The true definition of Star Wars

Rating: 9/10 (19 December 2015)

J.J. Abrams has done it. He has returned Star Wars to where it belongs, and it feels so refreshing. This film had everything I was hoping for; great dialogue, quick-witted humor, fast paced action, and a memorable story with memorable moments. The character of Rey was pulled off spectacularly by Daisy Ridley. She had great lines and had a great back story. I feel that she is the character that fans will appreciate the most, even more than the original cast.
As the movie begins, we jump right into the action with a huge Star Destroyer menacingly gliding across the screen. The title crawl gave me chills, it was just great. There was nothing about "trade disputes" or "politics." It gave us a preview of what Star Wars really is; suspense, action, and thrill. When we go down to Jakku and see the First Order execute an entire village, I will admit at first I felt like we got into things too quickly, but as I look back I realize that the beginning of the movie couldn't have been pulled off any better. It grabbed your attention just as "A New Hope" did with the empire invading a rebel ship for stolen plans. It made you wonder what will happen next just like "The Empire Strikes Back" did when the probe droids were sent to Hoth. This is something the prequels lacked, a solid beginning to a story, and "The Force Awakens" has an extremely solid beginning. It did take me about a half hour to get adjusted to the tempo, but once I was, there was no going back to doubting this movie.
I enjoy how Finn and Rey come together. As a matter of fact, I love how all the characters come together. It's for a reason just like how Han and Luke end up together. In the prequels, the characters were just thrown together because the script said so. In this movie the characters had a purpose for everything that they were doing. The dialogue between Finn and Rey can be a little bit strange and cringe-worthy at times, but that is no reason to hate their characters. The relationship between them feels real, it was nothing like the garbage in "Attack of the Clones" between Padme and Anakin. There was no "I hate sand" or "I wish I could just wish away my feelings" or a picnic in a meadow full of CGI abominations while they talk about politics. The relationship between Finn and Rey was pulled off just as great as Han and Leia, it felt real and had great moments. As soon as Han Solo and Chewbacca show up on the screen, everything starts to improve even more than it already has. The original cast were great in my opinion.
The death of Han was shocking and heart-breaking, and I was hoping during that scene Kylo Ren would just go with him and live happily ever after, but it just wasn't how it was supposed to be. The scene was powerful, Rey, Finn, and Chewbacca had no choice but to watch as a long time hero was killed off. The writing of Kylo during this scene was just tremendous, you can feel that there is still light in him and he just can't except it. When Han says he will do anything for him, it was great. When Kylo finally drives the saber through him, you can tell that it really was difficult for him to do, but it had to be done. It was one of the best scenes of the whole movie. Han Solo's death was a mandatory step to enhance the story of this new trilogy.
The few gripes I have are minuscule. This movie did feel a little bit too much like "A New Hope." The plot was very similar and I can't argue against it. When I first saw Starkiller base on the poster, I was hoping it wasn't a third Death Star, but it was. It didn't really bother me too much though, "A New Hope" was a great movie and so is this. As the movie kept on drawing too a close, I was getting disappointed that Luke was not in it even though Mark Hamill was second billing, but as soon as the final scene between Rey and Luke played, I couldn't ask for a better use of Luke Skywalker and I am glad they took the route of having Luke be a myth.
Overall, this is what Star Wars stands for and true fans will know it. It has the same spark the original trilogy had all those years ago. Welcome back, this is the true definition of Star Wars.