Worth seeing even for a non-megafan of Star Wars

Rating: 8/10 (16 January 2017)

This is a pretty well-told adventure story, full of some great action. It avoids whimsy, and for the second time in a row features a strong (but still rather delightful) female lead. Last time it was the estimable Daisy Ridley; this time the even more estimable Felicity Jones. How on earth as an actor do you move from Stephen Hawking's long-suffering wife in academia to being an action hero (with the small matter of dying of cancer in A Monster Calls somewhere in the process)? She did it. She is clearly made of tougher stuff than her sweet diffident English appearance seems to show. Altogether this film demonstrates one of the reasons why movies need making - drama, excitement, action, and at the heart of it, a real person that can be identified with and/or admired.