Glasgow Times: Star Wars: The Force AwakensStar Wars: The Force Awakens Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (12A, 135 mins)

Director: J.J. Abrams

5 stars

 

So here it is then: the single most hyped, discussed and anticipated film in the history of cinema. That’s quite the mantle to live up to, and one that director J.J. Abrams takes on with confidence in his first venture into the Star Wars universe.

Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) has disappeared, so says the famous opening crawl. It’s 30 years after the destruction of the Empire, but in its place has risen the First Order. Opposing them is the resistance, led by Luke’s sister Leia (Carrie Fisher). Poe (Oscar Isaac) is a resistance fighter in possession of a map that may lead to Luke, while on the dark side there is Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), who wants his hands on that map too. And of course there’s that old smuggler Han Solo (Harrison Ford), who gets to do plenty in the action stakes even as a septuagenarian.

Seeing the infinitely beloved returning characters, 32 years after we thought we said goodbye to them in Return of the Jedi, is obviously one of the key selling points in revisiting the franchise. But in reality it’s the new characters - and there are a large number of them - who steal the thunder this time around and walk away with the movie. Primarily that’s Rey (the exceptional Daisy Ridley), a young loner who scavenges on the planet of Jakku, and Finn (John Boyega), a stormtrooper with a conscience who deserts and ends up on Jakku with Rey.

There’s so much history here that it almost makes you yearn for more films in between to explain away the missing decades. We’ve been down that road before though, and it’s not one we want to travel again. But that’s not to say we’re bombarded with reams of exposition or backstory - we get given the necessary bullet points, the ammunition required to let us fill in the blanks for ourselves, and there are enormous rewards in doing just that.

How they all fit together and around existing characters is best discovered for yourself. There are surprises, shocks and revelations, and it’s all genuinely, gloriously, galactically thrilling. Action sequences zip along with the aid of tastefully used, but never over-used, special effects, while individual fight scenes late in the game between key characters are monumental.

Some of the best moments come when we’re waiting for what’s about to happen to actually happen. Abrams has both a familiar canvas and a clean slate, and he can basically do what he likes with it, and as a result the suspense is palpable on several occasions.

And there’s humour too, from everyone; in fact it’s one of the funniest films of the year. If there is a nit to be picked, it’s that the overall story arc does sail dangerously close to ones we’ve seen before. But what can be wrong with aping what was loved about the most cherished mythology ever created for the cinema?

It’s only a film then, but it’s quite the thing to be this important to so many people. They haven’t been let down.

 

SISTERS (15, 118 mins)

Director: Jason Moore

3 stars

For all that Amy Poehler and Tina Fey are a celebrated comedy couple, they haven’t done many films together, which is a bit of a shame because they're fantastic.

They're fantastic again here as sisters Maura and Kate, who both react badly when they learn that their parents (Dianne Wiest and James Brolin) are selling their old family home, and travel to Florida in a bid to talk them out of it.

Getting nowhere with that, they decide to throw a massive shindig to relive their teenage years and say goodbye to the house, inviting a group of old friends over to party like it’s 1989.

This offers some nice riffs on how 40-year-olds party compared to 20-year-olds ("Less Forever 21, more suddenly 42" observes Maura memorably), at least up until the point they really go off the hook, recapturing their youth yet not in a sad or pathetic way, which is quite a feat to pull off.

The party itself makes up at least half of the film, which is probably far too much. Once you've seen one obscenely graffitied wall, you've seen them all. But it's also the point where the film really takes off, and provides ample moments that are among the comedy highlights of the year.

Up until that point there’s some mildly amusing set-up that’s also a bit on the protracted side. And as can sometimes be the case with movies that have no problem hammering you with crudity, the best laughs often come from the silly throwaway gags and character beats rather than the big and boisterous set pieces.

The actual plot surrounding the shenanigans can feel a little laboured, but it has something to say on people unwilling or unable to grow up. Maura and Kate are a well sketched pair, with Kate the middle- aged loser who has to rely on her own teenage daughter for stability. Maura meanwhile regrets not enjoying her younger years more, which is why the party is so important to her.

It’s been an exceptionally strong year for female-led comedy, and along with Amy Schumer and Melissa McCarthy, Fey and Poehler are among the funniest people on the planet. To borrow an old advertising campaign, if you only see one movie this week, see Star Wars. But if you see two, see Sisters.

SNOOPY AND CHARLIE BROWN: THE PEANUTS MOVIE (U, 93 mins)

Director: Steve Martino

3 stars

Over 60 years of Charles M. Schulz’s beloved comic strip get beefed up with a modern shine for this cute but slight animated feature. The whole gang are here, and though they may be in computer generated 3D, the classic look is retained in both style and character, simple clean lines but with added volume.

The essence of pretty much every player is retained, the adults still make that wa-wa trombone sound and mercifully there’s been no ruinous decisions like having Snoopy talk.

It’s done with wit and zip and remains very true in spirit to Schultz, which it manages by not expanding the world or taking it beyond its natural borders like many a feature version of a smaller source might do, and only the tiniest bit of a modern twist in terms of the visuals.

It’s not really the kind of material that necessarily lends itself to a feature, with what slim story there is involving Charlie Brown, the eternal loser who is fed up with all his frequent disasters, pleased that a new kid is moving into the neighbourhood. This means he can begin with a clean slate, but still has to go through various embarrassing scenarios in order to impress her.

As such it sometimes feels more like a bunch of shorts stitched together rather than one big narrative. That’s particularly true when it comes to Snoopy, and while the mischievous beagle sometimes interacts with the gang, he’s mostly to be found flying his kennel, with much of the film padded by his First World War fantasies fighting the Red Baron as part of the book he’s writing.

While it’s a very simple film it’s very pleasing nonetheless, and it’s got a good heart. Charlie Brown’s goodness and kindness shines through, so though old-fashioned and wholesome it’s never syrupy. He may not be the great American hero, but you can always depend on good ol’ Charlie Brown.

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (U, 130 mins)

Director: Frank Capra

5 stars

Frank Capra's classic returns to the GFT for its much-loved Christmas run and if you've never seen it on the big screen, there's really no excuse for missing it now.

It's a Wonderful Life was poorly received upon its initial release in 1946, and only became acclaimed as the masterpiece it is today through repeated TV screenings in the subsequent decades.

Such a reaction is almost impossible to fathom when watching now, its position as an immortal Christmas favourite cemented by its ingenious fantasy structure, wonderful performances and a parade of colourful supporting characters.

On the brink of suicide because of his failing business, George Bailey (James Stewart) discovers what the lives of those closest to him would have been like if he had never been born. It's a journey that's both joyous and heartbreaking, and the finest celebration of family and friendship ever seen on film.

But the night is darkest just before the dawn and Capra takes his audience through the emotional wringer along with George, from the depths of despair to the soaring heights of the human heart in quite simply one of the best films ever made.

WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (15, 96 mins)

Director: Rob Reiner

5 stars

Here’s a welcome re-release for this gem from 1989, the quintessential modern rom-com.

Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan star as the titular pair, who meet as students, eventually becoming friends and leading to the eternal question of whether men and women can ever just be friends.

Thanks to a sparkling script from Nora Ephron that blends laughs with insight, the enormous chemistry between the never-better leads and Rob Reiner, the great cinematic chronicler of the 1980s, at the peak of his directing power, there’s almost nothing to touch When Harry Met Sally.

There's a very good reason so many current romantic comedies aim to ape its style and structure, and that's because it's perfect.