VII is a lucky number: Star Wars Episode VII truly deserves the name Star Wars

Rating: 10/10 (16 December 2015)

I am only going to be brief here. I am not going to discuss the plot, the story nor anything else specific, and I am not going to include anything remotely spoilerish.
I have flagged this as 'spoiler alert' purely because of the consequences if someone gets their underwear in a knot and lodges a complaint.
The new characters work well, meshing superbly with the old and familiar ones. Those ones we know and love have obviously lived interesting lives, and we get the run-down on what they have been through.
BB-8 is a more emotive little droid than would be expected.
Beyond that, what I mostly want to say about Episode VII is this: I had the great pleasure, as a teenager, of seeing the original film when it first screened in the cinemas. I saw it a total of fourteen times during its first cinematic run.
That was when it was called, simply, Star Wars. No Episode IV, no subtitle. Just. Plain. Star Wars.
For anyone who enjoyed the freshness, humour and excitement of that original film in its original time, that feeling has been preserved here.
Episode VII is a different film with a different plot, but it feels the way a Star Wars film should.
Star Wars Episode VII is Star Wars. It deserves its name as it honours its heritage.
Pure, simple and fun, with a disturbingly dark underside.
If you are a SW fan purist, then Episode VII will not disappoint.
Now I only need to go and see it another fourteen times in its first run to outdo my first effort from 1977...