Chicago Sun-Times - All2019-12-18T02:01:00-06:00https://chicago.suntimes.com/rss/stream/207962842019-12-18T02:01:00-06:002019-12-20T17:11:56-06:00‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ review: The good (not great) side of the Force
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<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Whether together or far apart, Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) are often fighting for the upper hand in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”</p></figcaption><span class="line"></span><div class="Figure-credit"><p>Lucasfilm Ltd.</p></div></div>
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<p>Pop quiz!</p><p>Which of these lines are heard in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”?</p><p>A. “I have a bad feeling about this.”</p><p>B. “I’m the spy!”</p><p>C. “Rey, I’m your father.”</p><p>D. “Not today!”</p><p>E. “You’re weak, like your parents.”</p><p>Answer: I’m not telling, other than to say some of those lines DO appear in the eagerly anticipated, already hotly debated, sure to be polarizing, guaranteed to gross hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars Episode IX of the space opera saga.</p><div class="RatingCard Enhancement" data-module data-rating="3.0" data-align-floatRight>
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‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’
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<div class="RichTextModule-items RichTextBody"><br>Lucasfilm presents a film directed by J.J. Abrams and written by Abrams and Chris Terrio. Rated PG-13 (for sci-fi violence and action). Running time: 141 minutes. Opens Thursday at local theaters.<br></div>
</div><p>Directed and co-written by J.J. Abrams and featuring a twist and turn and surprise around nearly every corner, “The Rise of Skywalker” is an action-filled, plot-packed, unabashedly sentimental, cameo-heavy, rousing adventure.</p><p>The special effects are as fantastic as you’d expect them to be. The performances are earnest and, in some cases, emotionally impactful. (Alas, certain characters don’t get to do much other than roar with great joy and/or terrible disappointment when they witness something major happening just over … THERE.)</p><p>“The Rise of Skywalker” has some callbacks to previous chapters in the “Star Wars” canon, sometimes to cool effect. Just as often it feels as if Abrams and Co. are trying to right the ship, so to speak, for some of the perceived injustices and inconsistencies in the still controversial “The Last Jedi” from two years ago.</p><p>After the famous opening crawl and John Williams’ legendary theme song allow us to experience the traditional movie-opening goosebumps and settle in for the ride, we join the beleaguered and seemingly hopelessly overmatched surviving members of the Resistance, led by Gen. Leia Organa (the late Carrie Fisher) and the now well-established Next Generation of feisty, headstrong, loyal and brave freedom fighters:</p><p>• Daisy Ridley’s Rey, the scavenger turned Jedi in training who feels the power of the Force in a way few ever have.</p><p>• Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron, a Han Solo-esque Resistance pilot with a daredevil streak.</p><p>• John Boyega’s Finn, a former First Order stormtrooper who has become a valued and trusted leader in the Resistance.</p><p>And in this corner, representing the Dark Side, weighing in with enough family-related inner conflict to give Shakespeare a headache, we have Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren (formerly Ben Solo) — slayer of his father, Han Solo, and sworn enemy to his mother Leia and his late Uncle Luke.</p><p>If you’ve seen the trailer or read any of the online buzz, it’s no secret “The Rise of Skywalker” marks the return of heroic characters such as Billy Dee Williams’ Lando Calrissian (still smooth and uber-cool and reliable under pressure) and, most shockingly, the franchise villain of all villains, Ian McDiarmid’s Emperor Palpatine, long thought dead but maybe not so dead after all.</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center>
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<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>The ever-smooth Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) makes a return appearance in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”</p></figcaption><span class="line"></span><div class="Figure-credit"><p>Lucasfilm Ltd.</p></div></div>
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</div><p>Now, in the “Star Wars” galaxy, there are all sorts of ways in which a characters whose arc has seemingly ended can resurface. One can be a clone, or a vivid memory, or something else. I’ll leave it to you, fine viewer, to discover how and why Palpatine resurfaces.</p><p>Much of “The Rise of Skywalker” consists of metaphysical dances of strength and will and character between Rey and Kylo Ren, who don’t have to be in the same room or even on the same planet to face off with one another. (This requires Ridley and Driver to do a lot of acting in which they hold their arms out and flex like gods of thunder and lightning, while grimacing to let us know they’re using all their might to ward off that attack or lift those rocks or shoot down that fighter plane.)</p><p>Rey believes Ben Solo still lives inside the deeply conflicted Kylo Ren, who talks a mean game and enjoys choking out mere human generals who dare question his motives, but still has a rather endearing pigeon-toed gait, fashionable hair and the sensitive, wet eyes of a Beat poet. (Not that Beat poets exist in this long-ago galaxy far, far away. Or maybe they do; we can’t understand all the languages all the creatures in these movies are employing.)</p><p>Kylo Ren tells Rey her lineage is more complicated than she thinks it is, and her rightful place is alongside him. Together, they can rid the galaxy of the Jedi warriors once and for all and take their rightful place as rulers of the New and Even Bigger and Badder First Order.</p><p>Driver is one of the best young actors in the world, but he’s more convincing playing conflicted than pure, bone-chilling evil. Ridley has an uncanny ability to hold the screen, even when the screen-filling, explosion-filled, CGI battles give way to close-ups of Rey, the weight of the galaxy reflected in her expressions.</p><p>It’s always great to see old friends R2-D2 (Jimmy Vee) and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels). Even BB-8 (Dave Chapman) has grown on me. These ARE the droids we’re looking for.</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center>
