Analytical film review of force awakens

1. Contentand meaning- The firstscene takesplace inJakku,a small planetthatisa scrapyard for
destroyed ships.Thisiswhere we getaglimpse of ourheroin“Rey”,althoughwe donotsee herface
as it iscoveredbya mask and goggles.Thisuse of costume linksbacktothe Tuskan raidersand
Jawasfrom the original films. Thisisalready appealingtofansof the original films.She isinavast
openspace inside ashipsuggestingshe islonelyandisable todo thingsindependently.She is
lookingforscrapsshowingshe isnotwealthyandislookingforitemsthathave worth. It starts with
a close up of her face and thena wide shotof her danglingoverthe perilousdescent. Thishighangle
shotemphasiseshowbigthe dropisand mayalso suggesthow lonelyshe is.
Thisfirstshot straightawaytellsusthat thisisa fantasyfilmdue tothe vast openspace andthe
costume whichisunorthodox.This straightaway narrows downthe audience andappealstopeople
whoare fansof thisgenre.
The Non- Diegeticdialogueof “whoare you”, we can inferthattheyare talkingaboutthischaracter
as it isher onthe screen. Suggestingthatthisisa new character. Thisisgood fornew fans as it
meansthat theycan watch the newfilmswithoutwatchingthe oldonesastheycan follow the new
characters.Its purpose isto maximise possible audiences.
We can inferfromthe nextshotthat theyare the same person astheyare wearingthe same thing.
She ishikingovera vast landscape whichisagainemptysuggestingshe isalone once again. These
shotswere filmedin“AbuDhabi”asthe place is filledwithdesertsandemptylocations. Inthisshot
we get ourfirstlookat our newdroidBB8 whichappealstothe youngeraudienceswhowill be
amusedat the small droid. The propswill have takenagestoengineerbutfitswiththe genre. Its
purpose isto imitate R2D2 for the newfilms. Itisinterestingtosee how technologyhasdeveloped
since the lastfilmsasnow the droidsroll aroundon a ball. Anotherwide shotof Rey lookingoverthe
vast landscape,sofarin the trailerall we can hearis the non- diegeticsoundof the soundtrack. The
soundtrackemphasisesthe lonelinessof the firstfew shotsof ourheroin“Rey”as well asbuilding
tensionlaterinthe trailerwhen the actioncomesin.
Our nextshotshowsa CGI shipflyingwhichwillexciteoriginal StarWarsfans andletthemknow
that not muchhas changedsince the lastfilms.The shotemphasisesthe flyingshipinthe
background,itspurpose isto excite original fansandinform themthatthe show isstill goingtobe
packedwithintense chase andfightscenes. We thenhave aMid-Shotof “Rey”in full andwe then
findoutthat she is a female.Thismakesachange fromthe original filmswhere afarmajorityof the
protagonistsare male.Thisisextremelypositiveasitcreatesdiversionasinthe original filmsthe
maincharacters were predominantlymale. Thisisalongshot as the mainfocusis the shipflying.In
the foregroundwe cansee what seemslike ascrap ship. Thisisa large piece of scenerythatwas
builtinthe earlyparts of filmingandshowsthe dangerswhenflyingthese large ships.
Afterwardswe see the graphics“Lucasfilm”logowhichthenletsusknow that itis Star Wars as it is
unclearinthe beginningthisthenexcitesthe original fansastheythenknow thatthe filmsare back
as the filmwashighlyanticipated. Thisisthe firsttime thatoriginal fanshave seena Star Wars film
ina decade sothisis whenthe excitementbeginsandthe waitfinallypaysoff.
Followingthiswe see the rebellion,linkscanbe made to Nazi ralliesdue tothe rowsof storm
troopersandthe huge flagsabove the stage.The shotpans overthe endlessrowsof stormtroopers,
suggestingthatthe armyhas grown andthat the enemyhasgottenharderto destroy. The costume
that the storm trooperswearcan be immediatelyidentifiedassithdue to thembeingwidely
recognisable inthe previousfilms.

2. The nextshotis a mid-shotwhichreveals ourotherprotagonist“Finn”who isa stormtrooper.Thisis
the onlytime inall of the Star Wars filmswhere we see aStormTrooperunmasked.Whichshowsa
change from the original films,where the identityof the StormTrooperswaskeptextremelyhidden.
