A welcome return to the Star Wars Universe

Rating: 8/10 (31 July 2016)

So all i've heard is remake this, remake that. After the absolute shambles which were the Prequels, were we not all crying out for a return to the Star Wars Universe we all knew and loved from the Original Trilogy?
For my money that was exactly what we got here. It paid homage to the classics but was certainly far from being a remake of Episode(s) IV and V. This felt like a Star Wars film and i think has set up the rest of the franchise brilliantly. Episode VIII will clear up many unanswered questions and Episode IX will wrap the whole thing up in a neat bundle.
This was handled sympathetically and with the fans in mind, i can't stress that enough, it reminded fans of the films we fell in love with, not the ones which almost drove us away from them.
Had this film been in the vein of Episode I, Star Wars would have been dead to millions. it was brilliant of JJ to take the series back to it's roots and remind us all what Star Wars is - simple, classic story telling. Good v Evil. Rising from obscurity to greatness.
Star Wars has always been formulaic, that's part of the beauty of it. The Prequels tried to alter that formula somewhat and got panned for it. This has brought us back to the Star Wars formula and it worked.
Once Episodes VIII and IX have been let lose on the public, it'll become clear to the doubters just what a classic this is.