Secrets Of The Force Awakens (2016) | A SXSW Featurette Review

WARNING – Material that could be considered spoilers is contained below.

If you’ve not already seen The Force Awakens (and really? Really?!), turn back now.

You have been warned.

I have to tell you, I’m not sure how to write this review. Why? Because it’s not a movie, and technically it’s not a documentary either. SECRETS OF THE FORCE AWAKENS is instead a behind the scenes featurette that will be included with other supplemental materials on the Episode VII Blu-Rays, DVDs, and digital copies. I can’t talk about the acting and there’s no real story or narrative, since none of that applies. At best it’s a loose collection of interviews and videos. But don’t take that to mean this isn’t informative or entertaining. It is, on both counts. So instead of wondering how to go about writing this I should just write and see what happens. Here we go…

If there is a star to be had here (pardon the pun), it’s J.J. Abrams, and rightfully so. After George Lucas sold LucasFilm and everything related to it to Disney, Kathleen Kennedy was put in charge to oversee the future of the Star Wars franchise. When the question of who should direct the next film in the series was asked, one name that came up over and over again was Abrams’s. Having established himself as a skillful story teller across television and film, he was a natural fit for the project, and it didn’t hurt that he was also a massive Star Wars fan since childhood. So, as you might expect, he gets the lion’s share of the featurette’s attention. You get to watch as he initially declines the invitation all the way through to the finished product. His enthusiasm is infectious not only to we the audience, but also to the cast and crew. Tempering that enthusiasm is the knowledge of just how much responsibility was placed on his shoulders. Many seasoned professionals would have crumbled under the weight of it, but not Abrams. My hat is off to him and all he accomplished. He also has my thanks for lifting Star Wars back to its lofty position as modern science fiction’s crown jewel. That couldn’t have been easy given how low it had fallen under Lucas’s prequels.

The cast interviews are what you’d expect. Everyone was excited to be in the movie, most of them already being lifelong fans, and the smiles on their faces go from ear to ear. My favorite moments were when they would reveal the thoughts and feelings that went into their performances. For example, Gwendoline Christie, who played the chrome-plated Captain Phasma, said she was overjoyed that the armor created for her didn’t emphasize her femininity. The worst thing it could have had were breast bubbles on the chest plate. But, even so, she still wanted to find a way to convey that a woman was wearing it, and she did that by finding a way to stand that indicated her gender. It’s a small thing, but it’s important nonetheless.

Female empowerment was a big deal for Abrams and Kennedy. In the original movies the only female character of any real note was Princess Leia, but with The Force Awakens they worked hard to not only get more female characters in the film and faces to fill in the backgrounds, but they also insisted that even some of the helmeted Stormtroopers were played by women. I hadn’t known that before I saw the featurette at SXSW, but I’m glad I know it now. Even though you can’t tell they’re woman, in my head I’ll know, and that makes the film feel richer and more representative of the world we live in.

Another example came from the mouth of Oscar Isaac. When he was initially offered the role of Poe Dameron he didn’t want to take it because Poe was originally killed early in the film. By that time Isaac had made a steady career of playing characters who died early, and he was tired of it. The role was the rewritten so that Poe survived the film’s events and offered to him again. We know now that he accepted, and that’s good for us, because he was great as Poe and we’ll get to enjoy even more of him in Episode VIII.

And we can thank Daisy Ridley for getting more BB-8 in the film than was originally planned. In the featurette she says that she enjoyed working with the robot puppeteers so much that she asked Abrams if she and the droid could have more scenes together. I loved BB-8, as did most folks considering the reaction he received once the film was released, so knowing Ridley was responsible for giving us more of the plucky little bot makes me adore her even more.

For me the most touching moment came from the film’s crew, specifically the designers and prop makers. Many who worked on The Force Awakens were the children of people who had worked on the original trilogy, and seeing them pour over blueprints and props that their parents worked on was wonderful.

Star Wars isn’t just a film franchise. For many it’s an intrinsic part of their lives and family, passed down from one generation to the next. That applies to all of us – those who watch the movies, and those who make it. At this point it would be fair to say Star Wars is a global cultural touchstone that has resonated for decades and will continue to resonant for decades to come so long as the people in charge of its future keep their love for it burning in their hearts. That is the central message for SECRETS OF THE FORCE AWAKENS. If you love Star Wars too, then watch this featurette and see how that love is shared across thousands of cast and crew the world over.

The Force Awakens releases on VOD April 1, 2016, and then on Blu-Ray/DVD April 5, 2016.