor do I aspire to be some New Age Alec Guinness. His development is consistent with the character, and there are emotional elements which have occasioned his growth. [...] There's a lot of the rogue still left in Solo. Some things don't change."[2]
  • Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker:[1]
    The last Jedi, who has gone into hiding. Regarding Luke, Han, and Leia, Abrams stated: "They'd be as old and as mythic as the tale of King Arthur. They would be characters who [the new characters] may have heard of, but maybe not. They'd be characters who they might believe existed, or just sounded like a fairy tale."[3] Hamill was initially skeptical of Luke only appearing at the end of the film and called his limited screentime "a great surprise".[4] Abrams added that the film's ending was intended to be "this great long drumroll up to seeing this guy".[4]
  • Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa:
    The former princess of the destroyed planet Alderaan, now General of the Resistance, and Luke's twin sister.[1][5] After the events of Return of the Jedi, she is described as "a little more battle weary, a little more broken hearted".[6] Fisher described Leia as "Solitary. Under a lot of pressure. Committed as ever to her cause, but I would imagine feeling somewhat defeated, tired, and pissed." Abrams said: "The stakes are pretty high in the story for her, so there's not much goofing around where Leia's concerned."[7]
  • Adam Driver as Kylo Ren:
    A dark warrior who is strong with the Force, the leader of the Knights of Ren, and a high-ranking member of the First Order. He is the son of Han and Leia, nephew of Luke, and the grandson of the deceased Darth Vader.[8][9][10] Driver said the team tried "not to think of him as being bad, or evil, or a villain. Something that was more three-dimensional. He's more dangerous and unpredictable, and morally justified in doing what he thinks is right."[11]
  • Daisy Ridley as Rey:
    A highly Force-sensitive scavenger who was abandoned as a child on the desert planet Jakku and awaits her absent family's return.[12][13] Ridley said: "She's completely self-sufficient and does everything for herself, until she meets [Finn] and an adventure begins."[13]
  • John Boyega as Finn:
    A reformed First Order stormtrooper.[12][13][15] Boyega said that he learned he obtained the part "over a nice breakfast in Mayfair" during which Abrams told him, "John, you're the new star of Star Wars."[16] Boyega said: "When we find Finn, he's in incredible danger. And the way he reacts to this danger changes his life, and launches him into the Star Wars universe in a very unique way."[13] He said in another interview: "He's been taught about Luke Skywalker, he knows about his history. For him it's like joining the army and then learning about one of the great enemies of your country."[3]
  • Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron:
    A Resistance X-wing fighter pilot.[12][13] Isaac said: "He's the best freaking pilot in the galaxy, [...] He's been sent on a mission by a certain princess, and he ends up coming up across [Finn], and their fates are forever intertwined."[13]
  • Lupita Nyong'o as Maz Kanata:
    A wise and perceptive figure operating a somewhat shady cantina on the peaceful forest planet Takodana who is acquainted with Han.[17][18] Abrams said Kanata has "lived over a thousand years. She's had this watering hole for about a century, and it's like another bar that you'd find in a corner of the Star Wars universe."[19] According to Abrams, the character was based on his former high school English teacher, Rose Gilbert, who lectured at the Palisades Charter High School from 1961 to 2013. Abrams said the team "really wanted the story to feel authentic, despite being a wild fantasy. I mentioned Rose in an early story meeting as a sort of timeless, wise figure that I'd actually known in my life."[20]
  • Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke:
    The political leader of the First Order. He is Kylo Ren's master, who seduced him to the dark side and is very powerful in the dark side of the Force.[12][21] Serkis described Snoke as "quite an enigmatic character, and strangely vulnerable at the same time as being quite powerful, [...] He is large. He appears tall. And also just the facial design—you couldn't have gotten there with prosthetics. [...] Without giving too much away at this point, he has a very distinctive, idiosyncratic bone and facial structure."[22]
  • Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux:
    The commander of the First Order's Starkiller Base.[1][23] Gleeson described him as "pretty ruthless. A strong disciplinarian would be a mild way of putting it. [...] He's kind of opposite Kylo Ren. They have their own relationship, which is individual and unusual. One of them is strong in different ways than the other. They're both vying for power."[24]
  • Anthony Daniels as C-3PO:[1]
    A humanoid protocol droid in Organa's service. Daniels said the actors were allowed to experiment with their performances, and that Abrams "made a field, a playpen where you were allowed to take your time and suggest things".[25]
  • Max von Sydow as Lor San Tekka: A retired adventurer on Jakku, aiding the Resistance in finding Skywalker.[1][26]
  • Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca:[1]
    A Wookiee and Solo's longtime companion. Mayhew's double Joonas Suotamo portrays the character in several action scenes, and Ian Whyte performed stunts, as the 71-year-old Mayhew suffered from knee problems.[27][28]

Tim Rose and Mike Quinn reprise their respective roles as Admiral Ackbar and Nien Nunb from Return of the Jedi, with Erik Bauersfeld and Kipsang Rotich returning their respective voices.[14] Kenny Baker, originally announced as part of the cast, was credited as "consultant" for R2-D2,[1][14] with Jimmy Vee performing some of the work for R2-D2.[29] Ewan McGregor has an uncredited vocal cameo as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Rey's vision sequence, while archival audio of Frank Oz and Alec Guinness as Yoda and Kenobi, respectively, are also used in the same scene; Oz recorded new dialogue for the film, but it was replaced with preexisting audio from The Empire Strikes Back.[30]