“Finns”face is ina state of horror and he has bloodonhishelmet,suggestinghe hasseensomething
whichhas shockedhim. The costume hasbeentamperedwiththe have abloodhandprinton itto
suggesthe has beenthroughanordeal.
The non-diegeticdialogue of “Iwasraisedto do one thing”thencan be heard.Despite notknowing
whose voice thisiswe can inferthatthisisFinnas it ishisface on the screen. Itsuggeststhathe is
not as bad as otherstormtroopersas we can inferhe isa stormtrooperin the beginningsue tohis
costume.Butthe dialogue suggestshe ischanginghisways.
We thengetanotheractionshot of a CGI shipfalling,thisagainexcitesfansof the original filmsand
letsthemknowthatthe filmwill be asgrippingasthe original films. The purpose of thisistoexcite
original fanswhosee the iconicCGIshipsas recognisable andwill wanttowatchthisfilmsto
reminisce. True fansof StarWars mayrecognise thisasan enemyshipplummetingtowardscertain
death.Thissuggeststhatthe enemyisnotas toughas theyseem. Thislongshotgivesusthe full
image of the shipand the planetwhichitisfallingto.
We thenhearthe non-diegeticvoice say, “ButI’ve gotnothingtofightfor” givingusthe impression
that Finnwhoisa stormtrooperis abandoning hislife asaStorm Trooper.Thisnon- diegetic
dialogue throughoutthe trailerisveryeerie andbuildssuspense.Ontopof that it alsogivesusmore
of an insightintothe newcharactersandtellsusmore about them.
Afterthiswe see Finnscostume has changedtomore ordinaryclothing,thisaddstothe pointthat
he is convertedtogoodas he has changedhiscostume.Anotherdetail isthe landscape whichhe is
walkingacross,thislinksbackto the start of the trailerwhere we see ourotherprotagonist“Rey”
walkingthroughasimilarlandscape.Suggestingthatthese twomaycross pathsin the filmdue to
thembeinginsimilarlocations.Thiswide shotgivesusthe impressionthatthe vastspace thatFinn
iswalkingacrossis endless.
Afterwe geta glimpse of whatwe caninferisthe villaindue tothe dark coloursandthe dark
helmet. The costume thathe iswearingalongwiththe redbackgroundall have the connotationsof
evil.We thensee amangledhelmetbelongingtoDarthVader and we can inferthatthisnew villain
will be like DarthVaderfromthe original films.We cansee him inflictingpainon“Poe”and makesit
clearthat thischaracter is a villain. The shotzoomsinonthe back of our villainaddingmysteryto
whathe lookslike.The shotisa lowangle which connotes powerandevil. The purposeof these
shotsare to add speculationof whothismysteriousmanis.Tooriginal fansitwill be acase of isthis
villaingoingtobe asbad as the previousvillainswe saw inthe original films.The costume andthe
mangledcostume inwhichthe villainistalkingtosuggests“DarthVaders”legacyliveson.
Thenwe see diegeticdialogue of ourvillain saying, “Iwill finishwhatyoustarted”referringtoDarth
Vader.Thisthenworriesthe audience asitsuggeststhatthisnew villainis more of athreatthan the
original filmsdespicable villain.
We thensee the returnof the much-lovedMillenniumFalcon. The CGI excitesoriginal fansaswe see
it once againflythroughthe sky fightingevilandwe see the returnof the iconicship.We see Finn
and ReytogethersuggestingFinnisnotavillainandmaybe a hero.We thensee Han Soloone of the
protagonistsfrom the original filmsandexcitesoriginal fans. The purposeof thisistointertwine
bothnewand oldcharacters and elements. The costume HanSoloiswearingissimilartothe one in
the original filmssuggestinghischaracterismuch of the same.

3. We thenhave diegeticdialogueof HanSolo saying, “It’strue all of it” suggestinghe iswise ashe has
beenthroughall thisbefore inthe original films.Thismidshotof HanSolomakeshimlookpowerful.
The graphics “ThisChristmas”appearon the screenmidwaythroughthe trailertoinformthe
audience of the release date of the anticipatedfilm.Thisaddstothe excitementof the filmand
generatesawideraudience.
We thensee a wide shotof “KyloRen”withsome of hisarmy surroundinghim.The shotisin a
lightningstorm.Thisconnotatesevil anddarkness.
