I enjoyed it!

Rating: 9/10 (31 December 2015)

I am not what you would call 'the biggest Star Wars fan', the original trilogy certainly holds some nostalgia for me as I do remember watching them countless times as a child, the second trilogy I had little time for and only recently watched them all for the first time. I was however very excited to watch Star Wars – The Force Awakens, I bought into the hype and went to view it within a couple of days of it being released.
Overall I really enjoyed the latest instalment, I can see and appreciate where the negative reviews are coming from and I believe that if I was a hard-core Star Wars fan then I may be inclined to agree with them. But for me and for my expectations going into this, and also from what I was hoping for from this movie I was very pleasantly surprised!
When the titles rolled I was thrown back to being a child, the same excitement I remember getting back then was very much replicated 20+ years later. The opening scenes start at blistering pace, throwing many characters together in one scene. From then on other characters old and new, are introduced very well and after that the pace picks up again and doesn't slow until the final scene! One of things I liked most was the pacing – some scenes did feel a little rushed but overall the movie progressed well and kept my attention from the start to end. The two new main characters Finn and Rey are presented very early on in the movie and their development and chemistry is worked on very closely, making you feel a connection to them. Kylo Ren is an interesting character, offering something different to the original trilogy, I thought the role that was given to him was perfect for the latest movies although I have seen many reviews from people who would disagree with this.
The CGI, sets, costumes, respect shown to the old Star Wars world some 30 years ago and acting styles are all true and represent the Star Wars legacy correctly. It is refreshing to see in modern cinema, directors using make up and suits to portray their characters rather than copious amounts of CGI, this is something that was well documented on the lead up to this film's release and it was nice to see that they had stuck to their word.
Star Wars – The Force Awakens has been described by many as a money spinner, a simple remake of the old movies with a similar plot, too many similarities and rip offs, no originality and a borderline carbon copy of characters, scenarios and plot points. I honestly cannot argue with these points but that honestly didn't stop me enjoying this movie, I went into the cinema and was thoroughly entertained for over two hours, fully immersed into the environment reliving moments from one of my most loved movies as a child. The similarities may stop this movie being seen as a classic by hardcore Star Wars fans but to me I can see past that and if I was to hold the movie as a standalone film then I would find it very hard to criticise. These negatives are glaringly obvious and while I can't argue with them, I still thoroughly enjoyed Star Wars – The Force Awakens.
The comedy oneliners are over used and often feel forced and unnecessary. I was expecting some comic lines but not to the extent that they were used here, it seems that at any opportunity possible they were thrown in there, often resulting it the seriousness of situations being deflated due to this. While Finn (John Boyega) gave an incredibly convincing performance I did feel that Rey (Daisy Ridley) was far from this. Her acting was awkward and wooden but was saved on several occasions by the strength of her co-actors, I hope she can improve for the next instalment as watching her was laughable at times. The movie ended, setting up the plot nicely for the next instalment, I won't give away how and what happened to do this but I do feel they ended it well. The final scene did feel a little rushed and almost had an anti-climax but I feel it was necessary for the second film to flow and to pick up with some pace, having the plot of the first movie spill over into the second film would have ruined the franchises perfect pacing.
Overall I cannot argue with many of the critics and I can see a lot of their points as valid but I left the cinema feeling very entertained and satisfied with the latest Star Wars film. Could this be down to my low expectations following the horrific experiences of Episodes 1 2 and 3 or was it simply due to this movie staying true to its nostalgic roots? View this movie on its own merits and get lost in the Star Wars universe, it is one hell of a ride!
9/10 - As a stand alone movie it was very impressive.