THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS.
READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
“Rey, these are your first steps...” the voice of Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) whispers to
Rey as she lays eyes on a lightsaber once belonging to Anakin Skywalker.
And just like that, I’m sold. Back in the early days of this movie’s development, I was hesitant about what seemed like a continuation of the Star Wars series just for the sake of continuing it. The fear only worsened with the announcement of the title (a little on the nose, no?); the pain of the prequels and everything that went wrong there is still fresh. But J.J. Abrams has managed to bottle exactly what it was that made Star Wars great, above all the politics, battle scenes, and dubious amounts of history — the Force and all it entails.
And just like that, I’m sold. Back in the early days of this movie’s development, I was hesitant about what seemed like a continuation of the Star Wars series just for the sake of continuing it. The fear only worsened with the announcement of the title (a little on the nose, no?); the pain of the prequels and everything that went wrong there is still fresh. But J.J. Abrams has managed to bottle exactly what it was that made Star Wars great, above all the politics, battle scenes, and dubious amounts of history — the Force and all it entails.
It stands extremely simplistic, but the mysticism and themes
surrounding the concept of the Force is the beating heart of Star Wars. And beyond the fact that I am
over the moon at finally seeing a female Jedi take center stage on the big
screen (and the amount of female extras as pilots, Storm Troopers, soldiers,
etc., throughout the movie), I’m incredibly moved once again by the Force, its
heroes, and its villains. While past iterations showcasing this universe
complicated the Force, and gave it strict rules, this film sets it free and
allows the characters to interact with the mysticism and the destiny without
stricture.
THERE IS ONLY LIGHT AND DARK
First things first: this film reiterates what the conflict
between the Jedi and Sith sought to dictate — in the world, as in the Force,
there is not right and wrong or good and evil; there is only light and dark.
What we see in this film is use of the Force and the skills that go with it
born out of emotions: Rey’s desire to protect her friends and Kylo Ren’s anger
are what shape their abilities and their choices. There is no cackling emperor in a black cloak
toasting the Sith’s rule of the galaxy and telling Vader how evil he’ll become.
In fact, the dichotomy of the Jedi and Sith is brushed away by some quick lines
about how they are simply one face of a more ancient struggle. Furthermore, Ren
is explicitly stated to be conflicted, begging his shrine to Vader for guidance
and admitting to his father how “torn apart” he feels by the pull from both
Snoke and his family.
And that is a million times better to watch than men in
light robes yelling at men in dark robes about good and evil. Not to mention,
the ridiculous rules of the Jedi Order the prequels set up about monastic lives
and incredibly control of oneself are — thankfully — nowhere to be seen. It was
an attempt to expand its scope and make the Jedi more accessible, but it (along
with the stupid midichlorians dialogue) takes away from the magic that audience
feels when confronted with the mysterious will of the Force. And here, there
are no rules or guidelines, only feelings and reactions as Rey tests her powers
and, in what is possibly my new favorite scene the entire franchise, fights Ren
as they both attempt to summon Anakin’s lightsaber before it ultimately chooses
her.
"AND THAT'S ALL YOU NEED. NO PROPHECIES OR 'YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE' NONSENSE TO JUSTIFY WHY [REY] IS SO IMPORTANT. JUST THE WILL OF THE FORCE BECKONING HER AS IT DID TO LUKE."
Which brings me to my next point: the “chosen one” mumbo
jumbo (to borrow Han’s words). In the prequels, we’re informed of a rather
explicit prophecy surrounding Anakin and his destiny to “restore balance to the
Force.” Now, that bit wasn’t all bad because, like with this film, it wasn’t
clear-cut and Anakin was the reason the Force had to be brought back into
balance to begin with. And balance is such an ambiguous term in the world of
black and white morality that I’m willing to get behind it. But again, too much
explaining and not enough happening.
In the middle of the movie, we see Rey beckoned down to a chest that contains the lightsaber cut from Luke’s hand and built by his father. When she touches it, she sees flashes of the future and the past, and Maz Kanata tells her the lightsaber is now “calling” to her. And of course, there’s that scene where she and Ren battle for control of the lightsaber before it falls to her and an amazing saber duel begins. And that’s all you need. No prophecies or “you were the chosen one” nonsense to justify why this character is important. Just the will of the Force beckoning to her as it did to Luke.
In the middle of the movie, we see Rey beckoned down to a chest that contains the lightsaber cut from Luke’s hand and built by his father. When she touches it, she sees flashes of the future and the past, and Maz Kanata tells her the lightsaber is now “calling” to her. And of course, there’s that scene where she and Ren battle for control of the lightsaber before it falls to her and an amazing saber duel begins. And that’s all you need. No prophecies or “you were the chosen one” nonsense to justify why this character is important. Just the will of the Force beckoning to her as it did to Luke.
But not quite like Luke.