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<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Archival footage allows Gen. Leia Organa (played by the late Carrie Fisher) to appear in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”</p></figcaption><span class="line"></span><div class="Figure-credit"><p>Lucasfilm Ltd.</p></div></div>
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</div><p>At times we see Leia Organa only from behind and hear the great Carrie Fisher’s voice as Leia talks to Rey, hugs Rey, advises Rey. The use of archival footage (and whatever CGI trickery that was required) is sparing and effective, and results in a lovely bit of closure for a beloved character.</p><p>There are a few moments when it feels as if this movie is trying to satisfy every “Star Wars” fanatic in the world — but that would be beyond the scope of even the most impressive Jedi mind trick.</p><p>“The Rise of Skywalker” rarely comes close to touching greatness, but it’s a solid, visually dazzling and warmhearted victory for the Force of quality filmmaking.</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center><div class="Enhancement-item">
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https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/12/18/21026951/star-wars-rise-of-skywalker-review-ix-richard-roeper-jj-abrams-rey-kylo-ren-lando-calrissian-leiaRichard Roeper2019-11-28T06:00:00-06:002019-12-20T18:08:05-06:00Baby Yoda is impossibly cute in Disney+ series ‘The Mandalorian’
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<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Bounty hunters are after an alien infant bearing a resemblance to Yoda on “The Mandalorian.</p></figcaption><span class="line"></span><div class="Figure-credit"><p>Disney+</p></div></div>
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<p>Thanksgiving is the Super Bowl of American holidays.</p><p>The stakes are never bigger, the pressure is never more intense, the highs are never higher and the lows are never lower.</p><p>I’m not saying it carries greater meaning than Christmas (for those that follow the Christian faith) or is a more significant holiday than Memorial Day or the Fourth of July.</p><p>But Thanksgiving isn’t just about Thursday. For millions, it’s a four- or five-day holiday, and can be either an annual highlight or the most torturous extended weekend of the year.</p><p>If you’re fortunate enough to not be working, there will come a time when you’ll want nothing more than to peel off on your own, find a quiet place and lose yourself in the escapist bliss of the binge-watch.</p><p>With that in mind, I’m serving up this platter of mini-reviews of streaming series and movies — some holiday-themed, some established, some brand new, some fantastic, some not so fantastic.</p><h5>‘The Mandalorian’ (Disney+)</h5><p>BABY YODA!</p><p>With ears as wide as he is tall.</p><p>In a hovercraft carriage.</p><p>From the moment this impossibly cute little dude made his entrance in “The Mandalorian,” Jon Favreau’s original Disney+ web series set five years after the events of “Return of the Jedi,” he became an instant contender for most adorable creature in the “Star Wars” universe — and launched a dizzying number of fan-geek theories about the actual identity of this infant of the same species as Yoda.</p><div class="RatingCard Enhancement" data-module data-rating="3.5" data-align-floatRight>
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The Mandalorian
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</div><p>It’s easy to understand the hullabaloo about Baby Yoda — but there’s much more to love about “The Mandalorian.” This is a visually stunning, consistently entertaining space-spaghetti-Western serial.</p><p>Pedro Pascal (“Game of Thrones,” “Narcos”) is the title character, a bounty hunter in the far outer reaches of the galaxy, beyond the authority of the New Republic.</p><p>He’s like Clint Eastwood in Robocop armor. (Even though the Mandalorian is covered in armor, Pascal impressively creates a distinctive personality through his line readings and the physicality of the character.)</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center>
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<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Pedro Pascal plays the bounty hunter title character on “The Mandalorian.”</p></figcaption><span class="line"></span><div class="Figure-credit"><p>Disney+</p></div></div>
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</div><p>“Thor: Ragnorak” and “JoJo Rabbit” director (and supporting actor) Taika Waititi voices an IG-11 bounty droid tracking down Baby Yoda. Carl Weathers, who still has that Apollo Creed onscreen charisma, is Greef Carga, who commissions assignments for the Mandalorian. Global treasure Werner Herzog is the mysterious “Client,” who employs Stormtroopers as security guards, remains loyal to the fallen Empire and will pay an enormous sum to the Mandalorian if he can deliver Baby Yoda.</p><p>“Such a large bounty for such a small package,” hisses the Client.</p><p>Ah, but is it possible the mercenary Mandalorian is having second thoughts about leaving Baby Yoda in the clutches of the wicked Client?</p><p>Stay tuned!</p><p>Or should I say logged in …</p><h5>‘Servant’ (Apple TV+)</h5><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center>
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<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Nell Tiger Free plays a nanny helping a couple bring up a baby that’s artificial (at first) on “Servant.”</p></figcaption><span class="line"></span><div class="Figure-credit"><p>Apple TV+</p></div></div>
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</div><p>The Philadelphia of the M. Night Shyamalan executive-produced “Servant” is quintessential Shyamalan Philly.</p><p>It rains. A lot.</p><p>Rooms and hallways are bathed in muted tones of brown and green and gold, as if to project a sense of joylessness and dread.</p><div class="RatingCard Enhancement" data-module data-rating="3.5" data-align-floatRight>