Gwendoline Christie portrays Captain Phasma, the commander of the First Order's legions of stormtroopers.[17][31] Dave Chapman and Brian Herring served as puppeteers for BB-8,[32] with Bill Hader and Ben Schwartz credited as "Vocal Consultants".[33] Ken Leung appears as Statura, an admiral in the Resistance.[34] Simon Pegg appears as Unkar Plutt, the Junk parts dealer on Jakku.[23][35] Greg Grunberg plays Temmin "Snap" Wexley, an X-wing pilot.[36][37] Kiran Shah plays Teedo, a scavenger on Jakku who rides a semi-mechanical Luggabeast.[14][38] Jessica Henwick appears as Jess "Testor" Pava or Jess Testor, an X-wing pilot.[39][40][41] Brian Vernel appears as Bala-Tik, the leader of the Guavian Death Gang.[42] Yayan Ruhian and Iko Uwais appear as Tasu Leech and Razoo Qin-Fee, members of the Kanjiklub Gang, a criminal organization.[14] Warwick Davis appears as Wollivan, a tavern-dweller in Maz Kanata's castle.[43][44] Anna Brewster appears as Bazine Netal, a First Order spy, also at Maz Kanata's castle.[14] Hannah John-Kamen appears as a First Order officer.[14] Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Kate Fleetwood play First Order Petty Officers, Thanisson and Unamo, respectively.[45][46] Billie Lourd, daughter of Carrie Fisher, appears as Connix, a lieutenant in the Resistance.[47][48] Members of the Resistance include Emun Elliott as Brance[49] and Maisie Richardson-Sellers as Korr Sella[50] while Harriet Walter appears as Kalonia, the doctor who tends to Chewbacca.[51][52] Mark Stanley appears as a Knight of Ren.[52] Sebastian Armesto portrays Lieutenant Mitaka and Pip Torrens portrays Colonel Kaplan, both serving the First Order.[14]

Daniel Craig, Michael Giacchino, and Nigel Godrich cameo as stormtroopers.[53][54] Abrams' assistant, Morgan Dameron, appears as a Resistance officer,[55] while his father, Gerald W. Abrams, appears as Captain Cypress.[56] The film's dialect coach, Andrew Jack, appears as Major Ematt of the Resistance.[57] Additionally, Crystal Clarke, Pip Andersen,[58] Christina Chong,[59] Miltos Yerolemou,[60] Amybeth Hargreaves,[61] Leanne Best,[62] Judah Friedlander,[63] and Kevin Smith appear in minor roles.[64] Riot control stormtrooper FN-2199, who calls Finn a traitor during the battle on Takodana, was portrayed by stunt performer Liang Yang and voiced by sound editor David Acord.[65]

Production[]

Development[]

Star Wars creator George Lucas discussed ideas for a sequel trilogy several times after the conclusion of the original trilogy, but denied any intent to make it.[66] In October 2012, he sold his production company Lucasfilm to The Walt Disney Company.[67] Speaking alongside Lucasfilm's new president, Kathleen Kennedy, Lucas said: "I always said I wasn't going to do any more and that's true, because I'm not going to do any more, but that doesn't mean I'm unwilling to turn it over to Kathy to do more."[68]

As creative consultant on the film, Lucas attended early story meetings and advised on the details of the Star Wars universe.[67] Among the materials he turned over to the production team were his rough story treatments for Episodes VII–IX, which Lucas requested be read only by Kennedy, Bob Iger, Alan F. Horn, and Kevin A. Mayer.[67] Lucas later said Disney had discarded his story ideas and that he had no further involvement with the film.[69][70][71] Lucas' son Jett told The Guardian that his father was "very torn" about having sold the rights to the franchise and that his father was "there to guide" but that "he wants to let it go and become its new generation".[72]

From left to right: producer Kathleen Kennedy, writer and director J. J. Abrams, and writer Lawrence Kasdan speaking at 2015 San Diego Comic-Con

The Force Awakens' first screenplay was written by Michael Arndt.[73] Early drafts had Luke Skywalker appear midway through the film, but Arndt found that "every time Luke came in and entered the movie, he just took it over. Suddenly you didn't care about your main character anymore."[74] The writers decided to use Luke as the film's MacGuffin and, as something that the protagonists needed to find, would not appear in person until the final scene.[74] Arndt also developed some backstory elements for the returning characters from the original trilogy, such as how Leia was instrumental in rebuilding the Republic after the fall of the Empire before being discredited when it was publicly revealed that her biological father was Darth Vader (this would go on to become a central plot point in the canonical novel Star Wars: Bloodline).[75]

Several directors were considered, including David Fincher,[76] Brad Bird,[77] Jon Favreau,[78] and Guillermo del Toro;[79] after a suggestion by Steven Spielberg to Kennedy,[80] J. J. Abrams was named director in January 2013,[81] with Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg as project consultants.[82] Arndt worked on the script for eight months, but said he needed 18 more, which was more time than Disney or Abrams could give him.[83] The production announced Arndt's exit from the project on October 24, 2013, and Kasdan and Abrams took over script duties.[84] Abrams expressed relief that the release date was announced for December 2015 instead of a previously discussed summer release.[85] He and Kasdan planned the story while walking in Santa Monica, California, New York City, Paris, and London. The first draft was completed in six weeks.[86] Abrams said the key to the film was [returned] to the roots of the first Star Wars films and be based more on emotion than explanation.[87] In January 2014, Abrams confirmed that the script was complete.[88] In April 2014, Lucasfilm clarified that Episodes VII–IX would not feature storylines from the Star Wars expanded universe, though other elements could be included, as with the TV series Star Wars Rebels.[89]

Abrams stated that he purposely withheld some plot elements from The Force Awakens, such as Rey and Finn's last names and backgrounds. Kennedy admitted that "we haven't mapped out every single detail [of the sequel trilogy] yet", but said that Abrams was collaborating with The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson, and that Johnson would work with The Rise of Skywalker's then-director Colin Trevorrow to ensure a smooth transition and that "everybody's got a say in how we move forward with this".[90] Daisy Ridley later recounted that J. J. Abrams had written drafts for episodes 8 and 9.[91]

A fictional language was developed for use in the film by YouTube star Sara Forsberg, who created the viral video series "What Languages Sound Like To Foreigners"; Forsberg developed the language by studying various languages, such as Hindi and Gujarati.[92]

In November 2015, Lucas recorded an hour-long interview with CBS News reporter Charlie Rose in which he said Disney had not been "keen" to involve him and conceded: "If I get in there, I'm just going to cause trouble because they're not going to do what I want them to do, and I don't have the control to do that any more, and all it would do is just muck everything up."[93] He also said, "They wanted to do a retro movie. I don't like that. Every movie, I worked very hard to make them different [...] I made them completely different—different planets, different spaceships to make it new."[94][95] In early December 2015, Kathleen Kennedy told The Hollywood Reporter that Lucas had seen the movie and "liked it".[96] In the same month, at the Kennedy Center Honors, Lucas stated, "I think the fans are going to love it, It's very much the kind of movie they've been looking for."[97] Abrams felt that, as the first in a new trilogy, the film "needed to take a couple of steps backwards into very familiar terrain" and use plot elements from previous Star Wars films.[98]

Pre-production[]

