Movie Reviews: Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Snoopy & Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie and Sisters

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (12A) opens 30 years on from the events of Return of the Jedi (1983), with the rebels, led by General Leia (Carrie Fisher), hard-pressed by the evil First Order, led by Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis), Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson). 

Desperate to discover the whereabouts of the self-exiled Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), fighter pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaacs) embarks on a secret mission to the planet Jakku, where a young scavenger, Rey (Daisy Ridley), proves herself a rather remarkable young woman…

Directed by J.J. Abrams, The Force Awakens is both a loving homage and vibrant reboot – Abrams, who previously proved himself no slouch at space opera with his Star Trek reboots, is obviously a fan of the Star Wars franchise, and delights in slyly humorous touches that will delight the older fans as much as the return of old favourites such as Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Leia and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew).

Abrams has crafted a film that is even more epic in scale than the previous Star Wars offerings, but even though it clocks in at just over two hours in length, the movie fairly rattles through a relentless succession of battles, lightsabre duels, cataclysmic explosions and reversals of fortune.

At the heart of it all is Star Wars’ first great feminist character, an opportunity the dynamic Daisy Ridley grabs with both hands as Rey scraps and quips her way towards her destiny.

Overall, then, The Force Awakens is a stylish triumph: an action-packed crowd-pleaser that will wow all the existing fans by staying true to the Star Wars mythology, while also opening up that universe to a whole new generation.

Snoopy may take first billing in Snoopy & Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie (G), but the story is overwhelmingly that of Charlie Brown (voiced by Noah Schnapp).

When Frieda (Francesca Capaldi) moves into the house across the street, Charlie develops a crush and a crippling case of inadequacy.

Can Charlie discover the confidence to prove himself worthy of Frieda?

Meanwhile, Snoopy embarks on an epic adventure in his imagination, flying his kennel high in the skies above the trenches of WWI, battling with the Red Baron in what becomes, quite literally, a dog-fight …

Directed by Steve Martino, and written by Cornelius Uliano and Bryan and Craig Schulz, the movie lovingly recreates the comic strip drawn by Charles Schulz – while the film is presented in 3D, the characters’ facial features appear as if rendered in 2D, so as to retain fidelity to the originals.

All the gang – including Lucy, Linus, Schroeder, Marcie and Pig-Pen – aid and abet Charlie’s attempt to impress Frieda, as he stumbles through a series of largely avoidable (and thus all the more lovable) mishaps and pratfalls.

It’s a slight storyline, it’s true, and one aimed at a very young audience (what they might make of Snoopy’s typewriter is anyone’s guess), but it’s an utterly charming movie and one that quietly celebrates, with its directness and simple joys, the talent of one of the great cartoon artists.

Sisters (16s) stars Amy Poehler and Tina Fey as eponymous siblings Maura and Kate Ellis, a nurse and beautician respectively, who return to their home town of Orlando when they learn that their parents (played by James Brolin and Dianne Wiest) are selling the family home.

Horrified that their childhood memories are being sold off to the highest bidder, the sisters resolve to work together to sabotage the sale, only to discover that the sibling rivalry of their teenage years is alive and well.

Paula Pell’s screenplay, which is directed by Jason Moore, isn’t the most original story you’ll see in a cinema this year, but Poehler and Fey are two of the funniest comedians currently at work and their pleasure in riffing off one another is palpable in the zest they bring to their portrayal of warring sisters.

The film fairly fizzes with reckless energy, particularly during the extended party sequence (the sisters plan to wreck the house whilst reliving their teenage excess), and while it’s true that not every gag hits its mark square and true, the set-ups and punchlines just keep on coming.

There’s strong support from John Leguizamo, playing a sleazy old flame, John Cena as the epitome of the strong, silent type, and Maya Rudolph, formerly Kate’s nemesis from her High School years, who now craves the flaky Kate’s acceptance.

It’s overly long at almost two hours, but for the most part Sisters is a comedy that offers a rude, crude and abrasive antidote to the season of goodwill.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens 4/5

Snoopy & Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie 3/5

Sisters 3/5