Everything I expected and yet nothing I expected!

Rating: 9/10 (16 December 2015)

I am proud to say I'm one of the first people in the world to have seen this cinematic event, and I'm happy to say it was well worth the wait! I'm desperate to talk about this film but I'll keep spoilers to myself as I want you all to enjoy the excitement and twists yourself. I'll put a spoiler tag on just in case I accidentally leak something.
THE GOOD
First off, the new characters are great. I was so worried that Rey, Finn and Poe would be overshadowed by the original stars, but they were given all the focus and the older stars help them through the film rather than steal the spotlight. The relationship that builds between Rey and Finn is good to watch and their dialogue seems natural and sometimes legitimately funny, a very welcome change of pace from the awkward prequel dialogue. I wish Poe got some more screen time but he played the hotshot pilot role really well. Kylo Ren is an absolute monster! His scenes are so tense and is a very intimidating presence. His origin, which I dare not reveal, I did not expect and leads to a shocking exit for one of the characters which, again, I will not reveal. The original cast works well, and Luke Skywalker is kept a total mystery until a specific point in the film, which I like. It's kind of like he and the Jedi are the myths and the cliffhanger at the end of the film makes you want to continue following these characters and find out more about them, solve some of their mysteries. And that's a good thing, ya don't wanna reveal everything in the first part. The effects are amazing. Looking back at the prequels they are far too overloaded with CGI. This film has a fairly good mix of CG and practical effects, which is noticeable in the creatures and robots. Almost all of them are actually there, and even if they weren't I couldn't tell. And obviously BB-8 is adorable. I was afraid that he would be a bit too cutesy and just be there to sell toys, instead he's a very funny and very cute bit of comic relief that actually serves a purpose to the overall story. The story itself is very flowing and works into the Star Wars mythos well. As a first part of a trilogy it's right up there with A New Hope, establishing characters and giving them somewhere to go in future instalments.
THE BAD
My biggest gripe about the film is that it sometimes feels like a retread of A New Hope, which after seeing Starkiller Base in the poster was my fear. The film does the story exceptionally well and the characters are what pulls it through, but some of the film, especially the third act feels all too familiar. My only other complaints are largely trivial, but mainly the scene which introduces Han Solo and Chewbacca, which uses a too obviously CGI monster and a big coincidence that brings the two icons into the story. I also didn't like the design of Supreme Leader Snoke, he looked like a cross between Two-Face and Albert Steptoe. But I'm hoping we see some good evil stuff from him in future instalments. I would have also liked a few explanations about some details, like how did *a character* get hold of Luke's original lightsaber? Why did *a character* wait until after the climax to reveal a pretty major plot point?
THE VERDICT
It was well worth the wait. Take everything you learnt from the trailers and throw it all away, because nothing is as it seems. There are a few small issues with it but nothing stopped me from enjoying this film. The Force Awakens is a return to form for the legendary series and I cant wait to see what happens next!
RATING: 9/10