Balance is Restored, in a Tour-De-Force

Rating: 9/10 (19 December 2015)

Like the originals, Episode 7 is a tapestry of set-pieces that build towards a spectacular climax. One or two didn't quite hit the mark, being a bit half-baked, storyline-wise, or were a bit convoluted. In the main though, each successive scene built on the previous one, looked fantastic, and carried the story forward at a nice pace. There was a little bit too much dialogue of the "reflux the sulphium generators or the hydroverb's gonna misalign the pentavox!!" variety, but that aside, I found the script quite tight, fast-paced, and lacking in the cheesy clunkiness of some other movies in the series. Much has been said about the 'real sets, and real locations' and I applaud that, but there was still plenty of eye-ache inducing CG. All in all though, this is a well-made, exciting and often moving film, that looks fantastic and is held together by largely excellent performances, with no obvious weak link. Easily good enough to ensure that Episode 8 will be keenly anticipated.