Another point that’s interesting to note — as of right now, Rey has no affiliation with the Skywalker family. Though it could easily be revealed in the next two films that she is Luke’s child (she does look an awful lot like Natalie Portman), and the mystery of her vanishing family does kind of linger in the brain, for now she is simply a lonely orphan girl who’s been chosen by the Force. And that’s pretty rad. It gives Rey agency in her own destiny that previous iterations of heroes did not have. Anakin’s entire existence was engineered by the Force and Luke’s pull into the conflict was the result of his overt parentage.
Rey, currently, has no such ties, which has a twofold purpose: first, it creates a situation where her importance seems elevated as being an outsider to the traditionally Force-dominant family, and two, it creates a more dangerous enemy in Kylo Ren, who finds himself extremely jealous of and angry at the prospect of his own grandfather’s lightsaber choosing her over him. As I said, she could be revealed to be Luke’s daughter in the future, considering the final shot of the film is the two standing face-to-face, with Anakin’s lightsaber between them as “The Light of the Force” theme swells. But even then, with one entire movie of Rey Insert-Last-Name-Here coming into the Force of her own decision is an incredibly strong choice.
Another point that’s interesting to note — as of right now, Rey has no affiliation with the Skywalker family. Though it could easily be revealed in the next two films that she is Luke’s child (she does look an awful lot like Natalie Portman), and the mystery of her vanishing family does kind of linger in the brain, for now she is simply a lonely orphan girl who’s been chosen by the Force. And that’s pretty rad. It gives Rey agency in her own destiny that previous iterations of heroes did not have. Anakin’s entire existence was engineered by the Force and Luke’s pull into the conflict was the result of his overt parentage.
Rey, currently, has no such ties, which has a twofold purpose: first, it creates a situation where her importance seems elevated as being an outsider to the traditionally Force-dominant family, and two, it creates a more dangerous enemy in Kylo Ren, who finds himself extremely jealous of and angry at the prospect of his own grandfather’s lightsaber choosing her over him. As I said, she could be revealed to be Luke’s daughter in the future, considering the final shot of the film is the two standing face-to-face, with Anakin’s lightsaber between them as “The Light of the Force” theme swells. But even then, with one entire movie of Rey Insert-Last-Name-Here coming into the Force of her own decision is an incredibly strong choice.
In the realm of looser parameters, Rey’s story itself also
flows a bit more freely than Luke’s and Anakin’s had. The Skywalkers’ stories were
dictated in a writer’s room by the points of the "hero’s journey" pattern of narrative and Joseph
Campbell’s excessive guidelines for what constitutes it. And while I will admit
I am still obsessed with uses of the hero’s journey, I can see here why it
feels antiquated and constraining.
Rey, like all characters, does follow these specific moments defined in the narrative's parameters (The Call, the Refusal of the Call, etc.) but it’s not as clearly outlined and all about reaction. And that’s what makes her journey into the world of the Jedi even more of a step up — she is simply reacting to the world around her and denying destiny.
Where Anakin and Luke were seeking the Jedi-ordained training in the ways of the Force, Rey is trying to keep herself and her friends alive and fearful of the possibility that she's more important than she realized. When Ren attempts to probe her mind for information, she protects herself by not only blocking him out, but pushing back and realizing what Maz told her was true: the light has always been there and "will guide (her)." She begins testing the powers in practicality as she makes her escape, not through exercises and tests (though I’m sure those are coming now that she has begun training with Luke).
It all adds up to creating something natural — in a hero whose struggle is infused with humanity.
This isn't a film review, so I won't go into minor pitfalls of the film (I'll leave that up to Lynnie). But just know that even through some clunky moments, the true soul of Star Wars shines through in the best possible character. Rey is truly a character worthy of awakening the Force and continuing the franchise in a valid, meaningful way.
"AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES [REY'S] JOURNEY INTO THE WORLD OF THE JEDI EVEN MORE OF A STEP UP — SHE IS SIMPLY REACTING TO THE WORLD AROUND HER AND DENYING DESTINY."
Rey, like all characters, does follow these specific moments defined in the narrative's parameters (The Call, the Refusal of the Call, etc.) but it’s not as clearly outlined and all about reaction. And that’s what makes her journey into the world of the Jedi even more of a step up — she is simply reacting to the world around her and denying destiny.
Where Anakin and Luke were seeking the Jedi-ordained training in the ways of the Force, Rey is trying to keep herself and her friends alive and fearful of the possibility that she's more important than she realized. When Ren attempts to probe her mind for information, she protects herself by not only blocking him out, but pushing back and realizing what Maz told her was true: the light has always been there and "will guide (her)." She begins testing the powers in practicality as she makes her escape, not through exercises and tests (though I’m sure those are coming now that she has begun training with Luke).
It all adds up to creating something natural — in a hero whose struggle is infused with humanity.
This isn't a film review, so I won't go into minor pitfalls of the film (I'll leave that up to Lynnie). But just know that even through some clunky moments, the true soul of Star Wars shines through in the best possible character. Rey is truly a character worthy of awakening the Force and continuing the franchise in a valid, meaningful way.
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