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</div><p>One character wears a poncho that looks like it’s from the David “Unbreakable” Dunn Collection. The house that serves as the centerpiece for much of the series could be down the block from the psychologist’s house in “The Sixth Sense.”</p><p>And yes, you can expect (but probably won’t be able to predict) some wonderfully nasty plot twists along the way.</p><p>“Servant” is a deliberately (sometimes maddeningly) paced series of 10 episodes, each roughly 30 minutes in length.</p><p>Dorothy (Lauren Ambrose) is a local TV news reporter and her husband Sean (Toby Kebell) is a work-from-home chef of some renown. When they lose their 13-week-old son Jericho, a therapist recommends therapy for the emotionally shattered Dorothy in the form of a lifelike (and oh so creepy), chillingly realistic doll.</p><p>Uh-oh.</p><p>Somehow, some way, the doll is replaced by an actual baby. WTF!</p><p>And yet that’s only about the ninth most disturbing thing to occur over the course of Season 1. (Apple TV+ has already commissioned a second season.)</p><p>Nell Tiger Free gives a classic horror character performance as Leanne the nanny, who becomes fiercely, insanely protective of the child. Rupert Grint is a long way from his days as Harry Potter’s pal Ronald Weasley in a smart and funny performance as Dorothy’s brother Julian, who’s a bit of mess (he’s always swilling wine and he has other substance addiction issues) but also the closest thing to a character we can relate to in the story.</p><p>Julian is as freaked out as we are by the goings-on in the multi-story house where Dorothy and Sean and their maybe-baby live.</p><p>But like us, Julius can’t resist opening doors better left shut, listening to conversations better left unheard and seeing things one can never un-see.</p><h5>‘Klaus’ (Netflix)</h5><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center>
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<img class="Image" alt="Screen_Shot_2019_11_25_at_7.54.04_PM.png" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/eb79ed7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/499x280+0+0/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2F_WTIoZu084MqVFNI8_8uMBlhqJk%3D%2F0x0%3A499x280%2F499x280%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28250x140%3A251x141%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F19409201%2FScreen_Shot_2019_11_25_at_7.54.04_PM.png 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8b34d34/2147483647/strip/true/crop/499x280+0+0/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2F_WTIoZu084MqVFNI8_8uMBlhqJk%3D%2F0x0%3A499x280%2F499x280%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28250x140%3A251x141%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F19409201%2FScreen_Shot_2019_11_25_at_7.54.04_PM.png 2x" width="490" height="275"
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<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>A small-town postmaster (left, voice of Jason Schwartzman) brings kids’ requests to a toymaking woodsman (J.K. Simmons) in “Klaus.” </p></figcaption><span class="line"></span><div class="Figure-credit"><p>Netflix</p></div></div>
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</div><p>Welcome to one of the strangest Santa Claus origins stories ever. “Klaus” is a weird, meandering tale — but it has a distinctive visual style and a sly sense of humor and features brilliant voice work from the ensemble cast.</p><p>Jason Schwartzman is the indifferent Jesper, a cadet at the Postal Academy who thinks he’ll glide by without even trying because his father (Sam McMurray) is Postmaster General. But dad is fed up, so he sends the lad to the Arctic outpost of Smeerensburg and says Jesper must process 6,000 letters within the year or he’ll be cut off.</p><div class="RatingCard Enhancement" data-module data-rating="3.0" data-align-floatRight>
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Klaus
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</div><p>Smeerensburg is a bleak and joyless town. Nobody is interested in Jesper’s desperate campaign to encourage mail service.</p><p>Until one little boy’s drawing finds its way to the home of the giant-sized, reclusive and scary woodsman Klaus (J.K. Simmons), a widower who has hand-crafted literally hundreds of toys for years even though he and his late wife never had any children.</p><p>The wonderful Rashida Jones voices a teacher who could become a love interest for Jesper. And any movie that casts Norm Macdonald as a cynical boat captain who sounds exactly like Norm MacDdnald is all right by me.</p><h5>‘Noelle’ (Disney+)</h5><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center>
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<img class="Image" alt="nol_nr_002_0070_r_34a738bf.jpeg" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/272f4a9/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2865x1608+487+0/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2Fn1jo9W-tNYXOgdpo6a5RwNyTO24%3D%2F0x0%3A3840x1608%2F3840x1608%2Ffilters%3Afocal%281920x804%3A1921x805%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F19409231%2Fnol_nr_002_0070_r_34a738bf.jpeg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/38497c7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2865x1608+487+0/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2Fn1jo9W-tNYXOgdpo6a5RwNyTO24%3D%2F0x0%3A3840x1608%2F3840x1608%2Ffilters%3Afocal%281920x804%3A1921x805%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F19409231%2Fnol_nr_002_0070_r_34a738bf.jpeg 2x" width="490" height="275"
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<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Santa’s daughter (Anna Kendrick) has a baby flying reindeer in “Noelle.”</p></figcaption><span class="line"></span><div class="Figure-credit"><p>Disney+</p></div></div>
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</div><p>Like “Klaus,” the Disney+ film “Noelle” offers a fresh take on the history of Santa Claus, but this is more of a lightweight, corny, tries-too-hard slant on “Elf” than a compelling origins story.</p><p>When I say corny, I mean CORNY. Characters often convey their feelings with un-ironic, non-musical line readings from secular holiday tunes, e.g., when Anna Kendrick’s title character tells someone, “You better not pout, you better not cry!”</p><div class="RatingCard Enhancement" data-module data-rating="2.0" data-align-floatRight>
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Noelle
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</div><p>Eesh. </p><p>In the world of “Noelle,” for the last 2,000 years, a long line of Kringle family men have taken on the role and the responsibilities of Santa Claus.</p><p>When Bryan Bendle’s Santa passes away, his son Nick Kringle (Bill Hader) is expected by one and all to pick up the mantle, but Nick is an insecure and self-involved wuss, and he flees to Phoenix and becomes a yoga instructor.</p><p>No. Really.</p><p>Anna Kendrick is in full chipper-cheery-indefatigable mode as Nick’s sister Noelle, who is brimming with Christmas spirit year ’round and would be a great Santa Claus — that is, if the North Pole, and the world, are ready for a female Santa.</p><p>Over all, “Noelle” is subpar — but it’s silly, harmless fun. It’s so forgettable it’ll be virtually erased from your memory five minutes after the end credits roll.</p><p>Except for the appearance of Shirley MacLaine as a salty, elderly elf. That’s gonna haunt me for a while.</p><h5>‘Merry Happy Whatever’ (Netflix)</h5><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center>
