A summary of all the good points from the original trilogy - ****

The Force Awakens is the first of a new set of trilogy following episode VI, Return of the Jedi.  Star Wars creator George Lucas knew right at the shoot of Empire Strikes Back that there will be a sequel trilogy but it did not materialize until he decided that he will not make another Star Wars film. But the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney brought forth renewed energy to produce the next set, the first installment of which is directed, co-produced and co-written by the man of the hour J.J. Abrams. 

The story takes off 30 years after Return of the Jedi, continuing the fight between the force and the dark side.  Two forces continue to battle it out; the First order which used to be the Galactic empire backed by the dark side and the Resistance backed by the Republic finding themselves on the good side of the galaxy.  The story is driven by the search for Luke Skywalker by both parties. The former to finally end the only living Jedi that will guarantee success for the dark side and the latter to be finally reunited with his twin sister Leia now known as General Organa of the Resistance and get his support for the fight against the dark side. 

Watching this from a non-fan point of view the film looks and feels old, but that only means that they've tried to be consistent with original designs and editing styles from all the way back as Episode IV.  And when you get over that as a viewer you are just intrigued by the new characters Ray and Finn and how they will fare into the story, poised to be the new heroes of this trilogy.  Two characters  exchanging energies and helping each other survive, what is intriguing  to me mostly are their characters' origins, where they came from , that was not very well supplied in this movie. Thus to me they come off as aloof making it a little difficult for me to relate to their characters. 

But mostly what I am really admiring in this film is the way the story is told.  This film succeeds  in telling a story that mostly picks up most of the good points from the past films and putting them all in this one.  It captures the audience imagination and succeeds at making the audience involved in every scene be it a space chase scene, a family drama or some personal discoveries. 

A typical sports drama film - ***

Creed is considered the 7th of the Rocky series, but it can also be considered as a spin-off.   There was Rocky I-V, and then 'Rocky Balboa' considered as part 6 , then here comes Creed as the 7th.  Co-produced by Sylvester Stallone and directed by Ryan Coogler the film seems to sit well with critics and has earned good box office receipts since its opening in November this year.

Out of a juvenile detention facility, the bastard son of the deceased Apollo Creed, Donnie is taken in by the legal wife of Apollo, Mary Anne played by Phylicia Rashad.  We next find Donnie as an adult leading two lives, one as an employee at a securities firm and another as a underground boxer in Tijuana, Mexico.  Since he has been fighting mostly his childhood days and has too much of his father's blood in him, he decided to leave his job and pursue boxing.  He moved to Philadelphia to eventually get training from Rocky Balboa and gets to fight on an international  ring. 

While there is nothing incredible or spectacular about its narrative, this movie raises up a couple of questions; Are we worthy of our father's name?  How much does it take to earn the respect of our peers and the community we revolve in? What is family? It really took a while for me to realize the real conflict of this story, at the onset I kept asking myself, 'so what's the issue here?' Is it about the struggles of the youth of today or is about how our identity can be lost due to our heritage? At one point the movie seemed to loose some focus but it all boils down to the final fight and its outcome.

This will be the second time that I'm seeing Michael B.Jordan in a film, the first one being as Torch in Fantastic Four and I can say that he was well casted for this role as Donnie.  He was okay in Fantastic Four but he showed more depth and range here in Creed, he just proves that there is something more beyond his superhero body.

Two stories masterfully told in one movie - ****1/2

It is amazing how this movie went through a lot of filters before it came to us as a film.  It started with true events, that became an inspiration for  a book, and that story in itself became a book from which this movie was based on.  The story traveled a long ways from history to become a film such that it really is not  surprising that the part of history where it came from is a totally different world altogether.

This story is about the ill-fated voyage of the .American whaling ship Essex and the struggles of its survivors.  The story is told through an interview by Moby Dick author Herman Melville and the only living survivor Thomas Nickerson.  While the adventure of the Essex is being told, Herman and Thomas each are coming into their own being, the former as a writer and the latter as a man coming into terms with his own demons.

Two stories running parallel to each other, alternately serving as both background and main story; the interview about the Essex and the adventure of the Essex.  The opening scene establishes the two main characters of the interview, Herman on the brink of discovering a source for his masterpiece and Thomas on the brink of breaking through a wall that he built for himself thus shunning away the people who love him.  Then the story rolls along the incredible adventure of the captain  and crew of Essex as they try to survive the harsh elements of being stranded in the middle o the sea.  Two stories very well told, tied together through the masterful work of director Ron Howard.  To me both stories come equally compelling and intense. Both stories are about courage and both glorifying the concept of truth and honesty.  Watching this film feels like a journey in itself and the end of this journey is represented by classic tale of Moby Dick.