In May 2013, it was confirmed that The Force Awakens would be filmed in the United Kingdom.[99] Representatives from Lucasfilm met with Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne to agree to produce The Force Awakens in the UK.[99] Osborne committed £25 million of public money towards the film, claiming it was a boost for British culture and its film industry.[100] According to production company account filings in the United Kingdom, The Force Awakens ultimately received a total of £31.6 million ($47.4 million) from the government.[101][102]

Beginning in September 2013, production spaces at the Bad Robot facility were converted for shooting of The Force Awakens for the benefit of shooting a minor portion of the film in the United States.[103] The film's costume designer was Michael Kaplan, who had previously worked with Abrams on the films Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013).[104] Film editors Mary Jo Markey and Maryann Brandon, long-term collaborators with Abrams, were also signed.[105] In August 2013, it was announced that cinematographer Daniel Mindel would be shooting the film on 35 mm film (specifically Kodak 5219).[106] In October 2013, other crew members were confirmed, including sound designer Ben Burtt, director of photography Mindel, production designers Rick Carter and Darren Gilford, costume designer Michael Kaplan, special effects supervisor Chris Corbould, re-recording mixer Gary Rydstrom, supervising sound editor Matthew Wood, visual effects supervisors Roger Guyett, and executive producer Jason McGatlin.[107][108]

Casting[]

Open auditions were held in the United Kingdom and the United States in November 2013 for the roles of Rachel and Thomas.[109] Casting began in earnest in January 2014, because of changes to the script by Kasdan and Abrams.[110] Screen tests with actors continued until at least three weeks before the official announcement in April 2014, with final casting decisions made only a few weeks earlier. Actors testing had strict nondisclosure agreements, preventing them, their agents or their publicists from commenting on their involvement.[12] Though Lucas intimated that previous cast members Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and Mark Hamill would return for the new film as early as March 2013,[67] their casting was not confirmed until over a year later.[1] Saoirse Ronan,[111] Michael B. Jordan,[112] Lupita Nyong'o[113] and Frida Gustavsson,[114] auditioned for new characters; industry publications reported Jesse Plemons was considered, possibly for Luke Skywalker's son;[115] Adam Driver for an unnamed villain;[8] and Maisie Richardson-Sellers for an unknown character.[116]

Daisy Ridley was cast by February 2014, and by the end of that month a deal had been worked out with Driver, who was able to work around his Girls schedule. Talks with Andy Serkis and Oscar Isaac began by March and continued into April. That same month, John Boyega began talks after dropping out of a Jesse Owens biopic.[12] Denis Lawson, who played Wedge Antilles in the original trilogy, declined to reprise his role, saying it would have "bored" him.[117]

In April, the cast was announced with a photo of the first table read of the script at Pinewood Studios near London, picturing director Abrams with Ford, Ridley, Fisher, Peter Mayhew, producer Bryan Burk, Lucasfilm president and producer Kathleen Kennedy, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Hamill, Serkis, Isaac, Boyega, Driver, and writer Lawrence Kasdan.[1] In June, cast additions Lupita Nyong'o and Gwendoline Christie were announced.[17] To prepare for his role, Hamill was assigned a personal trainer and a nutritionist at the request of the producers, who wanted him to resemble an older Luke.[118] Fisher was also assigned a personal trainer and a nutritionist.[118] Abrams initially considered using Daniels only in a voice role for C-3PO,[119] but Daniels opted to reprise the role physically as well; the production team built a new C-3PO costume to accommodate him.[120] A flashback scene was cut from Rey's vision (following her discovery of Luke's lightsaber), which would have featured Robert Boulter standing in for Luke as he appeared in his duel with Vader in The Empire Strikes Back.[121]

In May, Abrams announced a donation contest for UNICEF from the Star Wars set in Abu Dhabi; the winner was allowed to visit the set, meet members of the cast and appear in the film.[122] In October, Warwick Davis, who played Wicket in Return of the Jedi, as well as Wald and Weazle in The Phantom Menace (1999), announced that he would appear in The Force Awakens, but did not reveal his role.[123] In November, Debbie Reynolds confirmed that her granddaughter (Fisher's daughter), Billie Lourd, was in the film.[47]

Filming[]

The Rub' Al Khali desert around Liwa Oasis in the United Arab Emirates was used as filming location for planet Jakku

In February 2014, Abrams said filming would begin in May and last about three months.[87] The official announcement came in March, when Disney and Lucasfilm announced that principal photography would commence in May and be based at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England.[124] That month, it was revealed that pre-production filming would take place in Iceland prior to the start of official filming in May, consisting of landscape shots that would be used for scenery in the film.[125] In April, Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn confirmed that filming had begun,[126] filming in secret in the United Arab Emirates around Liwa Oasis, part of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, by a second unit.[127] Later that month, it was revealed that in addition to 35 mm film, segments of the film were being shot in the 65 mm IMAX format.[128] In July, Bad Robot reported via Twitter that the film would be at least partially shot on IMAX cameras.[129]

Principal photography began in Abu Dhabi on May 16, 2014.[130] The budget was reported to be between $259 million and 306 million.[101][131] Abrams and the cast members went to Abu Dhabi in early-May, where large sets were built on location—including a shuttle-like spacecraft, a large tower, and a big market—and where explosives were used to create a "blast crater". Cast members were spotted practicing driving vehicles that would be used during filming.[132] Production moved to Pinewood Studios in June.[133]

view over Skellig Michael showing stone beehive structures and Small Skellig island in the distance
concrete missile silo covered in grass
Skellig Michael in Ireland (top) and former RAF Greenham Common in England served as filming locations

That same month, Harrison Ford fractured his leg while filming at Pinewood after a hydraulic door on the Millennium Falcon set fell on him, and was taken to a hospital. According to Abrams, Ford's ankle "went to a 90-degree angle".[83] Production was suspended for two weeks because of Ford's injury.[134] Ford's son Ben said the ankle would likely need a plate and screws and that filming could be altered slightly, with the crew needing to shoot Ford from the waist up for a short time until he recovered.[135] A month later, Jake Steinfeld, Ford's personal trainer, said Ford was recovering rapidly.[136] Abrams also suffered a fractured vertebra in his back when he was trying to help lift the door after Ford's accident,[83] but he kept this to himself for over a month.[137] In February 2016, it was reported that the Health and Safety Executive brought four criminal charges against Disney subsidiary Foodles Production (UK), Ltd. for alleged health and safety breaches relating to Ford's accident.[138] Foodles Production (UK) Ltd was subsequently fined $1.95 million in October 2016 for two health and safety breaches, after admitting the counts at an earlier hearing.[139]

