A return to form.

Rating: 7/10 (18 December 2015)

A very familiar, but solid film, and a solid return for Star Wars.
Director J.J. Abrams hits all the right notes in this film, and if you're a Star Wars fan, it will bring out the "feels" in you.
While at first I was nervous of how the new faces will be portrayed, without revealing too much I'm happy to report that they are all interesting and juggled very well. Daisy Ridley as Rey carries the whole film on her shoulders as does John Boyega as Finn. I really liked the diverse leads J.J. had in this film, and those two have a potential career ahead of them. A strong female character who isn't a damsel in distress and an African male lead who also kicks some ass but is able to show vulnerability. Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, the galaxy's best pilot brings some cool swagger, a bit Han Solo in him I might add. Adam Driver is superb as Kylo Ren, he's not a Vader ripoff, he's quite effective in the role and his overall appearance is very cool. The foursome will definitely have more significant exposure to them in the next chapters and I can't wait to see them on screen again.
The new cast also gels well with the older cast. It's great to see Harrison Ford as Han Solo once again. He plays it effortlessly and he seems to be having fun doing so. Ford gets the most screen time of all the original cast and he's got a lot of great moments through and through. He has a great father-figure chemistry between the two leads and his banter with Chewbacca is just as good. Carrie Fisher, this time is General Leia and she's in charge of the Rebellion, and she's under a lot of pressure and a little more broken-hearted. As for Luke, well you'd have to see the movie to find out, but that is the part where I was just a tad bit letdown on, but it'll only make you more excited and anticipate to see what's to come in the future. Not to mention BB-8, what an adorable little droid. BB-8 will definitely be a favorite among children.
The qualms and issues I had in the film was the absolute lack of Captain Phasma, she hardly does anything at all. I'm sure she will be explored a little more in the future, but here she was a complete waste. I really wasn't feeling Domhnall Gleeson at all. Not particularly his acting per say, but his character. He just seemed to be there as General Hux. In fact he's pretty much every other evil General in the original trilogy. He doesn't bring too much to the table either. Andy Serkis is Kylo Ren's master, Supreme Leader Snoke. There's a shroud of mystery in his character and he is a powerful Dark Side figure, I hope to see more of him in the future as well. Lupita Nyong'o's character Maz Kanata also provides some decent moments. She disguised her voice quite well, to be honest I was kinda shocked it was her performance.
J.J. Abrams also captures the aesthetic look and feel of the original Star Wars trilogy. It's not like the prequels where the technology looks way better than the technology of the original trilogy. Everything is put with attention to detail, the way Jakku looks, the way the Millennium Falcon moves, the sounds the TIE Fighters make, the sounds of the lightsabers clashing, just about everything, it feels like the original Star Wars. Also give credit to sound designer Ben Burt. He never fails to create iconic sounds in each film, and do I have to tell you John Williams, the living legend, arguably the greatest film composer in history does a magnificent job in the film?
Abrams also shoots action with a lot of flare. They're thrilling and exciting. He's always able to make you feel tension within the fight as the stakes do matter. With that being said, the lightsaber fights are incredible. Any positive in a Star Wars film is a lightsaber battle, even the prequels(except for Attack of the Clones) have some decent lightsaber duels, but in The Force Awakens, it feels authentic, because it's not heavily choreographed. Making the scenes much more grasping and more engaging. The X-Wing and TIE Fighter scenes rock as well, although I did feel the finale involving those two space ships to be a tad bit rushed and a little too easy.
It absolutely does parallel A New Hope and it can feel a bit like a Star Wars: Greatest Hits every now and then, but it offers new elements into the narrative without it feeling completely like a carbon copy, kinda.
J.J. Abrams resurrects Star Wars in great fashion and sets up the future very well for directors Rian Johnson and Colin Trevorrow(he's the one I'm nervous about). I think it's safe to say Mr. Abrams matches most of the expectations and solidifies the film's own hype.
7/10