An emotional, thrilling journey true to its origins

Rating: 9/10 (18 December 2015)

"The Force Awakens" was a thrilling, emotional journey all the way through. JJ Abrams did a remarkable job by staying true to the original trilogy's DNA and managed to combine iconic characters with new ones very smoothly. The new story-line fits very well, mixing up classic elements with the new setting/atmosphere. Rey is the highest point of this new Star Wars world and i don't think anyone of us saw that coming (BB-8 was awesome too).
In my opinion, the lowest point - other than not having Luke say one single word in the entire movie and just getting to see his face for a second on screen â€“ was the main villain. I would have picked a different actor with more character to portray Kylo Ren. The guy started off well, showing potential, but then (even if it was part of the script) he got burned and lacked the appeal and personality to reverse it. General Hux did a better job as a villain with his "military persona", though. Overall, it was an outstanding 1st chapter and it's too bad we have to wait until 2017 for the next one.