Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review (NO SPOILERS)

Three years ago, the man who revolutionized modern cinema, George Lucas, sold the company he had built from the ground up to the largest entertainment conglomerate of the world: Walt Disney Studios. After three years of development of films and plans for many more to come, the first Star Wars film to progress the overall story forward has been released. Featuring both a new generation of characters as well as the return of some fan favorites, many have hyped this film up to epic proportions. The question is, does the hype meet the expectations of the film? Well, if you're a Star Wars fan, this film definitely gives you what you want. Fun, action, and heart are abound in the galactic, space-opera story that many have been wanting since 1983. In short, this movie is awesome.

Director J.J. Abrams and writer Lawrence Kasdan have done a tremendous job at bringing back the spirit of the original trilogy in all of its glory. You've got a menacing antagonistic force in the form of the First Order, led by Kylo Ren, fighting against the resilient forces of the Resistance led by General Leia. In the midst of the conflict, we find Stormtroooper deserter Finn running away from the evil of the First Order and meeting with Rey and BB-8. As the First Order's might comes crashing down on the heroes, veteran warriors Han Solo and Chewbacca rush in to the rescue, returning to fight evil once more. The story might sound simple, but there's a lot of fun to be had here. Between Kylo Ren's unique lightsaber and his skills with it to the Millennium Falcon rocketing through space, the spectacle is an absolute joy to watch unfold on screen. Star Wars has never been better: the story is fun and invigorating, the action is stupendous, and the visual effects are jaw-dropping.

And that's not even half of the fun: the best part of this movie is meeting the newbies, the fresh faces. Headlining the newer cast is that of newcomer Daisy Ridley, and in traditional Star Wars fashion, has the chance that her predecessors had of having Star Wars be her first major role in Hollywood. And boy, does she knock it out of the park. Daisy portrays the character Rey, a girl left on the desert planet of Jakku. She's tough as nails and is actually a bit rough around the edges, but you can't really blame her - she was abandoned there without any real reason why. To see her grow from being somewhat of a loner to becoming a powerful warrior against the First Order was an absolute thrill to watch. Rey is going to capture the hearts of some, and maybe even inspire others. And as part of Lucasfilm's new initiative to have more opportunities to represent women in Star Wars, Rey is an excellent way to kick that off.  But Rey's not the only new cat in town. Joining Dasiy Ridley is the eccentric John Boyega as runaway Stormtrooper Finn. Boyega portrays an amicable and relatable man stuck with the impossible choice of running away from everything he knows. His character growth from fearful to brave throughout the movie, and it's another joy. Where Rey represents the hero within us all, Finn represents the good of the hero. His mission is really to help Rey grow, and he does it splendidly. And finally of the notable bunch is Kylo Ren, leader of the First Order. With his cross-guard broadsword lightsaber and his menacing, shrouded demeanor, he's probably the most anticipated new character of the bunch. Whenever he shows up, he absolutely pays off. He's intense, he's got a great voice to him, and his lightsaber skills are masterful to witness.

Other new characters include Oscar Isaac's Poe Damaron, Gwendoline Christie's Captain Phasma, Domhnall Gleeson's General Hux, Lupita Nyong'o as Maz Kanada and Andy Serkis' Supreme Leader Snoke, but don't get too excited for this bunch. Even though all of the actors mentioned here are absolutely top-notch, there isn't enough time to focus on them like there is when concerning Rey, Finn, BB-8 and Kylo Ren. Oscar Isaac's Poe is both fun and adventurous, akin to the Han Solo of old, he gets the short end of the stick in the movie, so it's a shame to see he isn't around for more. Lupita Nyong'o playing Maz Kanada is inspired, but again, 10 minutes with her doesn't give us much more of an impression other than the fact that she's this trilogy's Yoda. All of the extra villain characters also leave a lot to be desired: none of them ever get enough screen time to make them more interesting than their base design features, which is too bad, considering how much marketing went into these guys. While it won't detract from the overall enjoyment, the absence of any substantial contribution of most of these villain characters (the good guys do a little more) did pull me out a little bit.

As for the returning cast, Han and Chewie get the most screen time, which is probably what fans want. They're just as fun and rogue as they were 30 years ago, palling around the galaxy trying to escape the inevitable truth that they're needed on the front lines. Their involvement with Rey, Finn, and BB-8 reunites them with General Leia, C-3P0, and R2-D2 of the Resistance, as well as a few more fan favorites. Seeing all of these old characters reunite after so long is fun to watch, especially after the audience is caught up on what the old gang has been up to. It's a natural transition for them as well, so their presence doesn't feel as forced as it could have been. And for those of you wondering, where is Luke Skywalker in all of this? What's his agenda been? Well, the only thing I'll say on that matter is this: everyone else is wondering that too.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens was so much fun for an avid Star Wars fan to watch. The action is out-of-this-world, the main characters are dynamic, the lightsabers and spaceships are a breath of fresh air, and the story is an excellent re-introduction to the galaxy far, far away. While not everyone gets a shot to shine in the movie, and certain story moments seemed a bit shoehorned in for the sake of appeasing fans, it nonetheless is a fun, fantastical ride: and one people have been waiting for. If you enjoy Star Wars in the remote slightest, there's no reason for you to skip out on the sensation that's already swept the world. And if this is any indication of Star Wars' direction, then we're in for a hell of a ride.