In July 2014, filming took place over three days at Skellig Michael, an island off the coast of County Kerry, Ireland, with a cast including Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridley.[140] Landscape shots for the planet Takodana were shot in July in the Lake District in the northwest of England.[141] Production was halted for two weeks in early August 2014 so Abrams could rework shooting in Ford's absence and resumed with a fully healed Ford in mid-August.[142][143] In September, the former RAF Greenham Common military base in Berkshire was used and featured set constructions of several spaceships.[144][145] Puzzlewood in the Forest of Dean Gloucestershire England was used for some scenes.[146] Principal photography ended on November 3, 2014.[147]

Post-production[]

Bad Robot Productions headquarters in Santa Monica, where Abrams supervised post-production of the film

Kathleen Kennedy said The Force Awakens would use real locations and models over computer-generated imagery.[148] Rian Johnson, director of The Last Jedi, reiterated that Abrams would use little CGI and more practical, traditional special effects, saying: "I think people are coming back around to [practical effects]. It feels like there is sort of that gravity pulling us back toward it. I think that more and more people are hitting kind of a critical mass in terms of the CG-driven action scene lending itself to a very specific type of action scene, where physics go out the window and it becomes so big so quick."[149] Abrams' intention in prioritizing practical special effects was to recreate the visual realism and authenticity of the original Star Wars.[150] To that end, the droid BB-8 was a physical prop developed by Disney Research,[151] created by special effects artist Neal Scanlan and operated live on set with the actors.[152][153] The Holochess sequence was created using stop-motion, which was supervised by Tippett Studio and overseen by Phil Tippett, who also worked on the stop-motion sequence in the original Star Wars film.[154][155][156][157]

In February 2014, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) announced plans to open a facility in London, citing Disney's Star Wars films as a catalyst for the expansion. ILM's Vancouver branch also worked on the special effects for the film.[158] Abrams supervised post-production and editing of the film at Bad Robot Productions' headquarters in Santa Monica.[83] In August 2015, he gave the film's estimated running time of 124 minutes.[159] Abrams made changes to the film's plot in the editing process to simplify the film, by removing some sequences shown in trailers: "At one point, Maz used to continue along with the characters back to the Resistance base, but we realised that she really had nothing to do there of value [...] So we ended up leaving those things out."[160] The final cut of the film runs for 138 minutes.[161]

On November 6, 2014, the film's title was announced as Star Wars: The Force Awakens.[162] In December 2015, Pablo Hidalgo, the creative executive at the Lucasfilm Story Group which handles all the canonical continuity for the Star Wars universe, revealed that the working title for the film was Shadow of the Empire "for the longest time".[163]

Music[]

Main article: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (soundtrack)

In July 2013, John Williams was confirmed to return to compose the sequel trilogy, beginning with The Force Awakens.[164] He began working on the film in December 2014, and by June 2015 had been through most of the film reels, working on a daily basis.[165][166] In May 2015, Williams said he would return to themes from the previous films, such as those for Luke, Leia, and Han, in ways that "there are a few that I think are important and will seem very much a part of the fabric of the piece in a positive and constructive way." He said that working with Abrams was similar to the process he went through with Lucas in the earlier films.[167]

Recording sessions for The Force Awakens began in June 2015 at the Sony Pictures Studios' Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage in Culver City, with William Ross conducting most of the music.[168] The first day of recording was June 1, 2015.[169] Williams attended the sessions and conducted the remainder of the recordings in Los Angeles.[170][171]

The score was recorded in 12 sessions within a five-month period between June and mid-November. The 90-piece orchestra recorded 175 minutes of music; however, Abrams reedited the film, which discarded, modified, or rerecorded the score's part for nearly an hour. Williams' theme for Snoke was recorded by a 24-voice men's chorus.[172] Gustavo Dudamel conducted the opening and end title music for the film at Williams' behest.[173] Recording of the score was completed on November 14, 2015.[174] The film's soundtrack was released by Walt Disney Records on December 18, 2015.[175] Williams' score is more than two hours long.[166]

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Abrams contributed music to the film's cantina scene. Abrams met Miranda at a performance of his Broadway musical Hamilton, where Miranda jokingly offered to compose cantina music, should it be needed. Unknown to Miranda, Williams had previously told Abrams that he did not want to compose the music for that scene, wanting to focus on the orchestral score. Abrams then contacted Miranda, and the two collaborated on the music for the scene over a period of two months.[176]

Marketing[]

Promotion[]

Disney backed The Force Awakens with extensive marketing campaigns.[177][178] Deadline Hollywood estimated the media value was $175 million;[179] its costs alongside home media revenues had later risen to $423 million by The Guardian.[180] On November 28, 2014, Lucasfilm released an 88-second teaser trailer. It was screened in selected cinemas across the United States and Canada and in theaters worldwide in December 2014. It was also released on YouTube and the iTunes Store,[181] generating 58.2 million views on YouTube in its first week.[182] Critics compared the brief footage favorably to the production values of the original trilogy. The Hollywood Reporter called the trailer "perfectly potent nostalgia", praising its mix of old and new.[183] Empire was impressed by the continuity with the first films—"the feel of classic Star Wars"—but noted the absence of Hamill, Ford, and Fisher and speculated about the significance of the new characters.[184] The Guardian wrote that the use of the Star Wars fanfare by John Williams reinforced brand loyalty among fans.[185]

Large-scale outdoor advertising for Star Wars: The Force Awakens in the city center of Nuremberg, Germany

On December 11, 2014, Abrams and Kennedy released a series of eight mock Topps trading cards revealing the names of several characters.[186] On April 16, 2015, a second teaser trailer, this one lasting two minutes, was shown at the opening panel at the Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said the reaction to the trailer was "staggering [...] the entire room of almost eight thousand people just leapt to their feet and roared, I mean I can't think of anything I've ever been to—other than a rock concert—that felt quite like that".[187] The trailer was viewed over 88 million times within the first 24 hours of release.[188] The trailer shows many of the new characters and the first footage of Chewbacca and Han Solo. The Huffington Post's Graham Milne wrote that the trailer "was an affirmation of something that we'd long been told was never going to happen. This was a gift. This was faith rewarded. About damn time."[189]

