2) The Cast Is Incredible – But One Key Member Is Untested
The Force Awakens doesn’t just have the best cast of any Star Wars movie to date – it boasts one of the casts of the year.
For starters, it brings back all the actors in the parts you know and love (it’s particularly nice to see the always-underrated Mark Hamill justly getting some top billing), then throws in great relative newcomers (Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Domhnall Gleeson), acclaimed veterans (Max von Sydow), Oscar winners (Lupita Nyong’o), mo-cap masters (Andy Serkis) and martial arts superstars (Iko Uwais).
Then there’s Daisy Ridley, the ostensible star of the movie who before Episode VII only managed to nab bit-parts. What we’ve seen so far in trailers and TV spots is some suspiciously wooden line delivery from Ridley, and before you go calling that unfair, know that J.J. Abrams – her director – according to Ridley herself said the same thing of her on the first day of shooting.
This shouldn’t be seen as a write-off of Ridley altogether, but the fact remains that she is the most unproven member of the main cast, and will have the most to do out of anyone.