Best Star Wars Yet - to please both virgins and vets

Rating: 10/10 (20 December 2015)

How to please franchise fans old and new while making a good impactful and memorable movie?
My friends, real fans who grew up with the original trilogy and watched this one with me, expressed a physically relief of feeling there was very little to complain about and that "'they' didn't mess it up", but my feeling was even more positive. They exceeded my high expectations, brought me into a mysterious and magical voyage and left me wanting more until the last frame. A real cinematic experience.
Star Wars formula could be deemed to appeal to simplicity (like good vs evil) with a few twists. Fun fact and contingent to the same doctrine, the majority of its meaningful characters name limit themselves to 3 or 4 letters: Han, Luke, Leia, Yoda and now Rey, Poe and Finn. If not letters, we can substitute numbers: R2D2, C3PO or BB8.
Well, we can now focus on 2 letters: JJ. J.J. Abrams directs and co-writes this brilliant instalment in the multi-billion franchise which is about to set some box office ridiculous revenues after a record-breaking first day and not counting merchandise and video sales.
It also comes with favourable critics and is set to start an epic new trilogy as well as side movies we all hope will remain a high level of quality. Rogue One (2016) is set for next year already, but back to this highly anticipated sequel which manages to create nostalgic moments with its characters, settings and story. Every Star Wars Fans will enjoy the scenery of a defunct Star Destroyer in the desert, but overall cinematography and scenery is in fact the best of all the Star Wars by its beauty and diversity. We get sultry desert in Jakku like Tatooine and forest like Endor. We get beautiful snow that surpass Hoth, buildings and water like Naboo and idyllic Irish-like islands. Daniel Mindel is the cinematographer who also did marvels with JJ on the first 2 Star Trek reboots. Every battle scene is sweeping and spectacular with many elements, motion and emotion. Humour is effective and tension is well crafted and augmented by sound, music and editing.
JJ's Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013) was a remake of the essence of Star Trek: Wrath of Khan (1982) and worked well. Here he outdoes himself by creating similar cues from Star Wars themes and storyline, but keeping it crisp with new likable and believable characters, good acting and superb directing to keep everything flowing and fans following. We feel for the characters, old and new, except perhaps BB- 8 which is less lovable than R2-D2. We are intrigued and we do not want it to end. A pretty much perfect movie of the genre and for a new generation, including my 5-year old son and 10-year old brother who loved it, and Rey in particular, missing some deeper subtleties for storyline and character development.
Han and Leia were not only there for older fans, but make it work as very important elements to the story. The writing and directing for them is just right, like the rest of the movie. Kylo Ren (4/3 letters, yes) may be the weakest acting and character development, although not bad by any stretch and some noteworthy moments, but we can assume we will get more on him in the next two episodes.
Award-worthy, action-packed, well-paced, high expectations delivered and then some. Minor flaws in this sweeping tale that does rely on old material, but makes the movie materialize like a transporter in Star Trek. Best Star Wars yet and that is no small feat. One small step for a fan, but a giant leap for longevity and quality.
So in the end we are left with 3 letters: WOW.
I am considering seeing again in theatres soon and I have done this less than 10 times in my life (some for stellar but lesser Star Wars (9/10) as well as Star Trek: First Contact, Contact, Titanic and Braveheart) in over 20 year!
10/10
Capable Rian Johnson has some serious shoes to fill for episode VIII, so we wish him the best. May the force be strong with this one...