Vanity Fair was the first magazine to release an exclusive cover issue devoted to The Force Awakens. The magazine, released on May 7, 2015, featured exclusive interviews and photos of the cast photographed by Annie Leibovitz.[190][18] At the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con International, in addition to a panel with many of the actors, a behind-the-scenes look at the film demonstrated the film's use of practical sets and effects. It was positively received, with Nigel M. Smith of The Guardian writing: "The featurette's angle is a strong one and connects with fans of the original trilogy in an incredibly poignant way. It also does a sly job of teasing Fisher's new look as Leia and Simon Pegg's mysterious involvement as a rumored alien in the movie, without actually showing the actors in action." Smith compared the marketing strategy for the film to that of a previous Abrams film, Super 8, saying "the promos [...] are notable for what they tease, not what they give away."[191]

Walt Disney Studios and Lucasfilm presented a look at The Force Awakens at Disney's D23 Expo in August 2015.[192] Drew Struzan—who designed the poster artwork for the previous Star Wars films—produced a commemorative poster given to the event's attendees.[193] In October 2015, Lucasfilm unveiled the theatrical release poster and a third trailer.[194] The poster omitted Luke Skywalker and revealed a Death Star-like "orb".[195] The trailer debuted during the halftime break of Monday Night Football, before being released online.[196] The reaction to the trailer by fans on social media was "frenzied", with Lizo Mzimba of the BBC writing that "perhaps the most significant thing about the final trailer before the film's release is how little of the story it reveals."[197] Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph felt the trailer was "a perfect blend of old and new, in keeping with the old-fashioned Star Wars aesthetic".[198] The trailer received 128 million views in 24 hours. 16 million of the views came from its airing on Monday Night Football.[199] At the end of October, Air France announced a "Flight and Cinema" package, providing customers who book select flights to Paris transportation to a theater to see the film, since France was one of the first countries to release the film.[200] On November 23, a partnership with Google was announced, in which Google users could choose to affiliate themselves with either the Dark or Light Side, which would change the appearance of their Google websites. Additionally, Disney teamed up with Verizon to create a virtual-reality experience for Google Cardboard.[201]

On December 17, 2015, select theaters across the United States and Canada aired a Star Wars marathon, airing the six previous Star Wars episode films in 2D, followed by The Force Awakens in 3D. Attendees received a special lanyard featuring exclusive marathon art.[202]

Tie-in literature and merchandise[]

Disney Publishing Worldwide and Lucasfilm announced a series of at least 20 books and comics, "Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens", which were released by multiple publishers starting in late 2015, prior to the film's premiere. The series includes books by Del Rey and Disney-Lucasfilm publishers and comic books from Marvel Comics. All titles under the program are canonical to the Star Wars universe.[203] Alan Dean Foster wrote a novelization of The Force Awakens which was released in e-book form on December 18.[204] In an effort to avoid revealing plot details before the film's release, the print release of the novelization was delayed until January 2016.[204] Marvel Comics published a six-issue comic book adaptation of The Force Awakens between June and November 2016.[205]

Disney Consumer Products and Lucasfilm announced that September 4, 2015 would be deemed "Force Friday" and would be the official launch of all the merchandise for The Force Awakens. Beginning at 12:01 am, fans could buy toys, books, clothing and various other products at Disney Stores and other retailers throughout the world.[206] Disney and Maker Studios hosted an 18-hour live-streaming presentation on YouTube, showcasing multiple merchandise products beginning on September 3, 2015.[207][208] Among these products were a remote-controlled BB-8 developed by Sphero.[151] Sphero had participated in a Disney-run startup accelerator in July 2014, where they were invited into a private meeting with Disney CEO Bob Iger, in which they were shown on-set photos and imagery of BB-8 before its public unveiling.[209][210] Many retailers, such as Toys "R" Us, were unable to meet demand for Star Wars products due to the event.[211]

Video games[]

The Force Awakens is the first Star Wars film to not have a direct tie-in game to accompany it.[212] Instead, select characters, scenes and/or locations from the film became part of other Star Wars video games: Characters from the film were added to an update to the mobile game Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, available for iOS and Android and released by Electronic Arts;[213] free downloadable content for Electronic Arts' Star Wars Battlefront reboot allowed players to battle on the planet Jakku;[214] an update to the mobile game Star Wars Commander, released by Disney Mobile for iOS, Android and the Windows Store, allowed players to battle on the planet Takodana during the Galactic Civil War era;[215] and a condensed version of the film's plot becomes an add-on "playset" in the toys-to-life game Disney Infinity 3.0, with Finn, Rey, Poe Dameron, and Kylo Ren as playable characters.[216] Eventually, the film got a full Lego video game adaptation, titled Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was released by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on June 28, 2016.[217]

Release[]

Theatrical[]

The premiere tent, with the film's poster above

Star Wars: The Force Awakens premiered in Los Angeles at the TCL Chinese Theatre, El Capitan Theatre, and Dolby Theatre on December 14, 2015.[218] A white tent stretched along Hollywood Boulevard from Orange Drive to Highland Avenue, covering the "massive" premiere event that hosted more than five thousand guests.[219] The film was released in 12 countries, including European nations (such as Italy and France), the Philippines, and Thailand on December 16; 32 countries including the United Kingdom, Mexico, and additional European, Asian, African, South American, and Oceania countries on December 17; and in the United States and Canada, Japan, Spain, and Venezuela on December 18,[220] in 3D and IMAX 3D.[221] It was released in India on December 25[222] and in China on January 9, 2016.[220]

In the United States and Canada, it had the widest release of December across 4,134 theaters,[223] of which 3,300 were 3D locations, a record 392 IMAX screens (13 of which were 70mm), 451 premium large format screens, 146 D-Box locations,[224][225] as well as releasing in the Dolby Vision format (high-dynamic range, Rec. 2020 color) in Dolby Cinema.[226] Worldwide, it was released across 940 IMAX theaters, a new record.[225] On December 18, 2015, the film began playing on every IMAX screen in the United States and Canada for four straight weeks up to January 14, 2016. This made it the first film since Warner Bros.' The Hobbit trilogy to receive such a release.[227] The film finally shed some of its IMAX screens with the release of The Revenant (2015) and The Finest Hours (2016) in mid-January 2016.[228]

