R2-D2 remains dormant for most of The Force Awakens; though he appears in a brief flashback sequence, he only spurs back to life at the very end of the film, after Han Solo has been killed and Rey, Finn and the Resistance return home. The thinking here is that, after Luke Skywalker disappeared, R2-D2 just went into low power mode. When he wakes up, though, there's no proper explanation as to how or why such a thing has happened. Was it Luke? Rey? Granted, the explanation will probably arrive along with Episode VIII, as the story of this film is made clearer by the events of its sequel. That said, this is a moment that would have been made more gripping by way of it being explained in some capacity - a character just randomly waking up at the right time rarely feels true, especially in a sensitive case like this. Somebody should have at least thrown out a temporary explanation. Like this article? Do you think explanations of these moments would have improved the movie or do you like not having everything spelled out? Let us know in the comments.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
