Frank Drebin, Young Training Day and Hermione fight Spoiled brat cosplayers

Rating: 9/10 (17 December 2015)

A broadly Glaswegian accented space pirate berated Han Solo and the Glasgow audience I watched 'Star Wars: Episode 7: The Force Awakens' with took it to their hearts. It is a people pleaser. JJ Abrams comes at the Star Wars universe with both a fan and auteur's eye. Fan's, in the sense that he has focused in upon a story that revolves around the "lunchbox" characters of Star Wars. Auteurs in that he retains an individual look - this is a Star Wars universe stretching right back to the abandoned concept art of the original movies and using them to set the tone for worlds, environments and creatures.
It was logical for the sprawling Timothy Zahn original trilogy sequels to be abandoned as they would have used up three movies per book. But what real fan of the films, however philistine the view may be, was truly enamoured of Star Wars as a Frank Herbertesque, sprawling political space opera? Instead is the theme of lost promise and lost past - of a bleak future for the celebrating-too-soon victors of Return of the Jedi but weirdly that salvation may come in a return to the days of the much maligned prequels. In fact how fans view the films, reaction that reputedly left George Lucas despondent after the prequels and was the monkey on Abrams' back at every turn, becomes the subtext of 'The Force Awakens'.
This is a film that juggles commentary on fanaticism with blockbuster obligations, very much having its popcorn and eating it too. That Lucas did not have much to do with the story is debatable seeing as rabid, young, spoiled "fans" of the galactic empire - the First Order - are the new movies' bad guys. However with that paean to Lucas made, Abrams also rubs George's nose in how much faster, more intensely, bigger, funnier and more entertaining he can drive the franchise without need for a Jar Jar or Trade Federation starship.
Oscar Isaac channels 1970s Pacino chutzpah into Poe Dameron - a Han understudy. John Boyega acts like a young Denzel Washington playing Superman III Richard Pryor while Daisy Ridley as independent Rey and Adam Driver as the pretentious and petulant Kylo Ren, are Star Wars through and through.
Again, like the prequels, there are wild disparities when CGi and manual effects wash the screen - not least when aliens that are clearly masks or puppets vie with undulating, breathing cgi ones. In fact one CGI big bad - Snoke - hints more at a future Wizard of Oz style revelation (look to cinema history not other Sci fi to help . In any case this is a drink of water in a long drought for fans of the original movies and a huge signal that Disney mean business.