Advance ticket sales for the film began on October 19, 2015,[229] and were in strong demand, resulting in online movie ticket sites crashing.[230][231] Vue Cinemas, the United Kingdom's third-largest theater chain, sold 45,000 tickets in 24 hours, 10,000 of which were sold in 90 minutes, a record for the theater.[232] In the United States, the film pre-sold a record-breaking $6.5 million worth of IMAX ticket sales on a single day. IMAX has never previously registered more than $1 million in pre-sales on a single day.[233] In total, it sold over $50 million in pre-sales, breaking the record.[234][235] This number was raised to $100 million including $50–60 million in advance ticket sales by December 14.[235][236] However, not all tickets that were pre-sold were for the film's opening weekend, with Fandango President Paul Yanover saying "people have set aside tickets for screenings in January, weeks after the big opening [...] We have people buying Star Wars [The Force Awakens] into 2016. It's not just an opening-weekend phenomenon."[234] Similarly, the film broke pre-sales records in the UK,[237] Canada,[238] and Germany.[239]

The Force Awakens is the first live-action Star Wars film not to be released theatrically by 20th Century Fox; accordingly the film is not introduced with either that company's logo, or its signature fanfare composed by Alfred Newman.[240] Instead, the film is the first in the series to be distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures,[241] and the film is presented with only Lucasfilm's production logo shown silently before the main titles.[242] Disney chairman Bob Iger explained that the decision not to place Disney branding on the film was "for the fans".[243]

Home media[]

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released Star Wars: The Force Awakens via download and Disney Movies Anywhere on April 1, 2016, with a Blu-ray and DVD release on April 5.[244] The home media release contains additional footage, with eight bonus features.[245] In its first week, The Force Awakens sold 669,318 DVDs and 3.4 million Blu-rays as the most sold film on both formats in the United States.[246] That same week, The Force Awakens topped the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert chart, which tracks overall disc sales, as well as the dedicated Blu-ray sales chart with 83% of unit sales coming from Blu-ray.[247] Overall, The Force Awakens sold 2.1 million DVDs and 5.9 million Blu-rays, adding them up to get a total of 8 million copies, and made $191 million through home media releases.[246]

A Blu-ray 3D "collector's edition" of the film was released on November 15, including all the features of the original home releases, as well as several new bonus features, including new deleted scenes and audio commentary by director J. J. Abrams.[248] The package includes a Blu-ray 3D, regular Blu-ray, DVD, and digital copy of the film, as well as an additional Blu-ray disc for the bonus features.[248] On March 31, 2020, a 27-disc Skywalker Saga box set was released, containing all nine films in the series, with each film receiving three discs, a Blu-ray version, a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, and special features found on the 2011 release for the first six episodic films.[249]

Reception[]

Box office[]

Main article: List of box office records set by Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens grossed $936.7 million in the United States and Canada and $1.132 billion in other countries for a worldwide total of $2.068 billion,[241] making it the highest-grossing film of 2015[250] and the third highest-grossing film of all time.[251] Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold close to 110 million tickets in the United States and Canada.[252] The Force Awakens earned 8.6% of the total 2015 releases in the United States and Canada, second only to the 8.8% of the box office earned by Titanic in 1997.[253] It was the 24th film in cinematic history to gross $1 billion worldwide, standing as the fastest film to surpass the mark at the time, doing so in 12 days.[254] It was also the third film in history to surpass $2 billion worldwide, doing so on its 53rd day of release.[255] Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be $780.1 million, accounting for production budgets, marketing, talent participations, and other costs, with box office grosses, and ancillary revenues from home media, placing it first on their list of 2015's "Most Valuable Blockbusters".[131]

Commercial analysis[]

Analysts said that the box office receipts of the film, when compared to predecessors, must be adjusted for inflation, and that the first Star Wars film made more when this adjustment is made.[256] It has further been observed that each of the first three films in the series was more profitable in calculating revenue against production costs.[256]

While The Force Awakens was very successful in the United States and Canada, the same success was not witnessed in many overseas individual markets such as India, other certain parts of Asia and Latin America. This was attributed to it being "a retro film" and how overseas audiences do not have the same nostalgia or affinity for the film as those in the U.S. [257][258][259] The Star Wars franchise has traditionally lacked resonance with filmgoers in China, and marketing for The Force Awakens heavily focused on appealing to that market.[258][260]

Nancy Tartaglione of Deadline Hollywood argued that, if accounting for its 40/60 domestic to international split, The Force Awakens did well overseas.[259] While the film had special effects, analysts felt that it lacked the novelty factor; they also stated that its gross was stilted due to markets making way for new films sooner than was previously done.[258] Dergarabedian stated, "No matter what, [The Force Awakens] is an absolute, all-out blockbuster without peer in terms of the sheer speed at which it has crossed all of these major box-office milestones."[257] Moreover, Mike Fleming Jr. of Deadline Hollywood argued that the movie was the "most valuable movie" of the year, with "the net profit to Disney was an astounding $780.11M, and the Cash on Cash Return was twice that of any other film [released in 2016], at 2.00".[261]

United States and Canada[]

In the United States and Canada, The Force Awakens was released on December 18, 2015. It made a record-breaking $57 million from Thursday night previews,[N 2] of which IMAX screenings generated a record-breaking $5.7 million from 391 screens.[265] On its opening day, the film grossed $119.1 million, marking the biggest single- and opening-day record[266] and the first time a film has earned more than $100 million in a single day.[267] Without Thursday-night grosses, the film earned the second-largest opening-day gross[268] and a record of $247.9 million for its opening weekend.[246] The debut was 19% bigger than the previous record holders The Avengers (2012) ($207 million) and Jurassic World (2015) ($208 million).[269] The opening weekend figure included an IMAX opening-weekend record of $30.1 million (12.65%) from 391 IMAX theaters,[270][271] which nearly amounts to the $252.5 million total earned by Return of the Jedi—the second-lowest-grossing film in the series—in its original run.[272] 2D screenings accounted for 53% of the total opening gross while 3D accounted for 47%. RealD 3D comprised $78 million of the opening gross, setting a new record.[270] Revenues in the film's second weekend decreased by only 39.8% in the United States and Canada, earning $149.2 million, to remain in first place at the box office[273] and recording the biggest second weekend of all time.[274]