Rating: 9/10

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Announcement Trailer Review

The wizarding world invites you back to see more adventures! A new film featuring wizards in New York City, starring Eddie Redmayne as the main character? Who WOULDN'T be excited for this? Well, the first bit of footage has released, and what does it look like? Watch the video to find out!

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Trailer 2 Review

After all this time, what's left for DC to show us before the movie is released? Apparently, a lot. A whole heck of a lot. I talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly here. Why don't you take a look?

KOKOWÄÄH - International Movie Review (NO SPOILERS)

As a student in Germany, I've had both the benefit and the task to learn how other societies live, how they interact with one another, and how they view the world. The new perspective from a citizen living in a country who often remains close-minded about the rest of the world is refreshing, and it's given me the opportunity to grow more as a person in relation to the world around me. But, how does this all relate to a film called Kokowääh? In short, I believe it doesn't hinder me from understanding fully some of the choices that the characters make. That being said, this movie still has it's fair share of mistakes made, no matter how endearing the central story is.

The story begins with us being introduced to Henry, a down-on-his-luck screenwriter living day-to-day in Berlin, Germany. He's given the opportunity to change his life around when he's offered to adapt his ex-girlfriend Katharina's successful novel into a script. During this, Henry has thrown on his plate an illegitimate daughter he accidentally had with a friend from long ago. Her name is Magdalena. As Henry tries to manage his new challenge of scripting the novel with the responsibility of taking care of this young girl, the father that had been raising her before Henry even knew, named Tristan, begins to butt heads with Henry over rights and responsibilities for Magdalena. Throughout the time that Henry spends with Magdalena, he begins to develop real, paternal instincts for her and even begins to care for her on a deep level. This care affects the relationships Henry has with Katharina, Tristan, and even the mother of the child, Charlotte.

First off, the story is endearing. This is the classic tale where a cold heart becomes warm. However, Henry does have instances of kindness before he meets Magdalena. He cares for the people he's with, he even told Katharina as much. Henry's just a guy who's drawn a few bad straws lately, and that helped me to buy into his hesitations and his character development a little bit more. The thing that boggles it down is some of the character decisions made. Why is Magdalena thrown into Henry's arms after all of this time, rather than Tristan's? Why, after Tristan and Henry meet, can't Tristan just suck it up and claim responsibility for Magdalena in the mother's absence? Why is Katharina so upset that Henry's had some hook-ups after they've already broken up? And it's because of these chatacter choices, actions, and lines of dialogue that I had trouble staying invested. As an international viewer, it was difficult enough hearing them speak in a foreign language. I just wish that some of the scenes that showcased this deterrent in the thought process of the film as a whole were removed.

The production value is also pretty good. This film by Warner Bros. DE, which is surprising because I didn't even know they had a German film division. The camera work is top notch, the settings and locations all set the mood perfectly, and the costuming is well done. Associated with all of this is the song variation that plays over montages or scene transition -  a number of songs are quite popular, which surprised me. I'm not entirely sure how music rights work, but I'm pretty sure that getting the rights to use a song in a movie is one of the most expensive ventures, more often than not. So to hear all of these popular tunes playing while the characters were driving or walking was a bit of a surprise. Although, it did make the film move along at a brisk pace.

Finally, what did I think of the acting -  international acting, no less? The names in this film will be relatively unfamiliar to my readers living in English-speaking countries, but the name of this movie is Til Schweiger, who is also the director and writer. Some might know him from more famous movies like Inglorious Bastards, where he played Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz, the Far Cry movie as Jack Carver, or Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, where he played Sean. And this guy brings it in this movie. He's often playing the subtle card, seemingly strong yet dealing with some real issues - those show later than they probably should, but it's all the same effective. The girl playing Magdalena is actually is daughter, Emma Schweiger. This was a brilliant move, because you can really see the chemistry between these two, especially later in the movie when they're closer. Finally want to give a shout-out to Samuel Finzi, who played Tristan in the movie. Probably the most effectively-used character in the film, Finzi is the one who brings the damaged portion of the story: playing a man who he thought was is daughter, only to find that someone else was. Finzi portrays Tristan masterfully, whether he's on his own and emphasizing his struggles or sharing some back-and-forth with Til, Samuel Finzi is the stand-out of the movie, and is worth seeing him interact with literally anyone else in the movie.

By the end of it all, I was seriously frustrated about some of the choices that the characters had made, but the overall theme of the story, the growth of the characters Henry and Tristan, and the performances of the three leads kept me invested enough to enjoy it just a little bit more. Some viewers who aren't German might giggle about some aspects of the movie, but it's ultimately an excellent foray into international film if you're at all interested: production value isn't an issue like it might be with other films, the acting is par for the course, and the story itself is enticing enough to get you through. And if that doesn't sound good enough, at least there's some good songs to listen to as you go through it.

Rating: 7/10