All Star Wars fans will love it, and so will the average viewer.

Rating: 9/10 (13 January 2016)

As a child I grew up on the prequel movies, which were not perfect to any stretch of the imagination, and by the time I got to the age where I began to truly appreciate movies I wasn't the biggest fan of Star Wars. So before entering the cinema to watch The Force Awakens, I was slightly skeptical.
However, I can safely say I am now a big fan of the Star Wars Universe.
Firstly, I want to say this isn't a perfect film either, but it is certainly a step up from the disappointing prequels. With many similarities to The New Hope, The Force Awakens is able to stand as a solid foundation of a promising trilogy, which will rival the original trilogy if the standard of film making is carried forward.
Clearly J.J. Abrams enjoyed every minute of work when directing this movie, and he expresses his love for the Star Wars franchise extremely well by respecting the original material and cleverly linking the trilogies and simultaneously building new, strong characters who rival even the classics such as Han or Luke.
It was a pleasant surprise when The Force Awakens ended up having a fair amount of humor cleverly intertwined with the script, but not too outlandish considering Disney owning the rights. It was used in smart ways and in places to ease tension, and the writing to build that same tension was also well done. The script also aided in giving these new characters personality and traits, effectively making them more down to earth and likable.
The use of practical effects over CGI was an the perfect decision, since the effects looked stunning and realistic without incorporating too much CGI like the prequels implemented. Obviously some CGI was used to produce this movie, but it didn't stand out with the mix of practical effects.
Now lets talk about the characters in a bit more detail. Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, brought a new angle to the Star Wars Universe through the use of a strong female lead. In many cases she proved to be a more than capable actress, and brought life to her character. Finn, played by John Boyega, fits into the elaborate puzzle perfectly. Blending humor, emotions and great acting, John manages to do the impossible, he brings character to a stormtrooper. Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver, is a hit or miss for most viewers; you either love him or you hate him. I personally loved the character of Kylo Ren and I believe that Adam did a phenomenal job of portraying him. Without going into spoilers, I will say that he struggles to keep his emotions under control like most individuals at his age, whilst still maintaining a threatening and dangerous aura around him.
By bringing in original characters such as Han Solo and Leia, Abrams effectively links the original trilogy to the new Disney ruled Star Wars universe. These characters are adored by fans who saw the originals, as well as newer fans, and by bringing them back, those older fans would have been thrilled to see these characters brought back to life on the big screen. The best part of this though, is how the movie managed to honor the original characters whilst also bringing in new characters for fans to grow to love.
Overall, I would say that Star Wars is a must see movie, not only for fans of the Star Wars franchise, but for anyone who has access to a cinema. J.J Abrams does a great job at showing his love and passion for Star Wars, and the finished products will go down in history as one of the greatest opening films to a trilogy in history.