On January 2, after just 16 days of release, it became the second film (following Avatar) to gross over $700 million in the United States and Canada,[275] and on January 6 became the highest-grossing film of all time domestically, doing so in 20 days.[276] On January 9, it became the first film in cinematic history to cross $800 million domestically unadjusted for inflation.[277] On February 5, The Force Awakens became the first film to earn over $900 million, unadjusted for inflation, in the United States and Canada.[278][279] The film fell outside of the top ten for the first time in its eleventh weekend during the weekend February 26–28, 2016,[280][281] and did not achieve $1 million in ticket sales for the first time in its fourteenth weekend.[282]

Other territories[]

Internationally, the film was released in over 30,000 screens.[283] It opened on December 16, 2015, in 12 international markets and earned $14.1 million on its opening day, debuting at first place in all of them.[284] It expanded in an additional 42 countries on December 17, generating $58.6 million for a two-day international total of $72.7 million, reaching first place in all 44 markets.[285] It grossed a total of $129.5 million in three days after adding $56.8 million on its third day,[285] and set a new midnight record in the United Kingdom with $3.6 million.[286] It broke opening-day records in the United Kingdom ($14.4 million), Germany ($7.1 million), Australia ($6.8 million),[265] Sweden ($1.7 million), Norway ($1.1 million),[284] and in 12 other countries.[286] Other markets which generated large opening days were Spain ($3.5 million) and Japan ($3 million).[285] After the five days, The Force Awakens had a total international opening gross of $281 million from 30,000 screens, a new record for December opening[283][287] and the third-biggest international opening of all time.[288] International markets generating opening-weekend tallies of at least $10 million were the United Kingdom ($50.6 million), Germany ($27.5 million), France ($22.5 million), Australia ($19.6 million), Japan ($13.4 million), and Russia ($12.3 million). The film had the biggest opening of all time in 18 countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Russia, and Sweden.[283][289]

After five days, the film had a total worldwide opening record of $529 million from 74 territories, which was the biggest worldwide opening at that time, making it only the second time in cinematic history—after Jurassic World—that a film had opened to more than $500 million globally.[287][290] This included an IMAX opening record of $48 million.[290] Revenues from IMAX dipped slightly, generating $19 million in its second weekend, for a record total of over $70 million in 11 days.[291] IMAX generated $17.9 million from 276 IMAX theaters.[271] The film had a steeper decline in its second weekend, falling 51% to $136.9 million.[292] The film had an unsuccessful opening in India where it opened third against two local blockbusters with a mere $1.51 million.[293] As of February 2016, the highest-grossing markets outside of the United States and Canada were the United Kingdom ($180.7 million), China ($124.5 million), Germany ($109.7 million), Japan ($92.6 million), and France ($88.2 million).[294] On January 17, 2016, it passed the $1 billion mark overseas becoming the first film of Disney, the third film of 2015 and the fifth film overall to achieve this feat.[295] It topped the international box office chart for five consecutive weekends, becoming the first film since Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) to have five straight wins, before being dethroned by The Revenant in its sixth weekend.[296] In Japan, it topped the box office for six straight weekends.[296]

Critical response[]

Star Wars: The Force Awakens received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics.[297] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, which categorizes reviews only as positive or negative, 93% of 440 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.20/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Packed with action and populated by both familiar faces and fresh blood, The Force Awakens successfully recalls the series' former glory while injecting it with renewed energy."[298] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 80 out of 100 based on 55 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[299] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale; women, and people under the ages of 25 and 18 gave it an "A+", while 98% of audiences gave it either an "A" or a "B". Audiences polled by PostTrak gave the film an 88% "definite recommend" while 96% said it met or exceeded their expectations.[300]

Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph said the film "sets out to shake Star Wars from its slumber, and reconnect the series with its much-pined-for past", and "it achieves this both immediately and joyously is perhaps the single greatest relief of the movie-going year."[301] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian said that it was "both a narrative progression from the earlier three films and a shrewdly affectionate next-gen reboot", and it was "ridiculous and melodramatic and sentimental, but exciting and brimming with energy and its own kind of generosity."[302] Variety's Justin Chang wrote that the film has "sufficient style, momentum, love, and care to prove irresistible to any who have ever considered themselves fans".[303] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times described it as "a beautiful, thrilling, joyous, surprising, and heart-thumping adventure".[304] Ann Hornaday, writing for The Washington Post, thought the film had "enough novelty to create yet another cohort of die-hard fans", and the film struck "all the right chords, emotional, and narrative, to feel both familiar and exhilaratingly new."[305] The Charlotte Observer's Lawrence Toppman said Abrams had "pulled off a delicate balancing act, paying clever homage to the past."[306] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film his highest rating and called it "the best Star Wars sequel yet and one of the best films of 2015".[307] Frank Pallotta, reviewing the film for CNN Business, found it was the best Star Wars film since the original trilogy and that it "is bound to be a film experience long remembered by fans and non-fans alike".[308]

Certain critics found The Force Awakens derivative of the original Star Wars trilogy,[94] some expressing their opinion that the film was essentially a remake of A New Hope.[309] Tom Long of The Detroit News wrote that though some may find the film too similar to the original Star Wars, it leaves "the ungainly and unneeded clumsiness of the subsequent prequels far behind", with "the energy, humor, and simplicity of direction [has] been recaptured".[310] The Tribune-Star called it "basically the same" as the original film but "isn't that what we all wanted anyway?"[311] Stephanie Zacharek of Time wrote that Abrams had delivered "everything we expect, as opposed to those nebulous wonders we didn't know we wanted".[312] Reviewing for Forbes, Scott Mendelson cited the film's "top-tier production values and a strong sense of scale and scope", but felt it was so much "an exercise in fan service [that] it is only due to the charisma and talent of our newbies and J. J. Abrams' undeniable skill as a visual storyteller that the Mad Libs narrative doesn't outright destroy the picture".[313] Brian Merchant of Motherboard said that the film "is supposed to be all about exploring the unexplored, not rehashing the well-trod", and is "one of the most unabashedly creative enterprises of the 20th century has been rendered another largely enjoyable."[314] RogerEbert.com's Gerardo Valero went as far as to accuse the film of plagiarizing A New Hope and resorting to nostalgia. He felt that it "didn't [justify] a return to the universe" from not having an original story of its own to tell in the plot, characters, and musical score, negatively comparing it to George Lucas' prequel trilogy, and that some of its climactic moments felt unearned.[315]

