Not perfection but Star Wars as it should be.

Rating: 9/10 (18 December 2015)

After leaving the cinema there's a real sense of satisfaction, finally the Star Wars film that has been 30+ years in the waiting. It bypasses any disappointments from the prequels and goes right back to basics.
The new lead characters Finn and Rey are fascinating characters and very well performed without being overwhelmed by older characters such as Han Solo or Luke Skywalker, they very much feel part of the story and have a sense of belonging.
Then we are given the passing of the torch moment to the new characters during the death of Han Solo, which was a well executed scene, very powerful, and memorable.
Kylo Ren is a fantastic new villain and was given the huge role of being the one to kill Han Solo which plays out very well from a story telling point of view and for future reference in the story. Although I fee his character may have been let down slightly with an underwhelming ending to the film, it feels like this could be easily patched up and revived in later films.
Few disappointments in the film include the misuse and lack of use of Captain Phasma and it fees like many fans will be disappointed with the lack of scenes involving this character. I also felt like the use of practical sets meant that the CGI used in the film was very clear and underwhelming during scenes where it was used and also unnecessary in one scene in particular.
Overall this was a film carried out in the right way, with the right love, the right passion however I do wonder whether there is an underlying feeling from directors that the follow up films may fall apart and fail to come to fruition at all so this film is given a fairly firm ending to it but the film seems to have kept afloat in the sea of expectation.