Entertaining

Rating: 7/10 (15 April 2016)

30 years after the Empire was destroyed, an equally-malevolent empire, The First Order, has taken its place. The Resistance, lead by Princess/General Leia, is harrying The First Order as best it can. The First Order decides to hunt down the last Jedi knight, Luke Skywalker, who is in secluded retirement in a secret place. A map exists of his whereabouts and this is in the possession of a droid, BB-8, accompanied by a renegade stormtrooper, Finn, and an unassuming scavenger girl, Rey.
Rollicking good fun. I'm not a Star Wars fan - the original movies were okay but not great and the prequels were quite dull. However, this grabbed my attention from the outset and held it all the way through.
Plot is largely one long action-adventure, but there is a bit more to this than your standard linear adventure. The link to the first three movies was well done, with Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, C3PO and R2D2 being used in relevant ways in the plot. I was worried that the movie would revolve around them, but they are used sparingly and appropriately, while still creating a sense of nostalgia, history and reverence for what occurred in the initial three movies. Moreover, there is a feeling of the torch being passed on to the new heroes of Star Wars.
Great special effects, as you would expect from director JJ Abrams.
Solid performances all round. Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher provide the gravitas while the new generation - Daisy Ridley (especially), Oscar Isaac, John Boyega - provide the action and energy.