We thena glimpse of actionandviolence betweenwhichattractsactionandthrillerfans.Thisisthe
firstbitof violence inthe trailersuggestingthere isnottoomuch violenceinthe filmbutthere are
elementsthroughoutthe film.
We see Poe andFinntogetherwhichaddstothe ideathatFinnisin fact not a villainaswe see Poe in
the beginninginpainfromourvillain“KyloRen”.We thensee the returnof the muchlovedR2D2
beingtouchedbya robotichand.Some may inferthatthisisLuke as he losthisarm in the previous
filmasit doesnotgive too muchaway yettrue fans can workit out.Thisattracts intwo waysas
original fanswill watchthe filmtofindoutif itwas infact Luke and theymay watchit to see the
returnof R2D2. Thisisan example of costume buildingtensionasthe robotichandsuggeststhe
returnof a much-lovedcharacter.
We thensee stormtroopersmarchingthrougha fierywastelandsuggestingtheyare causing
sufferingandpain. Beingledbyanewcharacter whichisa silverstormtrooper,afterwatchingthe
filmwe findoutthisiscaptain “Phasma”.This isintriguingfororiginal fansbecause she isanew
character, she isalsoleadingaflockof stormtrooperssuggestingshe ishighuponthe hierarchy.
We thensee “KyloRen”swinginghislightsabre aggressivelysuggestinghe isevil andmaybe worse
than Darth Vader.We alsosee “Rey”crying whilstlookingupsuggestingitisnotplainsailingand
somethingterrible hashappened. The propof a lightsabre isiconicforthisfilmandthe props
purpose isto excite fansof the original films.
We thensee the returnof Chewbaccawhois a much lovedcharacterand appeals tooriginal fansas
he is fansfavourite character. The costume isidentical tothe one usedinthe previousfilmsand
givesoriginal fansachance to reminisce. He isa protagonistinthe original filmsandfanswill be
happyto see himreturn. Inthis panwe see Han Solo,ChewbaccaandFinnall surrendering.
Suggestingthatthe enemyisathreat. In the backgroundwe see the CGI of shipsfighting.Thisis
showingthattheyare inthispositiondue toa failure inthe battle.
We thensee “Poe”one of the protagonistsinthe new filmflyingaship,suggestinghe isaLuke
Skywalkerequivalent.Thislinksbacktothe original filmsasLuke Skywalkerwasanexcellentpilot.
Thismay meanthat Luke doesnot returnas we now have a replacementtohischaracter. Poe is also
wearingthe iconicpilothelmetwhichisaprime example of costume beingusedtoexcite original
fans.
We thenhearthe non-diegeticwords“the force itscallingtoyou”thismay meanone of the new
characters are in fact a true jedi.Alsomeaning there mightbe anextensiontothe familytree.
We see Finnusingablue lightsaberashe battles“KyloRen”whichsuggestshow muchhischaracter
has changed.There isthena blackscreen withthe non-diegeticvoice over“justletitin”thislinks
back to the force in the original films.“MazKatana”the one who saysthisis an equivalentof yoda.

4. Afterthe blackscreenthe musickicksin as the “Star Wars” logopopsup andthisexcitesthe original
fansas theyfinallygetthe confirmationthatthisisastar wars filmandthislonganticipatedfilmis
finallyout.
General Overview-
Director- JJAbramsdirectedForce Awakens,he isandAmericanfilmdirector,producer,
screenwriter,actorandcomposer.He isa predominantlyknownforhisworkinthe genresof action,
drama and science.He isdone filmssuchas“Cloverfield”and“StarTrek” makinghimperfectforthe
job.He alsoco-wrote the plotof “The force awakens”meaninghe hada visionforthe film andknew
whathe wantedtocreate on screen,he wrote thiswithco-writer“Michael Arndt”.
He wasnominatedforbestdirectorin2014 withhisfilm“StarTrek intoDarkness”.He wonthis
award twoyearslaterwith“Force awakens.
Whenit wasannouncedthathe woulddirect“Force Awakens”speculationarose as JJAbrams had
previouslydoneall hisworkasa directorwith“ParamountPictures”makingmanypeople questionif
he was the rightchoice for that job.
