A Solid Reboot to a Childhood Favourite

Rating: 7/10 (10 January 2016)

So, it appears that a lot of people don't like this reboot, judging by the first couple of pages of reviews on IMDb. And to be honest, I kind of get it. The thing is, and what a lot of these reviewers seem to forget, was that the original Star Wars was never really a serious film, or particularly well made. But, we all watched it as kids, and we all loved it growing up, as it played with our imagination and showed us something new. Perhaps, what most of us need to do, is be a little childlike when watching Episode VII, and then you might appreciate it a bit more.
It's true that The Force Awakens is a bit of a nostalgia trip. Anyone who hasn't seen the first 6 installments may miss some in-jokes, and to be honest, it could almost work as a stand-alone effort. There's plenty to entertain during it, from aerial battles to shootouts, explosions and chasers. It's what Star Wars built its original movie along, and, in order to capture the sense of the Episode IV, JJ Abrams has resorted to the same again. Episode VIII, due out next year, may expand further on the metaphysical side of things, like Empire did. For now, we might have to wait to see how that plays out.
The plot is fairly straight forward (just like Episode IV), with both the Resistance (the former rebel alliance) and the First Order (the new baddies in replacement of the Galactic Empire) hunting down Luke Skywalker, who has disappeared. His location is hidden inside another droid, this time the bubble-like BB-8, who comes into the hands of Rey, a scavenger on a remote planet. Together with the Finn, a deserter from the First Order ranks, they realise that they must get the droid to the Resistance, all the while figuring out how to destroy the First Order's new mega weapon, the Starkiller Base (ie, the Death Star 3.0). Yes, it sounds just like Episode IV. And, it pretty much is, if you changed the action sequences a bit.
But I don't care. This is the plot that lured me in the first time around, and it'll lure in plenty of other new-comers. Avid fans might be a bit disappointed, given its lack of new territory, but, this is not what this film sets out to do. It's got the franchise back in play, and now, we can wait to see what moves it has left.
On one note, a lot of people are critising the new villain, Kylo Ren, relentlessly calling him a spoiled brat with a lightsabre. I see exactly what they mean, but I think it plays wonderfully well, with a few possibilities. Darth Vader was a powerful man, but who was controlled, first by Obi-Wan in his Anakin form, and then by the Emperor. Ren obeys Supreme Leader Snoke (an interesting entity who's background is still quite vague), but you never really feel like Snoke has control of him. For a very petulant, young and ambitious man, who clearly has very strong force powers, to be running around without anyone really controlling him, could be a nice recipe for him to do some real damage in the next 2 installments.
It's also nice to see Han Solo, Chewie and Leia back in the thick of things. Its more of the nostalgia trip I mentioned before, but they do play a part, and are not just along for the ride, like C3-PO and R2-D2 area. As I mentioned, the plot of the movie is everyone's attempt to find Luke, so I don't think its a spoiler that he's absent for a lot of the film.
Maybe I'm just being optimistic. But I think this film has setup the franchise for bigger and better things. But first, it needed to get up and out of retirement, and JJ has done that. It may not be brilliant, but, it's back in play, and has shown that its got potential to play ball.