A triumphant, goosebump inducing hair raising journey back to what we all love about Star Wars

Rating: 9/10 (21 December 2015)

I'm in my 30's, brought up on the original trilogy and I try to pretend the prequels don't exist so I (and my brother and dad) had such high hopes for this film. We left deliriously happy.
Yes, the story doesn't stray very far from what has gone before but that doesn't matter at all. The new cast are all excellent and spar off each other brilliantly, BB-8 is a joy in every scene and the film just delivers everything you want ... capable acting, a strong lead, drama, action, lore and fan service ... everything that the prequels failed to do. It feels and sounds like a star was movie should with CGI never taking centre stage over practical effects or more importantly, the acting. The original cast are used well, again with the focus clearly being on moving forward in the saga. One thing I really liked is that the First Order were a credible and real threat, something that needed to be stopped with urgency.
As a stand alone film it's great. As an addition to the Star Wars universe it breathes new life and washes away the stink of I, II and III.