The Force Awakens v A New Hope: are the movies really identical?

After The Force Awakens was released in December 2015, many fans began to immediately compare it to A New Hope. The main complaint was that The Force Awakens is identical to A New Hope. With today being May 4^th, I decided to do a comparison and contrast between the two movies to see how much the two movies are alike and different. Since I have seen both movies so many times and I didn’t have time to watch the movies over again before writing this post, many of the points I will bring up are from my memory. So please forgive me if I miss points that you may think need to be included. Thank you.

First, both movies have a special droid who is carrying information that both sides desperately wants. In A New Hope, R2-D2 is carrying the Death Star plans and in The Force Awakens, BB-8 has the missing piece of a map which leads to the missing Luke Skywalker. Second, the droids end up on a desert planet where we met our heroes. R2-D2 and C-3PO end up on Tatooine where they encounter Luke Skywalker and BB-8 is left on Jakku where he is rescued by Rey. Third, both Luke and Rey are skilled pilots when they are first introduced. Fourth, the main villain is a black robed, masked man. Darth Vader, of course, is the iconic villain. He was number 3 on the American Film Institute’s 100 Years…100 Heroes and Villains in 2003 (behind Hannibal and Norman Bates). In The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren is a blacked robed, masked man who is trying to emulate his grandfather, Darth Vader. Although, honestly, Kylo Ren is only menacing when his mask was on. Once he took it off, he wasn’t scary anymore he was emo.

Another similarity is how the mentor was killed in each movie. In A New Hope, Luke’s mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, is killed in a duel with Darth Vader. In The Force Awakens, Han Solo is killed by his son, Kylo Ren. I hesitate to called Han Solo Rey’s mentor because she viewed him more as a hero. She recognized him as the famous smuggler and not as the Rebel general like Finn did. Either way, the deaths propel the heroes on their life changing journeys. However, this plot point isn’t new. It’s a part of the Hero’s Journey as outlined by Joseph Campbell in The Hero With a Thousand Faces (1949).  One last similarity is the presence of an ultimate weapon. In A New Hope, the Death Star was the newly operational weapon of the Empire in order to control the many star systems. In The Force Awakens, Starkiller Base is a mobile planet which has been equipped with a superweapon which is capable of destroying star systems from across the galaxy.

The first difference in the movies is in the main characters. After the deaths of his aunt and uncle, Luke leaves Tatooine to join the Rebel Alliance and to become a Jedi like his father. From the very beginning, Luke expresses his desire to leave Tatooine and with the death of the only family he has ever known, there is nothing there to hold him. In The Force Awakens, Rey flees Jakku only to take BB-8 to the Resistance’s hidden base. She fully intends to return to Jakku as she is waiting for her family to return for her. She doesn’t return as she decides to seek out Luke Skywalker now that the map is complete. Second, Luke has no Force vision in A New Hope and Rey has one in The Force Awakens. Luke’s lightsaber calls to her from the depths of Maz Kanata’s castle.

Another difference is in A New Hope, Leia is captured and rescued by Luke, Han and Chewbacca. In The Force Awakens, Rey is captured and is “rescued” by Finn, Han and Chewbacca. I use quotations because Rey is able to escape her restraints, secure a weapon and is trying to find a way off the base when she runs into her rescuers. Lastly, in A New Hope, the Emperor is only mentioned by name and isn’t seen until a hologram in The Empire Strikes Back and physically in Return of the Jedi. However, in The Force Awakens, Supreme Leader Snoke is seen by hologram throughout the movie. A slight difference sure; however, the leader who is pulling the main villain’s strings is more mysterious and menacing when he has influence and power when only his name is enough to strike fear in everyone else.

In conclusion, I do not see The Force Awakens as a copy of A New Hope. I see many of the similarities as homage to the original film which has captured our imaginations and hearts for forty years. I also see the similarities as history repeating itself because the citizens of this galaxy far, far away haven’t learned from the past. Just like humans of Earth do not learn from history and bring up old ideas as new. The Force Awakens is a great addition to the Star Wars universe and I look forward to The Last Jedi when it is released in December 2017. However, there are the hard core fans who love the original trilogy so much that any future Star Wars film will be compared, analyzed and probably found wanting. 

Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, a film review

Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens is the long awaited sequel to the original trilogy. It opened to rave reviews and box office success. As of December 29th, it has made over $1 billion worldwide with one big market left to open in China and it is the second grossing movie of 2015 and the 10th all-time grossing movie. It is anticipated to break James Cameron’s Avatar $2.7 billion record. The movie provides great nostalgia for the fans as seeing the beloved Star Wars characters on the big screen again and for some fans, for the first time. I was three and half when Return of the Jedi opened in 1983 so I vaguely remember the movie when it was new. The Force Awakens also gives great nods and references to the original trilogy which will excite fans. Without giving away any major spoilers, here are a few of my thoughts. 

The Force Awakens gives a new twist on a familiar story. Some reviews have complained that The Force Awakens models A New Hope with the hero coming from obscurity on a desert planet. The Force Awakens, A New Hope and the entire Star Wars saga models a very familiar story called the hero’s journey as described by mythologist Joseph Campbell. In The Force Awakens, Rey (Daisy Ridley) is a scavenger on the planet Jakku. Just like Luke Skywalker was a moisture farmer and Anakin Skywalker was a slave on the planet Tatoonie. While Luke and Anakin dreamed of life off their desolate planet, Rey is patiently waited for the return of her family when she is pulled into the adventure of a lifetime. Yes, she is Force-sensitive and has abilities she didn’t know she had but what hero of a Star Wars movie wouldn’t be Force-sensitive?  

The movie introduces new villains. Kylo Ren and the First Order. Rising from the ashes of the Galactic Empire, the First Order is fighting the Republic and the Resistance for control of the galaxies. A few critics have brought up Kylo Ren’s conflict between the dark side he desperately wants to embrace and the light side which still pulls at him. However, they fail to remember that Darth Vader was also conflicted. He felt there was no coming back from the dark side and there was no resisted the dark side. He eventually redeems himself to the light side by rescuing Luke from the Emperor. I look forward to seeing the continued internal conflict within Kylo Ren and the answer to the question: does he full embrace the dark side and become pure evil or will he be redeemed like Darth Vader? I, personally, would love to see Kylo Ren embrace the dark side.

Lastly, The Force Awakens is great entertainment. Fans now span four generations and will continue to gain fans in future generations. It is a great movie that families can enjoy together. My four year old daughter was introduced to Star Wars from the moment she was born. Her middle name, Hope, was inspired by Episode IV. She has seen the movies and my husband’s collectibles since she was a baby. She loves R2-D2 and now loves BB-8. The Force Awakens had great movements of thrilling chases, dangerous, almost impossible, missions and reluctant heroes who soon realize that something bigger than themselves is calling them. My husband had moments of tearful joy during the movie. I laughed at references to the originals and old familiar lines. My daughter eagerly sat on the edge of her seat and cheered when the characters she knew came on screen.

I’ve read other reviews and it is my opinion that some fans will never be satisfied at any new Star Wars movie. Some fans will always compare any new films to the original trilogy. The Star Wars universe has been a part of our lives for so long that it has become something to be protected and treasured. And God forbid, if someone else comes along and has another idea where the story will go, especially now that Disney is at the helm. As a fan who grew up with the original Star Wars movies, I was excited for the continuation of the story. After I saw the movie twice, I enjoyed the movie more and more. I cannot wait to add the DVDs to the rest of our Star Wars library and I eagerly await Episodes VII and IX in coming years.