A thrill ride from the first second

Rating: 8/10 (20 December 2015)

The picture was action packed almost as soon as the marque that tells us, "A Long time ago in a galaxy far away..." finishes scrolling down explaining that there is a new dark force in the universe threatening the rebellion.
There are a lot of new faces in this movie to continue the saga for the next generation of Star Wars fans. The Torch has definitely been passed and we are left guessing Who is this new Jedi "Ray" and will she be trained and become as great a Jedi as Luke Skywalker? Will Ren go on to be as evil as Darth Vader or will he turn to the light before the dark side turns him into a machine too? Old friends turn up--Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca and even C3PO and R2-D2 and many of the other unusual creatures we've seen in Star Wars movies past. But as good as this movie is, it has a very different feel to it directorial wise. The bits of subtle humor remain but there is a bitter-sweetness to it as we watch the characters we grew up with grow old and a new generation of heroes being born. Loved the movie but its not the same Star Wars I grew up with. As long as you get that going in, you'll love this film.