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<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Dennis Quaid (from left), Bridgit Mendler and Brent Morin star on the sitcom “Merry Happy Whatever.”</p></figcaption><span class="line"></span><div class="Figure-credit"><p>Netflix</p></div></div>
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</div><p>In an ever-expanding Streaming Content Universe filled with great-looking, well-funded, bold and ambitious movies and series, “Merry Happy Whatever” is a stunningly tepid, broad, cheap-looking and cheesy throwback sitcom.</p><p>It’s so terrible you might want to check it out for yourself — one episode, or maybe half an episode — just to see what I mean.</p><p>“Merry Happy Whatever” is a holiday-set, old school, multi-camera sitcom with an intrusive laugh track straight out of a 1980s network show, actors consistently going for the “more is more” approach to punchlines and flimsy production values.</p><div class="RatingCard Enhancement" data-module data-rating="1.5" data-align-floatRight>
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Merry Happy Whatever
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</div><p>Dennis Quaid lays on the Christmas ham in a clunky performance as Don Quinn, a widower and county sheriff who takes his role as family patriarch so seriously, it’s unnerving — and deeply unhealthy.</p><p>Bridgit Mendler is Emmy, who has come home to Pennsylvania for the holidays with her nerdy boyfriend Matt (Brent Morin), who instantly fears Don and craves his approval, just as Emmy and her grown siblings (and their partners) fear Don and crave his approval.</p><p>Every strained premise, every exchange of dialogue, every dopey misunderstanding, every contrived grab for a heart-tugging moment is straight out of a badly dated sitcom playbook from 30 or 40 years ago.</p><p>“Merry”? Hardly. “Happy?” Not Really. “Whatever”?</p><p>Yeah, pretty much.</p><h2>BETTER THAN THE BEARS</h2><p>A few short months ago, the Bears were considered legitimate Super Bowl contenders — and fans were thrilled about the Thanksgiving Day matchup against the Lions.</p><p>Cut to present day. The Bears are 5-6, the Lions are 3-7-1, and how’s that for a nice heaping serving of Football Mediocrity.</p><p>Regardless of how this particular game shakes out, you can shake off the foul, or should we say fowl, taste of the Bears’ disappointing season by immersing yourself in a couple of <b>★★★★</b> football series available on Amazon Prime: the Emmy-award winning documentary anthology <b>“All or Nothing,”</b> which offers a fascinating and in-depth look at a different NFL team every season, and the classic drama series <b>“Friday Night Lights,”</b> which hasn’t lost a step since its initial run from 2006-2011.</p><p>Clear eyes, full hearts, rumbling stomach, can’t lose.</p><p>Happy Thanksgiving.</p><p></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/11/28/20982807/mandalorian-review-servant-klaus-merry-happy-whatever-noelle-netflix-appletvplus-amazon-disneyplusRichard Roeper2018-05-22T21:04:00-05:002019-12-20T17:22:08-06:00'Solo: A Star Wars Story' imagines quite a bit, and that's why it's so much fun
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<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) first makes the acquaintance of Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” | LUCASFILM</p></figcaption></div>
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<p>We know epic adventures and memorable triumphs and lifelong bonds and in some cases Shakespearean tragedy await some of the main characters in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”</p><p>We know where destiny will take them. We know, before they know.</p><p>This is part of what makes “Solo: A Star Wars Story” so much fun. Every time a character says something that hints at a future catch phrase; every time there’s a reference to an as-yet-unseen planet or a character who will show up later in the timeline; every time we get a glimpse of an iconic piece of equipment; every time there’s an initial meeting between characters who will share a lifelong connection — we smile and nod and maybe even clap a little, because we know EXACTLY how it’s all going to play out.</p><div class="RatingCard Enhancement" data-module data-rating="3.5" data-align-floatRight>
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<div class="RichTextSidebarModule-title">Solo: A Star Wars Story </div>
<div class="RichTextModule-items RichTextBody"><br><i>Lucasfilm presents a film directed by Ron Howard and written by Jonathan Kasdan and Lawrence Kasdan. Rated PG-13 (for sequences of sci-fi action/violence). Running time: 143 minutes. Opens May 24 at local theaters.</i><br></div>
</div><p>The “Solo” story (superbly directed by the veteran Ron Howard, who took over after the original co-directors were fired over the time-honored “creative differences”) takes place a decade before the events of “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope,” which would put Han Solo’s age right around 20.</p><p>Alden Ehrenreich (“Blue Jasmine,” “Hail, Caesar!”) is quite a bit smaller than Harrison Ford and he doesn’t bear much of a facial resemblance to the man who made Solo a legend, but Ehrenreich delivers a winning performance and does a fantastic job at foreshadowing certain characteristics and tendencies of Ford-as-Han, without delving into impersonation.</p><p>Young Han is a cocky, independent wiseass specializing in small-time thievery and smuggling — and getting into big-time trouble. He’s quick and smart and reckless and oh so green. (So green he doesn’t even have a last name at the outset of this story. How he comes to be called “Han Solo” is a plot treat I won’t spoil for you.) Han might one day become a great pilot — if he doesn’t get himself killed first.</p><p>Three years after having narrowly escaped arrest on his home planet of Corellia (called a “sewer” by one character, and we can see why), Han is still trying to cobble together the funds to buy his own ship so he can return and hopefully rescue Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke), his girlfriend and partner in adventure.</p><p>Han’s first meeting with Chewbacca starts with the big ol’ Wookiee nearly killing him, and quickly progresses from alliance to true friendship. (Upon learning the big guy’s name, Han notes he’s going to have to come up with a nickname because he’s not going to say “Chewbacca” every time.)</p><p>Spotting an opportunity to make that elusive big score, Han talks his way onto a team of rogue criminals (with Chewie part of the deal). Woody Harrelson is the legendary career criminal Tobias Beckett, a charming and duplicitous sort who warns Han to never trust anyone, ever. Thandie Newton is Beckett’s partner in crime and life, Val. Jon Favreau voices the multi-limbed Ardennian pilot Rio Durant, who takes an instant liking to Han.</p><p>Han’s former girlfriend Qi’ra resurfaces and joins the team, but her story is complicated and her loyalties are divided.</p><p>Everyone in the ensemble is terrific — but the show-stopping, effortlessly scene-stealing performance of the movie comes from Donald Glover as the charming, suave, sneaky-smart gambler and pilot Lando Calrissian.</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center>
