I finally watched the much awaited Episode 7 , Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I like it! It’s fun and entertaining. Good thing I got a media invite for the grand launch of the biggest Atmos Cinema in the country located at the Gateway mall, Araneta Center. I didn’t really know what to expect with a Dolby Atmos Cinema except astounding sounds.
Featuring a revolutionary audio platform that creates powerful moving audio using audio objects and overhead speakers, Gateway Mall’s Dolby Atmos Cinema boasts of sounds that come from all directions, the dialogue and music of the onscreen story move all around the audience in three-dimensional space, transporting them into the scenes and putting them in the middle of the action.
While waiting for the screening, I enjoyed the various Star Wars characters that posed at the theater lobby.
Can you tell that I was so excited to watch the movie. It’s been 38 years since I saw the original movie in 1977 and I was excited to see Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and Mark Hamil. Episode 7 is the first to be directed by J.J. Abrams.
Set around 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, the sequel follows the adventures of new lead characters Finn (John Boyega), Rey (daisy Ridley) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) as they join forces with the original characters Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamil), and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), to fight Kylo Ren (Adam Driver ) and his broadsword lightsaber. The film also features Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma, Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux, Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke and Lupita Nyong’o as Maz Kanata.
After the ribbon cutting, the cinema gave a sampling of the Dolby Atmos technoloy. Compared to regular theaters, Dolby Atmos Cinema has the most number of speakers with a 53.5 sound system (53 individual surround channels and 5 subwoofers).
Each speaker is powered independently and gets its own separate audio feed. In effect, the movement of every sound the in the scene is reproduced in all three dimensions. With bated breath, I expected a rich audio experience . I was not disappointed. The movie was a spectacular homecoming. The reappearance of Han Solo and Chewbacca brought applause from the audience. It touched me to see him once again , a much wiser Han Solo. Such an emotional nostalgic experience.
I can say the movie follows the spirit of the original trilogy. It had both action-adventure and fun! Speaking of fun, it was a dramatic new listening experience. Sorry, I am not good at writing movie reviews so just read this review roundup but remember, there are spoilers. Here are a few review quotes:
Everything you need to know about the movie is precisely where it belongs, in the movie. Just see it. You’ll love it.”
The Times gives The Force Awakens a five-star rating (the maximum). The movie is “exactly what we have been hoping for.”
“The Force Awakens is ridiculous and melodramatic and sentimental of course, but exciting and brimming with energy and its own kind of generosity. What a Christmas present”
“The cleverest thing that The Force Awakens does is make this a generational experience not just for its audience, but for its characters, too..”
“Fun, fresh-faced leads; a terrifying, three-dimensional villain; a lightsaber battle for the ages. Fear not, Star Wars fans: J.J. Abrams has made the sequel of your dreams.”
They finally made a movie sequel to the original Star Wars trilogy. And the good news is? The Force Awakens easily captures the charm and excitement of the first three movies.
Not great. But far better than “not bad.” Solidly, confidently good. Spoiler alert: The word “good” will crop up throughout this review, because it’s the most accurate adjective for this Disney-owned product launch.
The Daily Mirror, John Hiscock wrote: “All I can say is The Force Awakens evokes magical memories of 1977’s Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, with plenty of humour, action, drama and heart.”
My favorite review is from Gizmodo. ” And to some extent, nostalgia for Star Wars has become like the description of the Force from the very first movie: It’s an invisible energy that binds all Star Wars fans together. Nostalgia can cloud your mind, can move large quantities of toys, can go to either the dark side or the light side. It’s hard not to feel at times, watching this new movie, as though what’s awakening is our fond memory of the classic movies, with all the power that goes with it.”
And I have a Star Wars pillow to remind me about my youth , when I first watched the first Star Wars movie. It’s a good feeling. I will probably watch it again.
