Nice.
Allow me to back up a little bit. I want to comment on some of the nice little positives of the movie before we get to the finale. For all its’ flaws, this movie has a good understanding of comedy and how a well-timed joke can make all the difference in the world. As an example, let’s take a look at the one character that I feel has stolen almost every scene in the movie that he’s in.
BB-8 Is Genuinely Funny.
Personality + Timing = Comedy.
Above all else, I believe that BB-8 is one of the finest new inventions that Disney conceived, even if his function is identical to R2-D2’s in A New Hope. From the beginning, we get a sense that this droid has a more active personality due to his relationship with Poe, and later, Rey and Finn. Each of these characters take a shine to BB-8 and almost treat him like a beloved puppy dog. When we finally get into the adventure, that’s when this little guy shines with some of the best physical gags that I’ve seen in a long time. For one thing, the thumbs up joke shown above got big laughs because of how it plays off of his relationship with Finn.
Now contrast that with Jar Jar Binks stepping in alien animal poop. That gag was stupid as all hell mainly because it reminded us of everything we hate about the character. He was clumsy, stupid, and deserved to be force-choked before the second act.
Or how about the scene where he shocks Finn because he thought that he stole Poe’s jacket earlier on? That is a scene that brings out a little bit of character without saying a single word, mostly by demonstrating that BB-8 actually sees Poe as his buddy. That is something that actually makes a character endearing to the audience without making things feel cheap.
Han Solo Is Still A God.
If nothing else, J.J. Abrams knows not to waste the talents of an actor that is this epic.
Whereas BB-8 made things work with more physical stunts, Harrison Ford brought his A-game in his final performance as Han Solo. Even though the movie is dark, his gruff demeanor adds a lot of comic relief to the proceedings and allowed us to get back to rooting for the character. Personally, I am kind of stuck on the choice of his best line, namely “That’s not how the Force works!” or how he called out Finn for his obvious crush on Rey. Han is still Han, and I can’t help but praise the flawed script for getting that right.
That being said, here’s where it gets a little iffy.
Why Is Finn The Only Newbie Who Can Crack A Joke?
Who’s the man now, huh?!
Rey is overly serious and Poe is missing from the movie, so it falls to Finn to take us home for some reason. Luckily, John Boyega is a damn fine comedic actor and plays off Han, Chewie, and BB-8 quite well. That being said, I kind of wish that there had been more for the other two newbies to do, mainly because it would restore a little bit more balance to the script and add some more personality to Rey and Poe. As I said before, Poe should have been a participant in the film until he got in his X-Wing at the Resistance base, as it would allow him to establish chemistry with the others and make us feel more for him.
That way, we can really tense up and wonder what is going to happen to him when he straps in and blasts off. In its’ current state, the script does not allow for that because of the wide gap in screen time between when he disappears and then shows up again during the Battle for Takodana. Again, it would allow for each character to fit a demonstrated function that we’ve already seen before the escape from Jakku. Allow Rey to be the mechanic that fixes a blown circuit or three, put Finn in the gun port, and give Poe the ability to pull off some jaw-dropping maneuvers in the pilot’s seat.
You see? A slight change introduces something that would make the movie even more fun… and would not stretch the audience’s suspension of disbelief.
Speaking of that, Is Rey a Mary Sue?
To Be Continued in Part 5.
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