Overcomes its inherent challenges by producing a fast paced, dramatic, fun, and very enjoyable film that hits all its marks

Rating: Null/10 (2 July 2016)

By all accounts, this film really shouldn't work as well as it does. Looking at it in the cold light of day it is essentially a repeat of the original film in terms of narrative – albeit with some details changed and all the characters moved sideways by a generation. So we have the same parent/child divide, the same innocent discovering their power, right down to the same finale with a large planet-sized weapon. Associated with this it also rides very heavily on nostalgia and brand recognition so that we probably accept a lot of plotting conveniences that we would scoff at in a film we came into cold. However, even seeing all these things, it is hard not to love it for how well it works.
It does this by getting the balanced right between all the many aspects that the film seeks to pull together. So we have the nostalgia and a very familiar narrative, but at the same time we have a story that is delivered in a way that engages and is surprisingly moving at times (albeit due to that self-same nostalgia and reliance on us already being invested in this universe and the characters). It also manages to be fun but yet also able to transition into darker moments without one damaging our enjoyment of the other. This is what makes it work I think – because it is really an enjoyable film to watch. It never really stops moving, and the characters are rather thin, but within this frame they work and are engaging.
The cast are a big part of that, and it is a very well-cast piece given that the new faces are not dominated by the old familiar ones. Boyega makes good on that charisma he showed when playing the lead in Attach the Block, while Ridley is really natural and likable. For all the fuss over a black storm trooper and a female 'Luke', the truth is that both do a great job regardless of race/color – but do bring that extra factor into play (I had a daughter recently, and it did rather focus my mind on the deficient of strong female characters who are played for themselves, not for their sexuality). The cast is deep in familiar faces and really everyone is on good form – Fisher perhaps seems there because she has to be, but it was nice to see Ford manage to have a bit of a twinkle back in his eyes. The volume of familiar faces in tiny roles does get a bit distracting (particularly if you have watched any shows from Abrams and know his usual cast) but this is a minor thing since the film otherwise does a very good job of keeping you with it for all its adventure and fun.
Such a hyped film with such weight on its shoulders really shouldn't be able to be so light on its feet while also delivering dramatic and emotional moments, but it does. A really enjoyable Star Wars film that delivers a lot – and regardless what George Lucas thinks, it has been a very long time since that was the case.