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<img class="Image" alt="Donald Glover is a scene-stealer as the young Lando Calrissian in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” | LUCASFILM" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0464251/2147483647/strip/true/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FigE792imbpAs84cOESXgJwFqb3U%3D%2F0x0%3A7952x5304%2F7952x5304%2Ffilters%3Afocal%283976x2652%3A3977x2653%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16121105%2Fhansolo5a7e0763de1c1.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3b2b628/2147483647/strip/true/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FigE792imbpAs84cOESXgJwFqb3U%3D%2F0x0%3A7952x5304%2F7952x5304%2Ffilters%3Afocal%283976x2652%3A3977x2653%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16121105%2Fhansolo5a7e0763de1c1.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275"
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<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Donald Glover is a scene-stealer as the young Lando Calrissian in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” | LUCASFILM</p></figcaption></div>
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</div><p>Remember what I said about Ehrenreich not really resembling or imitating Harrison Ford, and yet doing such a great job? The same applies to Glover’s interpretation of a younger Lando, who doesn’t exactly become fast friends with Han but perhaps sees a little of himself in this arrogant up-and-comer. Ehrenreich and Glover click, whether they’re facing off as rivals in a high-stakes card game, or having each other’s back when guns are blazing and bombs are exploding.</p><p>(I also loved Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s voice performance as L3-37, a brave and funny feminist droid who is Lando’s co-pilot and best friend.)</p><p>“Solo” of course has a number of massive, rapid-fire CGI action sequences, sometimes accompanied by snippets of the famous “Star Wars” theme. (There were moments in the 2-hour, 23-minute adventure when I could have gone for more quipping and fewer explosions.)</p><p>The real treasures, though, are all those pre-iconic moments, all those launching points for beautiful friendships and future conflicts. In some ways this is one of the “lighter” of the “Star Wars” adventures, as we know beyond any doubt Han, Lando and Chewie will live to fight another day. (Not that there aren’t moments of loss and sorrow and betrayal.)</p><p>This is a prequel as a space Western summer movie, entertaining as hell but not particularly deep. “Solo” takes place in rough and tumultuous times — but there’s very little philosophizing, no talk of the Force or what it means to be a true Jedi.</p><p>Even if there weren’t all those great “Star Wars” movies in our past (aka the futures of these characters), based on this adventure alone, I’d be excited to know what’s next for Han Solo.<br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2018/5/22/18406024/solo-a-star-wars-story-imagines-quite-a-bit-and-that-s-why-it-s-so-much-funRichard Roeper2017-12-12T11:01:00-06:002019-12-20T17:17:13-06:00'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' stays true to joys of the franchise
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<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Rey (Daisy Ridley) confronts Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” | LUCASFILM</p></figcaption></div>
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<p>One of the things I love about the “Star Wars” franchise is how they’ve always made it easy for us.</p><p>Take the famous opening crawl, which begins with, “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away …,” followed by the episode number and a nifty, three-paragraph summary of where we are and what has just happened.</p><p>Or the glorious score, which hits just the right inspirational notes when our heroes are swooping in and doing those things heroes do — and sends a chill down our spine with the booming sounds of doom when we join a slimy general aboard his ship, or a menacing Darth, helmeted or otherwise.</p><p>Even the costumes and the creatures and the makeup are dead giveaways. Our droids are cute little garbage cans that make beep-boop sounds; their droid sports more black than an Oakland Raiders fan in mourning.</p><div class="RatingCard Enhancement" data-module data-rating="3.5" data-align-floatRight>
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<div class="RichTextSidebarModule-title">Star Wars: The Last Jedi </div>
<div class="RichTextModule-items RichTextBody"><br><i>Lucasfilm presents a film written and directed by Rian Johnson. Rated PG-13 (for sequences of sci-fi action and violence). Running time: 151 minutes. Opens Friday at local theaters.</i><br></div>
</div><p>This is one of the many, many, MANY reasons the “Star Wars” franchise has enjoyed such worldwide, generation-spanning appeal for 40 years and counting. The universe of the movies (and all the ancillary products) is vast and complex and brimming with hundreds of characters and deep philosophical issues — but your 6-year-old can also dig it because at heart this is a Space Western, with timeless heroes and hiss-worthy villains.</p><p>And then there’s the whole internal struggle thing, and those moments when even the darkest of the dark remembers his humanity and considers salvation.</p><p>“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” is the eighth film in the main canon — the second film in the modern trilogy that kicked off with the rousing and powerfully moving <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment/star-wars-the-force-awakens-review-the-thrills-are-strong-with-this-one/" target="_blank" >“The Force Awakens”</a> in 2015. Although it doesn’t pack quite the same emotional punch and it lags a bit in the second half, this is still a worthy chapter in the “Star Wars” franchise, popping with exciting action sequences, sprinkled with good humor and containing more than a few nifty “callbacks” to previous characters and iconic moments.</p><p>We pick up the saga in the immediate aftermath of “The Force Awakens.” The diminished and seemingly hopelessly outmatched Resistance is doing battle with the all-powerful and relentless First Order. (Carrie Fisher’s Gen. Leia Organa is still the leader of the Resistance, and your heart can’t help but skip a beat the first time the late Ms. Fisher appears onscreen. The performance she delivers, on its own, is subtle and wise and quietly powerful.)