Studio- After“Disney’s”acquisitionof “LucasFilms”inOctoberin2012, it meantthat the twostudios
wouldworktogethertocreate the newStar Wars franchise.The filmwasproducedbyAbramshis
collaborator“BryanBurk” and the “Lucasfilm”president“KathleenKennedy”.Thisisapositive thing
as there are elementsof the original styleof the filmasthe presidentof the original studiois
helping.Butitalsoisbringinga breathof freshair intothe mix withnew writers.
Year- FilmingbeganinApril 2014 inAbuDhabi and Iceland.ItendedinNovember2014. The filmwas
premieredinLA onDecember14 2015 before itswide releaseonDecember18.
Country- Filmingcommenced inAbuDhabi inApril 2014, thiswas forthe desertsceneswithReyand
Finn. Thisisso theycouldcreate a vastopenspace and not use a studioto create a non-lifelike
effect.Inthe same monthsceneswere alsofilmedinIceland,thisissotheycouldcreate asnowy
landscape whichisusedinthe final sceneswere the fightscenesoccur.The final scene where “Rey”
meets“Luke”were filmedinthe “Skellings”whichare a selectionof rockyislandsoff the southwest
of Ireland.Thisisbecause of the large staircase andthe rural location.
A lotof the filmingtook place in“PinewoodStudios”inthe UK.As the filmispart of the fantasy
genre itmeansa large amount of the scenescannot be filmedinactual locations.Theseare the
scenesthatare on boardships.
Budget- The budgetfor“The Force Awakens”was$306,000,000 for all the cast, crew,set,costumes
etc. Althoughinthe box office the filmmade $2.068 billionmeaningthattheymade over$1.5
billion.
Purpose- The purpose of the productionof thisfilmispurelyforprofit.Ican tell thisbecause the
trailerincorporatesbothfeaturesthe original filmsaswell asnew features.Thismeanstheycan
appeal toa youngeraudience whowill grow upwiththe new films andthe new characters.Aswell
as olderpeople whoare of the generationwhenthe firststarwarsfilmscame out.
The fact that thisfilmhasbeenhighlyanticipatedforalongperiodof time suggests thatmany
people have beenwaitingforthisandare desperate topurchase tickets.Itisthe perfectfilmto
produce as itis guaranteedtomake an extreme profit atthe box office.The 2billionbox office
figure itprovesthatthisfilmwouldalwaysbe successful.Thiswasalsoanopportunitytosell

5. Genre- Thisfilmfitssecurelyinthe Sci-Fi genre,Ican tell thisbecause of the futuristicrobotsthat
appearthroughoutthe trailer.There wasalsoelementsof advancedshipsflyingthroughthe airthis
isa prime exampleof aconnotationof Sci-Fi asmany Sci-Fi filmstake place indeepspace where
battlesandviolence occur.
The audience thatwill be intriguedbythisfilmwill be type of people whofitinthe “Explorers”
categoryin the “4C’s” scale as theyare interestedinfindingoutnew thingsandwill be interestedin
the weirdcreaturesandspaceshipsinthe film.Theymaybe considered“Geeky”andmayhave a
love forfilmssuchas “Star Trek” and“Guardians of the Galaxy”.Theywill normallybe quite
intelligenttokeepupwiththe intense storyline.
Style- I believe “Abrams”hasgone forthe nostalgic80’s style toappeal to the original fansof the
star wars films.Withthe newfilmsbeingreleasedalothas changedto them, forexample the new
characters andenemies.Thiscanbe overwhelmingfororiginal fansanditisimportantthat partsof
the original filmsstillremainfororiginalfans.
An example of thiswouldbe rightatthe beginningof the trailerwhere we see ourheroin“Rey”
wearinganextremelysimilarcostume toone of the “Tuskan Raiders”fromthe original films.The
landscape isalsosimilartoone of the original films.
Form- The filmwasshoton a 35mm lenswhichgave the original fansthe experience of how they
watcheditwhenthe oldfilmswere released.Thismade the experience of watchingthese filmsvery
special asit broughtthemrightback to theirchildhoodwhenwatchingthese films.
Usinga 65mm wouldcreate much more of an immense experience whenwatchingthe films
althoughitwill nothave the nostalgiaof usinga 35mm lensto shootthe film.Itisimportantthat
afterthe longperiodof time where there were noStarWars filmsthattheycome back withthe
same style tohelpthe original fansreminisce.