A clever, clever movie, if a bit rushed.

Rating: 8/10 (19 December 2019)

Warning: This is a real review and does NOT contain any spoilers. Unlike the multiple, identically worded (and identically mis-spelled) reviews here, I hope it will come across as honest and let YOU decide whether to go and see it.
This is undoubtedly the best film of the current trilogy. Is it Star Wars? Yes. Is it perfect? - No, which means it IS Star Wars.
As a 6-year- old kid I loved the original movie. I was happy to ignore the stormtropper who hit his head rushing through the door in the Death Star. I was happy to believe that you could HEAR SOUNDS IN SPACE and I was happy to be sitting next to my Dad in the cinema - an experience that to me is priceless now he's gone.
I'm passing the torch to my daughter, seeing the movies at Midnight the day they are released, suspending disbelief in the laws of physics and cherishing a shared experience with a loved one.
Did I get upset with Episode I? - Yes.
Was that a realistic, mature, reasoned reaction? - No.
Life moves on, films move on and anyone who judges this movie against a low-budget 1977 movie is saying more about their inability to grow than they are about the film's quality.
If you want pure escapism, go and see this movie. If you love space opera, go and see this movie.
If you claim to love Star Wars and are filled with hatred and negative criticism towards any and all sequels, then I politely suggest that you've missed the point of movies in general, let alone the message of Star Wars which has always been about family, whether that be through blood or circumstance.