Star Wars is back on track!

Rating: 9/10 (18 December 2015)

The movie was relentless. It threw me back and forth, it tore me apart, and it had damn fun with it. JJ Abrams is the perfect choice for Star Wars. The Sci-Fi feel, the heart, the very soul, the essence of Star Wars oozes all over the screen. The directing is magnificent, with beautiful views, exquisite camera placement, and never a single frame that feels out of place. The story is very engaging (despite having similarities with A New Hope), the dialogue is ACTUALLY believable and humane (take notes, George. I saw you at the premiere.), and the pacing. Good lord, the pacing. The movie runs for about 2 hours and 20 minutes, but when JJ Abrams' name showed up in the blue font, it felt like I had been sitting there for merely 40 minutes. I feared the movie would be a little slow, and god forbid, boring for some brief moments, but no. The movie was a damn roller-coaster. And even though it felt short (in a positive way, of course) it tells its own standalone story. I have only one complaint regarding the lenght - I want more!!! Do I have to wait two years?! I smiled, I laughed, I cried, I couldn't handle it, I couldn't take my eyes away from the screen.
The characters are outstanding. The newcomers are so delightful I at times forgot the original cast that we've learned to love for so long actually was in the movie too. But don't misunderstand, the old folks do get their fair share of the attention, and plenty of honor. John Boyega has this natural born charisma that very few actors are blessed with - I can really only compare him to Robert Downey Jr. and Harrison Ford. Finn tells the story of a misfit, who has an elementary lack of good around him, which he runs to find. Scared, but nevertheless tirelessly brave. Daisy Ridley, ladies and gentlemen - she's gonna be bigger in the movie business than Taylor Swift is in the music industry. Mark my words. Supposedly JJ Abrams told her she had stone face acting under early filming, but I have serious problems trying to imagine how that could be the case. Rey has that kind of determination you just have to admire, excited, and just steals the show. Poe Dameron and Oscar Isaac didn't have a lot of screen time, and what a shame that is. This is with no doubt my biggest complaint on the movie, and I hope he will be used more in the upcoming movies. This is a guy you quickly learn to respect, and he can easily become a new Han Solo. BB-8, his droid, is also a lot cooler than R2-D2. Kylo Ren, holy moly, Kylo Ren – I don't wanna say anything else than this is a guy you wanna choke with your own, bare hands, and that for the right reasons. Fantastic villain, nothing less.
The effects are excellent, both practical and CG. I could rarely distinguish those two from each other, and I don't think I have to say anything more than that. I actually saw it in 3D. I know there is a lot of hate directed towards 3D, I'm amongst those, but for this movie I actually found it pretty awesome! I also use big, round hipster glasses, and I had to wear the 3D-glasses on top of them, and still that didn't weaken my experience! Anything else I'd like to add? Han Solo has the best story arch. Indisputably best story arch of any character, both in Star Wars and movies. All movies ever made. In the history of all movies. Ever. If you dare to protest, well then, frankly you can leave.