A nostalgic and fresh (yet not flawless) start for a new trilogy

Rating: 7/10 (25 December 2015)

First off, was this movie good? Yes it was, and I can say that after I had left the cinema I wasn't disappointed. But was it a great movie?
To begin with, I'd like to say a few words about the technical aspects and the overall look of the movie. The CGI looks amazing and combined with the smart use of many practical effects this makes for some truly stunning action sequences. Especially the flight scenes involving the Millennium Falcon, particularly the one on Jakku, had me on the edge of my seat.
A small aspect of the movie I personally enjoyed was the use of the old-school wiping transitions from the original trilogy that add a very nice nostalgic feeling to all the use of modern filmmaking methods in this movie.
Furthermore, I have to say that all these new formerly unknown actors really convinced me, especially Daisy Ridley does an amazing job in my opinion. The idea of casting unknown actors, as George Lucas did with his first Star Wars films, also helps to create compelling and believable characters.
I would also like to mention that another great aspect of this movie for me was its humour. There are some truly hilarious moments that got me and the audience in the cinema burst out with laughter, most of which involved BB-8, the cute little droid that is something in between R2-D2 and Wall-E. In the first half of the movie he constantly provides for some extremely funny comic relief that, however, never felt forced or annoying.
But now lets dive into the story and its characters, because that is what makes a great Star Wars movie, and basically any movie. So, does it hold up compared to the original trilogy?
I can understand when some people complain that this film is too much like the original trilogy and it is true: many aspects of this movie are essentially A New Hope all over again. We basically have a new Death Star (although the idea of it using the power of a nearby sun is a nice new approach; it doesn't, however, change the fact that the general idea stayed the same) and a shield that needs to be destroyed (here we even have Episode VI) in order for the X-Wings to attack the one weak point of this ultimate (or rather not so ultimate) weapon.
However, for me the movie still offered many new aspects that made it feel fresh and the whole story around Starkiller Base was never the main focus of this movie. I see it rather as an homage with which J.J. Abrams tried to pay tribute to the old Star Wars movies. Considering that Abrams had to please a wide range of audiences that reached from the ones who grew up with the old movies and wanted something exactly like that to the ones desiring something completely new I believe that he did a really good job.
Although, I have to say that this choice of adapting certain iconic plot points of A New Hope (and even Episode V and VI) while putting main emphasis on the new (and old) characters did also create a problem for me. And that is the fact that I just didn't really care for Starkiller Base, I never really felt its impact. It is just there and for me at least it never has this daunting menacing aura that surrounded the original Death Star. In addition, that makes the destruction (while visually absolutely stunning) kind of impactless from an emotional point of view and it doesn't help that Leia does not seem too upset about Han Solo's fate.
But as I said, in my opinion this movie is much more than just a remake of A New Hope, which is why I can appreciate the homage, but still enjoy the main focus of this movie - and that lies on the new characters it introduces. So lets talk about them. I liked the idea of Finn's character, emotionalising a Stormtrooper is something totally new and something that has been left untouched. Carrying on, I already mentioned how abundantly entertaining BB-8 is and with Rey we finally get to see a girl become a Jedi!
Most importantly I need to talk about Kaylo Ren for he is another thing that may leave some people disappointed. Judging from the trailers, he seems to be this really cool new villain, though it turns out that his whole demeanour is merely a false front he built up. However, while I was at first a bit thrown off when he took off his mask and his true character and his struggles became apparent, I really like this choice as it gives his character room to develop. We aren't just given another super villain, but a human being who we can understand. This will make for a much more compelling villain when we see how his character evolves and the death of Han Solo was the first part of that. This scene has so much emotion in it and gives the character of Kaylo Ren so much more depth.
In conclusion, I think they did a really great job with all these new characters, yet there is one that left me disappointed and that is Supreme Leader Snoke. He just doesn't do anything in this movie and just says a few lines because we need to see Ren has a superior. He is simply a joke compared to the Emperor. Even the visuals in the scenes involving Snoke didn't convince me.
All things considered, I believe that The Force Awakens is a highly entertaining movie that pays tribute (maybe a tad too much) to the original trilogy. And while it certainly isn't flawless, it is a great fresh start for a new trilogy that makes me want to see more!