</p><p>Meanwhile, Rey (Daisy Ridley) has tracked down Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill, and if I have to put “Mark Hamill” in parentheses next to the name “Luke Skywalker” in a review, welcome back from your 40-year coma!), whose initial reaction to Rey’s visit is hilarious and comes at just the right time when we need a little levity. (Writer-director Rian Johnson displays keen instincts for dropping in some terrific one-liners and a couple of killer visual gags, in effect giving the audience permission to stop holding its breath and exhale for a moment. Well done.)</p><p>Andy Serkis, aka the King of the CGI Characters, is wonderfully menacing as the frightening Supreme Leader Snoke, while the do-everything Domhnall Gleason is suitably slimy and slithering as Gen. Hux.</p><p>And then there’s Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren, formerly known as Ben Solo, last seen completely giving himself to the dark side of the Force — or has he? There’s an undeniable, cosmic connection between Rey and Kylo, and she believes he can be saved.</p><p>(Adam Driver is a fine actor, but I still think he’s slightly miscast as Kylo Ren. There’s something very 21st century about Driver’s mannerisms, his speech pattern, even his slightly pigeon-toed millennial gait, that has me less than sold when things get extra-heavy and even borderline corny.)</p><p>John Boyega returns as Finn, the Stormtrooper who is still transitioning to full-out rebel but his well on his way. Kelly Marie Tran adds grit and warmth as Rose Tico, who starts the journey as something of a fan-girl but finds her inner heroine when the time comes. Benicio del Toro is perfectly cast as a disheveled figure with hidden talents and unclear loyalties.</p><p>With a running time of two and a half hours, “The Last Jedi” drags a bit in the second act, as we cut back and forth from Rey’s efforts to get Luke to rejoin the battle, and the fireworks between the First Order and the Resistance. Ridley and Hamill are great together, but the Reluctant Jedi act plays on for at least once scene too many.</p><p>By its very place in the timeline, “The Last Jedi” serves as stepping stone of sorts, setting the scene for “Star Wars: Episode IX.”</p><p>Still, this is no mere placeholder of a story. Huge, important things happen to characters secondary and primary. Surprises big and small abound. As is the case with all of the “Star Wars” films, where there is evil there is heroism, and where there is bravery there is sacrifice — and sometimes where there is love, there is heartbreak.</p><p>That’s the way things were a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, and that’s the way things are today — and that’s another reason why we love these movies.</p><p></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2017/12/12/18356644/star-wars-the-last-jedi-stays-true-to-joys-of-the-franchiseRichard Roeper2016-12-14T16:44:00-06:002019-12-20T17:22:18-06:00Rousing, reverent 'Star Wars' story 'Rogue One' stays on target
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<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) takes in the view in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” | Lucasfilm/ILM</p></figcaption></div>
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<p>If you’ve somehow lived your whole moviegoing life outside of the “Star Wars” galaxy and you wouldn’t know a Lord Vader from a droid from a Rebel Alliance, I believe you’d still enjoy “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” for what it is:</p><p>A rousing, fast-paced, action-jammed, spectacular-looking thrill ride with spirited performances from a thoroughly likable cast of characters, both human and CGI.</p><p>It’s a solid space adventure, teeming with exciting action sequences, peppered with laugh-out-loud one-liners and made all the more memorable for the darker turns of the plot.</p><div class="RatingCard Enhancement" data-module data-rating="3.5" data-align-floatRight>
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‘Star Wars: Rogue One’
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<div class="RichTextSidebarModule-title">Star Wars Rogue One</div>
<div class="RichTextModule-items RichTextBody"><br><i>Lucasfilm presents a film directed by Gareth Edwards and written by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy. Rated PG-13 (for extended sequences of sci-fi violence and action). Running time: 133 minutes. Opens Friday at local theaters.</i><br></div>
</div><p>So yes, “Rogue One” works as a stand-alone story.</p><p>Ah, but if you’re a hardcore “Star Wars” fan and you’ve seen all the movies multiple times and you’ve been eagerly lapping up every report about casting, every online leak about production issues, every Internet nugget about this adventure set just before the events of the original “Star Wars,” aka “A New Hope,” I believe you’ll be absolutely delighted by the myriad ways in which director Gareth Edwards and the team of screenwriters incorporate more than a half-dozen “Star Wars” touchstone moments into the story without it ever coming across as forced or gimmicky.</p><p>(I’ll say no more than that about these visual treats. You deserve a spoiler-free viewing experience.)</p><p>This is a very “Star Wars”-y “Star Wars” movie. It’s not quite on the level of the original or “The Empire Strikes Back” (the best of ’em all, of course), but it’s on a par with last year’s “The Force Awakens” and it’s light years above “Attack of the Clones” and “The Phantom Menace.”</p><p>Felicity Jones kicks galactic ass as Jyn Erso, the smart, spunky, chip-on-her-shoulder daughter of one Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen), a brilliant scientist who tried to escape the clutches of the Empire but was forced back into service when Jyn was just a little girl and has spent the last 15 years working against his will on plans for the Death Star, a weapon of mass destruction capable of destroying an entire planet. (You may have heard of this Death Star deal.)</p><p>Jyn’s pretty great. She professes not to care that the oppressive terrorists of the Empire are running the galaxy, but we know it’s only a matter of time before she joins the cause in a big way — and boy can she fight and shoot and scheme and plot and lead when the Sith hits the fan. (I’m not saying there’s a Sith element to the plot here. I just liked that pun.)</p><p>In the First Act of “Rogue One,” we bounce from moon to planet to trading outpost, with helpful title cards telling us where we are — but it gets a little confusing and dense as we suss out each situation and meet various new characters, including:</p><p>• Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), a brash and dashing Alliance pilot and intelligence officer who just might remind you a little bit of Han Solo.</p><p>• Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker), an extremist rebel who has broken from the Alliance. Saw is an old friend of Jyn’s father and raised her after Pops was captured by the Empire and forced to work on the Death Star. Saw is paranoid and wild-eyed and in failing health, and RIGHT on the edge of being flat-out crazy.</p><p>• Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed), an Empire pilot who has defected and is carrying a key piece of intel that could save the world. I mean, the galaxy.</p><p>• Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen), a blind warrior-monk who believes in the Force with all of his being.</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center>
