John Williams = Star Wars. There really isn't any argument against it, so don't try it! Without his masterful score for The New Hope in 1977, I feel the film would not have been as memorable and powerful as it turned out to be. So when J.J. Abrams stepped up to take on a new Star Wars film in 2015 he had a choice to make. Stick with his talented friend Michael Giacchino, or ask John Williams to return. Really, there was no choice. Williams returned and Giacchino got to play s stormtrooper in the new film. So everyone wins! I've seen a lot of negative responses to Williams new score for The Force Awakens. I'm a bit surprised by this. This score is really great in a lot of ways. But it is certainly not written in the style of the 1970s and 1980s Star Wars scores. John Williams has not written in that style in a long long time. HIs style is more complex, more detailed and in a lot of ways more dynamic than his older work. But this means that the simple clear themes he used to write are few and far between. A perfect example of his new style of theme is this lovely one he created for the new character Rey. It actually has three different elements to it, and Williams uses each element in different ways throughout the score. Sometimes he uses a single element, like the rhythm that opens this track. Other times he uses two portions, or all three of them. This theme is also highly malleable, as he can make it sound mysterious, frightened, horrified and noble. This is a testament to Williams skill. But, there is no obvious "hook" in this theme. During the film you aren't really given a clear obvious single statement of the full theme. But he uses it in various guises the entire time. For me, this is a clear winner of a theme, and the more you listen to the score, the more you hear Williams genius at work. I'm really looking forward to hearing the next couple Star Wars scores to hear how this theme changes as the character and her story evolve. So here is Rey's Theme from The Force Awakens, by John Williams
When it comes to Star Wars I'm a fan. But my fanboy days were back in the 80s and 90s. I wanted episode seven to be a good fun movie, but I was prepared for it to be less than that. I did my best to avoid spoilers, but I did read a few reviews from folks I trust (and who kept spoilers out) and they were all positive. So I was excited to see the film, but didn't feel the need to rush out and see it right away (in sharp contract to the ravenous mania that gripped me in 1999 for The Phantom Menace, yeah I was one of those fanboys). So this little post is basically my first impression of the film. I intend on seeing it again, probably at home. I've purchased all the previous films, why stop now. Once I've given the movie a second spin, I'll provide a full review. But for now... Three Things I liked
Gorgeous looking cinematography
All of the new main characters were well realized and fun
Some of the dialogue was very funny and had me laughing out loud
Three Things I didn't like
The plot structure was overly familiar
Went into fan service overdose a few times
Lacks an immediately memorable musical theme as the identity of this episode
Overall I had a really good time with The Force Awakens. It was a fun movie that felt like an extension of the original trilogy. It was good to see the original cast come back and be worked into key elements of the story and the new character's journey. I also really liked the new characters. I want to see what happens to them in the next installments. This is a well made and constructed film that delivers solid entertainment. The overly familiar plot and moments of "hey look old time fans isn't this just like the original trilogy" do end up keeping this from feeling like a fresh film. But this is a great start to a new trilogy of adventure in this universe. And for the first time in a long time, I'm looking forward to seeing this movie again and seeing the next episode. What did you think of the movie?
