The movie fans have been waiting for

Rating: 9/10 (18 December 2015)

Often, being an artist who creates something immensely popular is a tricky situation. A work of art, like a certain movie that a young twenty-something director by the name of George Lucas created in 1974, merges with the public consciousness and becomes part of the Zeitgeist.
The problem is, artists are human beings. They grow and change and the way they see the world changes. But their art is frozen in time, a "finished" product that endures in peoples minds. Given sufficient time between their works, artists who come back to earlier projects have very different views, and that is reflected in their work.
Fans, on the other hand, still remember and idolize the original works locked in the time when they grew to love them. When they hear that the artist is producing something new they want and expect a new work that brings them back to who they were when they fell in love with the original.
Which brought us to Star Wars episodes I, II, and III. I think it would be fair to say a lot of fans were unhappy with, or at least less than thrilled with, those movies. The movies reflected Lucas' vision of his universe through his eyes twenty some years after he made the first trilogy, and it was different than what fans fell in love with.
But for this new trilogy Lucas stepped aside to let a fan create the next chapter of his creation. J.J. Abrams grew up as a fan of the original three films like the rest of us and his work shows it. The new movie is very similar in themes and tone to the original works.
Abrams eschews growth for comfort. If he was a chef it would be like forgoing a menu built by practicing molecular gastronomy for a menu with just perfect pizzas. I don't mean this as a knock at all; sometimes all you want is a great slice, and that's what Abrams has made. A perfect slice of the themes and visuals from the original trilogy.
Daisy Ridley steps into Mark Hamill's shoes as the child about to start their journey into adulthood (and the force) very capably. With all respect to Mr Hamill, I would venture to say she is at least as capable an actor as he was when he held the role. Mr. Boyega, whom I see as spiritually stepping into the role of Han Solo, does a decent job, although maybe with just a touch less charisma than Ford in the originals, in my opinion.
Adam Driver does an excellent job filling the role of villain, portraying a juvenile arrogance mixed with a juvenile insecurity and impulsiveness wrapped around a despicable earnestness in his adoration of evil.
And finally, as in the original films, the droids play a strong role. BB-8 is amazing as the cool robot that you wish you could own with the adorable personality of a puppy. They provide comic relief during tense moments and express the audience's emotions during the tragic ones.
Just for the sake of brevity I will say that the rest of the cast was excellent as well. With the exception of Oscar Isaac portraying the fighter pilot Poe Dameron and Harrison Ford reprising his original role, their roles were much more limited, but what screen time they did get was well done.
So to sum it all up, this is the perfect film for fans of the original trilogy. With tons of references and call-backs to the originals, it will have everything you are looking for, done well and with a lot of heart. If you loved the original Star Wars, you will love this one as well. And if you are too young to have started with the original trilogy, this film is a great place to start a new love affair.