Welcome Back Star Wars, You Have Been Missed

Rating: 9/10 (17 December 2015)

There was a moment in the film where my fears of this being another Phantom Menance were immediately quashed and a smile creased my lips and never left.
That moment was the first shot, straight after the slanting opening text and won't be spoiled here. It told you everything you needed to know about the director and was almost like JJ whispering in your ear saying "Don't worry, I've read the Mr Plinkett reviews of the prequels and I get it." What follows is a ride that never lets up, a journey back to your childhood that constantly reminds you why you loved the damn thing in the first place. And make no mistake, this is a film for the kids that have grown up and remember the awe and wonder of seeing Star Wars for the first time. Probably the biggest credit I can give JJ is that he made me feel like that again.
The action is constantly exhilarating - the new characters so well portrayed by this exciting young cast who show no fear in the burden they must have been carrying. Kylo Ren is a world away from the under developed Sith of Episodes 1, 2 and 3 (lets be honest, without the Clone Wars series, what did we actually know about Dooku, Maul, etc). Whilst his power set seems at odds with other Force barer's this is a new world and anything goes. He's truly a complicated character.
Finn lights up the screen whenever he's on it. He actually looks like a guy who is enjoying playing the part as much as we are enjoying watching him.
Poe is the surprise - the one you heard nothing about but who has an amazing amount of screen time and grows massively on you as you watch the film. Provided some of the films best action pieces and witty one-liners, its a character that really grows on you as you watch.
But Rey...Rey is the star. An absolute break out role if ever there was one. Charming, independent, beautiful, resourceful. She's already more memorable than any character in the prequels. It takes a lot to steal the scene from Han Solo - she does it, constantly.
Yet its the film that's the real star. A wonderful, shifting colour pallet, a sense of wonder and mystery throughout, a ride that is as good as anything that has come before with those traditional values of Star Wars; hope, dark vs light, family, friendship...its that inspiring storytelling that we probably haven't seen since the originals, that magic that was somehow lost by its own creator who seemed to forget what made it great in the first place.
And yes, its not perfect. The plot is thin as ice, the story moves through convenience and chance (I like to think of it as the force guiding them), some characters do not have enough screen time and are massively under-developed (but hey, its a trilogy, plenty of time for that), and the First Order is never really properly explained (how the hell did they grow that powerful) and the film hints as past adventures that would have been interesting to view. You could argue that it follows the original's a little too closely - its a homage to that trilogy without a doubt. All the beats are there...its almost a copy in some aspects, but with a new set of characters and polish to proceedings. But then, isn't that what we wanted? Star Wars brought right up to date.
In fairness, I never bought this was going to be a difficult movie...If anything, the Prequel Trilogy showed Disney what NOT to do. The original showed them the way, and whilst they may have strayed a little too close to that particular template, its executed just so damn well the little child in you just won't care.
To coin a phrase from the Director's other successful Sci-Fi regeneration, "Its Star Wars, JJ...and its exactly, absolutely, just as you remember it."