In an interview with journalist Charlie Rose that aired on December 24, 2015, Lucas likened his decision to sell Lucasfilm to Disney to a "divorce" and outlined the creative differences between him and the producers of The Force Awakens. Lucas described the previous Star Wars films as his "children" and criticized the "retro feel" of The Force Awakens, saying: "I worked very hard to make [my films] completely different, with different planets, with different spaceships—you know, to make it new." Lucas also likened Disney to "white slavers", which drew some criticism; he subsequently apologized.[316][317] In a 2019 memoir, Disney chairman Bob Iger said that George Lucas "couldn't even hide his disappointment" towards J. J. Abrams' interpretation. According to Iger, Lucas said, "there's nothing new" after seeing the film, and that "there weren't enough visual or technical leaps forward".[318][319] Lucas preferred Rian Johnson's sequel The Last Jedi and the anthology film Rogue One (2016).[320][321]

In 2016, when directly confronted about Lucas complaints about The Force Awakens being too derivative of previous films, Abrams said, "What was important for me was introducing brand new characters using relationships that were embracing the history that we know to tell a story that is new – to go backwards to go forwards".[322][a] In 2019, Abrams apologized for how he handled Chewbacca and Leia's meeting after Han Solo's death, noting that Han Solo's best friend and widow ignore each other, with Leia instead hugging Rey (whom Leia is meeting for the first time).[324] Johnson's sequel included Leia hugging Chewbacca at the end of The Last Jedi as a way to apologize for the previous film oversight.[325][326] After being confronted about The Force Awakens, Abrams further apologized about it, saying he "wished it would have been Lucas' favorite movie", and that he was "grateful for Lucas", while understanding his complaints about the film being highly derivative of A New Hope. Abrams also said the scene of Starkiller Base destroying a solar system would have had a similar emotional impact to the Death Star destroying planet Alderaan in the original film, had he not chosen to delete scenes of a character who Leia interacted with, prior to the deleted character dying on one of the exploding planets.[327]

Johnson's initial response to the script of The Force Awakens included the suggestion of minor adjustments to the ending. According to Abrams, these improved the movie and made it line up more with The Last Jedi. Abrams intended for BB-8 to help Rey search for Luke, which Johnson changed to R2-D2 (due to being Luke's droid, as well as BB-8 belonging to Poe and not knowing Luke).[328][329] Additionally, Abrams' ending featured Rey finding Luke lifting rocks with the Force, which was changed due to Johnson's plot of Luke having disconnected himself from the Force.[330] In 2019, in another response to the criticisms towards The Force Awakens, Abrams stated that Rian Johnson advised him "not to just do something that you've seen before." In the same interview, Abrams said that he liked Snoke's death in the sequel. He also said that Johnson´s boldness of The Last Jedi, mainly in his choice of Snoke´s death, inspired him to be more original when returning for The Rise of Skywalker.[331] Abrams also has affirmed his dedication not to retroactively release alternate versions of the films, saying, "I feel like [when] you're done with a thing, ... that's what it is."[332]

Accolades[]

Main article: List of accolades received by Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Several awards held their nominations before the December release of The Force Awakens, making the film ineligible for the 73rd Golden Globe Awards and some other awards ceremonies.[333] However, the film was added to the 21st Critics' Choice Awards' slate of best picture nominees after a special vote by the board of directors,[334] and the announcement of the 2015 American Film Institute Awards was delayed until after the release of The Force Awakens,[333] where it was named one of Top Ten Films of the year.[335]

The film received five Academy Award nominations at the 88th Academy Awards, including Best Original Score, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects.[336] The film garnered four nominations at the 69th British Academy Film Awards for Best Original Music, Best Sound, and Best Production Design, including two wins, one for Best Special Visual Effects and a BAFTA Rising Star Award for John Boyega.[337] It was nominated for Best Picture at the 2016 Critics' Choice Awards.[338] The film received seven Visual Effects Society Awards nominations, winning four, including Outstanding Visual Effects in an Effects Driven Feature Motion Picture.[339][340] It received the most nominations at the 21st Empire Awards, including Best Film, Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film, Best Director for J. J. Abrams, Best Male Newcomer for John Boyega, and Best Female Newcomer for Daisy Ridley.[341] The Force Awakens received 13 nominations at the 42nd Saturn Awards, where it won in eight categories, including Best Science Fiction Film, Best Writing, Best Actor for Harrison Ford, Best Supporting Actor for Adam Driver, Best Music, Best Special Effects, Best Editing, and Best Make-Up.[342][343]

Daisy Ridley and John Boyega each received several nominations and accolades for their performances. They were nominated as Best Newcomers at various critics circle and associations, including the Alliance of Women Film Journalists,[344][345] and the Florida Film Critics Circle,[346][347] The Force Awakens received 11 nominations at the MTV Movie Awards, including Movie of the Year, Best Female Performance for Ridley, Best Breakthrough Performance for Boyega, and Best Virtual Performance for Lupita Nyong'o and Andy Serkis.[348]

Sequels[]

Main articles: Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

The Force Awakens was followed by The Last Jedi in 2017.[349] The film's plot follows the Resistance escaping from the First Order.[350] Like the previous film, The Last Jedi was a financial success and fared well with critics.[351]

A sequel to The Last Jedi was released in 2019, titled The Rise of Skywalker.[352] As the conclusion to the Skywalker narrative,[353] it focuses on the Resistance assault on the Final Order, a reorganized First Order.[350] Reactions to The Rise of Skywalker were typically negative and derisive.[354][355]

Notes[]

  1. ^ As depicted in Return of the Jedi (1983).
  2. ^ The $57 million figure incorporates revenues generated from the "Star Wars Marathon Event" from 135 theaters in which all previous six Star Wars films were shown along with Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Ticket prices cost $59.99 for all the films (including The Force Awakens) at an average of $8.57 per movie.[262][263][264]
  1. ^ In 2017, Abrams said he would not do more remakes or reboots, to instead focus on his own creations, saying: "You know, I do think that if you're telling a story that is not moving anything forward, not introducing anything that's relevant, that's not creating a new mythology or an extension of it, then a complete remake of something feels like a mistake."[323]

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Works cited[]

  • Szostak, Phil (2019). The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Abrams Books. ISBN 978-1419740381.

Further reading[]

  • Hidalgo, Pablo (2015). Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary. New York: DK Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4654-3816-4.

External links[]

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