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<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Chirrut (Donnie Yen) in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” | Lucasfilm/ILM</p></figcaption></div>
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</div><p>It’s a wonderful — and wonderfully diverse — cast, but the multi-ethnic makeup of this band of heroes is the furthest thing in the world from a stunt. In a galaxy populated by creatures of all sizes and shapes, not to mention droids with distinct personalities, why would the humans be of one race?</p><p>Much of “Rogue One” is about Jyn and the obligatory rag-tag band of unlikely heroes trying to steal the plans to the Death Star. (If you remember the opening crawl from “Star Wars,” it’s not much of a mystery as to whether they succeed.) But of course those plans are just the MacGuffin to trigger the action and to give Jyn, Chirrut, Cassian et al. their chances to find out who they really are and their individual and collective moments in the sun.</p><p>Jyn and Cassian don’t trust each other and they bicker in classic “Star Wars” fashion. Chirrut Imwe and the freelance mercenary Baze Malbus (Wen Jiang) have a funny and ultimately touching friendship. The ever-talented Ben Mendelsohn is a hiss-worthy, Death Star-building villain, Director Orson Krennic.</p><p>Big props to Alan Tudyk for voicing K-2SO, a Galactic Empire security droid re-programmed to serve the Alliance as Cassian’s sidekick. This lanky, wisecracking, independent-“minded” droid is one of the most endearing characters in “Rogue One” and hands-down the funniest.</p><p>The special effects, production design, costumes and editing are all first-rate. Loved the cast. Admired the filmmakers for not hedging their bets and for giving us a real story with real consequences.</p><p>So why three and a half stars? Why not the full four stars? There was a little too much “We’ve got to do this!” and “I’m going to explain that!” in the dialogue — and the score was a bit heavy-handed and overbearing in the transitions from “inspirational music to accompany our heroes” to “foreboding harbinger of bad things to come” when various villains enter the picture.</p><p>Small stuff. Mostly and most memorably, “Rogue One” is a bright light in the “Star Wars” canon.<br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/12/14/18334727/rousing-reverent-star-wars-story-rogue-one-stays-on-targetRichard Roeper2015-12-15T11:00:00-06:002019-12-20T17:22:31-06:00'Star Wars: The Force Awakens': Thrills are strong with this one
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<img class="Image" alt="Daisy Ridley in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” | Lucasfilm" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/04647aa/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1200x673+0+63/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2F0AgUELdou3GzaIgJxPmdzjMvC3I%3D%2F0x0%3A1200x800%2F1200x800%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28695x279%3A696x280%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16134842%2Fstarwars5669d259cdc92.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/095b474/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1200x673+0+63/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2F0AgUELdou3GzaIgJxPmdzjMvC3I%3D%2F0x0%3A1200x800%2F1200x800%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28695x279%3A696x280%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16134842%2Fstarwars5669d259cdc92.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275"
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<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Daisy Ridley in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”</p></figcaption><span class="line"></span><div class="Figure-credit"><p>Lucasfilm</p></div></div>
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<p>It’s a return to greatness.</p><p>Nearly 40 years after “Star Wars” exploded the pop culture universe and practically became a religion for generations of fans, and a full decade after many of those same fans felt betrayed and defeated by “Revenge of the Sith,” the seventh “Star Wars” movie could well bear the same subtitle as the original:</p><p>“A New Hope.”</p><p>What a beautiful, thrilling, joyous, surprising and heart-thumping adventure this is. “The Force Awakens” pops with memorable battle sequences, gives us chills with encore appearances by stars from the original trilogy and introduces more than a half-dozen terrific Next Generation characters.</p><p>If the U.S. presidential election were held this weekend, director-producer-co-writer J.J. Abrams might carry the day based on geek support alone.</p><p>“The Force Awakens” is set about 30 years after the events of “Return of the Jedi.” Of course Abrams begins with the familiar blue text telling us this all takes place “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” and then we get the iconic yellow crawl text giving us some basic backstory and letting us know where we are now.</p><p>And then boom! We’re off and running. (More often, flying and soaring and zigging and zagging.)</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-floatLeft>
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<img class="Image" alt="BB-8 | Lucasfilm" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/14220b0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/285x160+7+0/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2F_2B5pWwapfJx_r2JsuDkUR6iNV8%3D%2F0x0%3A300x160%2F300x160%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28150x80%3A151x81%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16134839%2Fstarwars56266a3fe6ecc_e1450217087845_300x160.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ccb591b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/285x160+7+0/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2F_2B5pWwapfJx_r2JsuDkUR6iNV8%3D%2F0x0%3A300x160%2F300x160%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28150x80%3A151x81%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16134839%2Fstarwars56266a3fe6ecc_e1450217087845_300x160.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275"
