The Force Is Here - And It's Welcome To Stay

Rating: 9/10 (16 December 2015)

The return of Star Wars has been long-awaited, and it's finally here. With so much hype surrounding the film, there was no-doubt some extreme nervousness about the turnout of the film. But put your nerves at ease, because J.J. and his team have delivered very solid, flawed, but exciting Sci-Fi adventure.
There are many aspects to consider when critiquing this film: humour, story, performances, characters and technical achievements - which pinpoint the film's highs and lows.
There is a surprising amount of humour in Episode VII. Each character, both old and new, appear to have a comic value of some degree. Han Solo and Chewbacca are their usual gimmicky, humorous selves. The charisma of our new little droid, BB-8 also adds to the fun energy of the movie. Some may argue that there is too much humour in this film to take seriously. Personally, I found it only added to the quality of the film, after all, what is Star Wars without humour?
J.J. and Lawrence have done a fantastic job writing the movie. The story is refreshing, with plenty of nostalgic moments (and unfortunately some cliché ones too). The premise of The Force Awakens is definitely one of the most intriguing aspects of the film. After the crawl fades, the action begins, and it doesn't let down! We are greeted to all of the new characters in their seemingly inter-connected lives. We get a bit of an insight into their current lifestyles, motivations and even some of their ambitions. The plot is so event-focused that it demands total awareness and perhaps even repeat viewings. In my opinion, I feel there has been a little too much crammed in to this movie at once, however the unfolding events appear to be leading into what will hopefully be a very exciting sequel.
Episode VII introduces many new characters, from Finn and Rey to Poe and Kylo Ren. It's so refreshing and exciting to see the new replace the old, as our next chapter in the Star Wars saga begins. Performance wise, all actors portray their characters well. It's honestly nothing spectacular, but it appears each actor is well invested in their character. Although something to note are our new leads, played by John Boyega (Finn) and Daisy Ridley (Rey). Both present us with fairly simple characters, experiencing a sudden turn in their casual lives. This is quite reminiscent of many characters from this film's predecessors. We'll also be looking forwards to Adam Driver in future, who plays the menacing and somewhat awkward character of Kylo Ren.
In technical aspects, The Force Awakens holds up very well indeed. It's so beautifully crafted, and it's clear that this movie was made with lots of dedicated and hardworking hands. The visual effects are what you'd expect from J.J. Abrams - they're big, beautiful and seamless. There's a great balance between makeup prosthetics, practical effects and CGI. It's a welcome balance to the new trilogy. Other technicalities, such as cinematography, sound effects, film editing etc. are all pretty much flawless in their execution. However the most exciting technical aspect of the film I found was John Williams' score. Yes, there are a lot of reprising themes from the original trilogy, however there is a notable amount of new content. Perhaps nothing is quite so memorable as the opening credits music, or say the 'Imperial March', however the new themes are quite sweeping - a great addition to the Star Wars universe.
Conclusively, I believe J.J. Abrams has got it right. Yes the film is definitely flawed, but he ultimately delivers us what we need - a fun, action packed, intense and humorous entry into the Star Wars universe. I wish I had payed more attention to the previous films so I could fairly rank them against The Force Awakens, however I can definitely agree that this is a very solid piece of entertainment. When watching this movie, go in with an open mind, but stay alert. The premise will have you on edge and the following revelations definitely deserve your attention! This is indeed a force to be reckoned with.
9/10