A great start

Rating: 8/10 (22 December 2015)

It's good, lets get that out of the way (phew!). It overcomes all of its most unenviable challenges confidently. I can't recall another franchise tasked with conjuring up a cast of insta-classic, original characters like this - pretty much every blockbuster we see now is based on existing material. Even the Star Wars prequels relied mostly on stock characters (sorry padme). The nearest comparison I can make to The Force Awakens success in this regard is 1999's other sci-fi franchise starter, The Matrix, which went on to squander the appeal of Morpheus and Agent Smith.
Finn, Rey, Poe, Kylo and BB-8 are all fantastic. Adam Driver as Kylo Ren stole this movie for me; his performance is threatening, playful, vulnerable, casual, tragic... and he even gets a couple of laughs! This is the film's principal villain I'm talking about! He's brilliantly conceived and equally compelling inside and outside of the helmet. John Boyega as Finn is as charismatic as they come, funny and natural even with an affected American accent.
I'm a little more cautious about newcomer Daisy Ridley (Rey), who I found slightly clunky in places; but luckily the movie adores her, and the whole thing pivots around her character's journey, creating many of the most memorable moments, including my favourite scene (that recalls a sequence from Harry Potter - you'll know when you see it). On the subject of Rey; Lucasfilm has beaten everyone to the punch by creating a franchise leading female action hero with absolutely no romantic connections. Female X-wing pilots and Stormtroopers also on show - not just Gwendoline Christie's headline grabbing Captain Phasma, but regular troopers too. Equal opportunities abound.
If the film falters at all it's with the simpler challenges. A basic action adventure plot is enough to hang the trappings on for this first instalment, but this feels directionless in places (Like the rescue mission that's not principally a rescue mission and in the end doesn't really require a rescuer) and there are a few odd contrivances when you think about it afterwards and some obvious echoes of the original Star Wars story that would be better off avoided. So maybe a little rushed on the screenplay front, but hey, I was tired when I saw it. Our midnight showing started 30 minutes late due to the sheer number of people in the multiplex. 10 screens, all showing star wars, absolutely packed. That tells its own story.