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<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>BB-8 | Lucasfilm</p></figcaption></div>
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</div><p>Oscar Isaac has more than a bit of Han Solo swagger as Poe Dameron, the best X-wing fighter pilot in the Resistance, and his traveling companion and best little buddy is BB-8, a droid who holds the key to the future of the rebellion against the First Order, an evil and dominant military-political organization inspired by the Galactic Empire.</p><p>(About BB-8. He just might be the droid you’re looking for this holiday season, because the hype for “The Force Awakens” has been so insane and the marketing so intense, we knew about BB-8 as a pricey and cool toy well before BB-8 ever made his big-screen debut.)</p><div class="RatingCard Enhancement" data-module data-rating="4.0" data-align-floatRight>
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<div class="RichTextSidebarModule-title">Star Wars: The Force Awakens review</div>
<div class="RichTextModule-items RichTextBody"><br><i>Lucasfilm presents a film directed by J.J. Abrams and written by Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan and Michael Arndt. Running time: 136 minutes. Rated PG-13 (for sci-fi action violence).</i><br></div>
</div><p>John Boyega is funny and vulnerable and conflicted as Finn, a First Order stormtrooper who has a crisis of conscience, and let’s just leave it at that. Boyega is given some of the best lines in the richly layered screenplay by Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan and Michael Arndt, and he delivers a half-dozen laugh-out-loud moments. Finn is the closest thing to how one of us might act and feel if we found ourselves in the middle of an epic “Star Wars” adventure.</p><p>The British actress Daisy Ridley, bearing more than a slight resemblance to Keira Knightley, has a breakout performance as Rey, a plucky scavenger on the junkyard wasteland planet Jakku. Like many of her generation, Rey isn’t even sure if the Force is an actual thing, or if Han Solo and Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia are real people or the stuff of myth. Rey is tough and resourceful and smart and brave but not immune to being utterly terrified when she comes face to face with the power of the Force — and the Dark Side.</p><p>Combining local shoots, elaborate studio set pieces, practical effects and CGI, “The Force Awakens” is often visually dazzling, whether Rey is taking a sled ride of sorts down a desert hill, the midnight-black universe is suddenly lit up with firefights and explosions, or we’re introduced to miraculous creatures such as Maz Kanata (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o), a tiny power broker who might not have the wisdom of Yoda but knows a LOT about what’s going on.</p><p>N’yongo isn’t the only actor playing a character enveloped in special effects or obscured by a mask most of the time. Adam Driver wears a Vader-esque getup as Kylo Ren, commander of the First Order. Andy Serkis, the undisputed champion of the performance-capture roles (“The Lord of the Rings” and modern-day “Planet of the Apes” films) is the hissing and grotesque Supreme Leader Snoke, Kylo Ren’s master and the most powerful representative of the Dark Side. Old favorites Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) return, forever encased in their iconic shells and forever charming and lovable. (Well, in C-3PO’s case, forever combining a dash of charm with a tendency to irritate a little.)</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-floatLeft>
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<img class="Image" alt="Harrison Ford as Han Solo in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” | Lucasfilm" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/73862a9/2147483647/strip/true/crop/200x112+0+94/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2F2OzEcnbUyU7QL4luFlV8PTxFrC4%3D%2F0x0%3A200x300%2F200x300%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28100x150%3A101x151%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16134845%2Fstarwars5669d25d1d25a_200x300.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/53be579/2147483647/strip/true/crop/200x112+0+94/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2F2OzEcnbUyU7QL4luFlV8PTxFrC4%3D%2F0x0%3A200x300%2F200x300%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28100x150%3A101x151%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16134845%2Fstarwars5669d25d1d25a_200x300.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275"
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<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Harrison Ford as Han Solo in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” | Lucasfilm</p></figcaption></div>
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</div><p>It’s no Spoiler Alert to acknowledge Harrison Ford’s return as Han Solo — and it’s a full-fledged role and not just an extended cameo. Ford’s a great movie star but he’s never had the widest range as an actor, but at 73, he seems to be having more fun playing Han Solo now than he did back in the day. He’s still crusty and snarling and cynical, but he’s a lot quicker to reveal the real heart inside. Ford has a terrific father-figure chemistry with Ridley and Boyega.</p><p>I’ll discuss even less what has happened to Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia and Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker since we last saw them. Suffice to say Abrams has done a masterful job of linking the old guard with the new generation, and telling their stories in grand and bold fashion.</p><p>Not everyone will love the new “Star Wars.” Maybe some fans and critics won’t find the fresh characters nearly as memorable as the classics. No doubt some will be flat-out ticked off at certain developments.</p><p>Better to take such risks than to give us a “Star Wars” sequel that plays it safe or ventures into weirdness and goofiness and Jar Jar Binks.</p><p>May 26, 2017. That’s when “Episode VIII” is scheduled to be released.</p><p>Can’t wait.</p><p><i>Lucasfilm presents a film directed by J.J. Abrams and written by Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan and Michael Arndt. Running time: 136 minutes. Rated PG-13 (for sci-fi action violence).</i><br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/3/6/18423949/star-wars-the-force-awakens-thrills-are-strong-with-this-oneRichard Roeper