Abrams brings the wonder of The Force to a new generation.

Rating: 8/10 (16 December 2015)

If you don't include the dreadful prequel trilogy from George Lucas, many Star Wars fans have spent over thirty years waiting for the next great addition to the sci-fi saga worshipped the world over.
With The Force Awakens, J.J. Abrams has delivered a thrilling, energetic, though not altogether mind- blowing film that has deftly added to the rich tapestry that is Star Wars, putting the saga in good stead for years to come.
We first meet the villainous First Order and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) through the eyes of heroic Resistance fighter pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac). Hidden inside Dameron's droid, BB-8, is a map to the mythic Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, who has disappeared off the face of the galaxy since overthrowing the Empire many moons ago.
When Dameron is captured, disillusioned stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega) helps him escape, and the two team up with backwater scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley) – and some familiar faces – to find Luke before the enemy can.
The film ticks all the boxes demanded of the tent pole of a new trilogy. Our new heroes are introduced organically and the effortless chemistry between them is immediately apparent.
More importantly, each character just feels likable; a far cry from the cardboard caricatures and stiffly spoken occupants of Lucas' prior trilogy. Boyega, the most lighthearted of the three, is particularly great at mixing comic relief and deathly seriousness to form a well-rounded, magnetic character. No Jar Jar Binks is he.
The trio is still made up of the handsome, rougish pilot, the unwitting and sometimes unwilling youngster, and the anti-damsel-in-distress whose mysterious origins confound her comrades, but each character has enough individualism for this to not be a huge problem.
Somewhat more concerning is the film's over-reliance on fan service and obvious hark backs to the original trilogy, and Episode IV especially. More than once, Abrams' safe decisions cross the line from merely winking at the audience to recycling giant chunks of a plot we've already seen before.
The main setting is a bigger, badder Death Star. The main battle is waged both on the ground between mentor and fallen apprentice, and in the sky between fighter squadrons. The main revelation is again familial in nature. The film spends so much time making these comparisons glaringly obvious that it detracts from the other major arcs a couple of new characters go through. As a result, their journeys feel rushed and perhaps more suited to span across two or three movies, not one.
Regardless, The Force Awakens does everything a Star Wars film should. It is blistering, absorbing, and ends on a heaving, operatic note sure to leave fans theorising until Episode VIII.
*You can contact me at jnatsis@iprimus.com.au and let me know what you thought of my review. If you're looking for a writer for your movie website or other publication, I'd also love to hear from you.*