Beginning of a new era with the foundation still intact

Rating: 9/10 (17 December 2015)

Finally, the most anticipated movie of the 2015 is here! After gathering all the hype and hoopla around it over a year, Star Wars: The Force Awakens doesn't throw in any unpleasant surprises. Taking over from George Lucas, JJ Abrams makes sure he does not disappoint any Star Wars fans or cinema lovers in general. It is quite hard to make a sequel to the movie which had ended almost 30 years ago and especially when it comes to this era where most of the sequels are made just to mint money without a proper story, but Star Wars: The Force Awakens has quite a strong plot to build on. In fact with this movie, it looks like there are more to come.
The story is once again about the conflict between 'The First Order' (like the Empire) and 'The Resistance' with the aim of finding lost Luke Skywalker. So for the fans asking where was Luke Skywalker in the trailer, the answer is 'that's what they are trying to find in the movie as well':-). The introduction of new characters Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) fit in the mix perfectly while the classic characters Han Solo, Leia, Chewbacca and C-3P0 still reminds us of what we watched Star Wars for. Since there is a huge time gap between the last Star Wars movie and this, there are changes with respect to the time when it comes to visual effects and slapstick humour (read Boyega). However the some of the original elements of the Star Wars are still kept intact like, the weird creatures, retro editing, lightsabers, music and of course taking hostages :). The movie is largely entertaining and yet true to the franchise.
It is a tough job to star in a movie franchise which is older than you. But Daisy Ridley and John Boyega, not so well known British actors show what they are capable of. John Boyega's timing is excellent. Harrison Ford could sleepwalk the role of Han Solo and we all know that. Oscar Isaac does not have a lot of screenspace but it may change in the upcoming movies. Adam Driver as Kylo Ren is okay and Domhall Gleeson tries too hard to fit into the General Hux's character. However as always, Chewbacca and C-3P0 seem evergreen.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens lives up to most of the expectations surrounding it. But remember, it is yet another beginning...