Disappointing but enjoyable rip-off

Rating: 6/10 (19 December 2015)

My score of six seems a little unfair, even to me, because I did actually enjoy the film. The problem I have is that I spent much of the film thinking, "Hey, that's scene from 'A New Hope', that bit was from 'Empire Strikes Back'" and "Err, isn't this the same story as 'The Phantom Menace or is it a mash-up remake of episodes 4,5 and 6?" You get the picture. J.J.Abrams may have been trying for an affectionate tribute to what has gone before, but for me it ended as a thoroughly enjoyable but unoriginal copy-and-paste mash-up of previous Star Wars films. You just know that Honest Trailers are going to have a field day showing the dozen or scenes and plots side by side. Ultimately, the film was rescued not just by the brilliant direction and cinematography, but by the two lead characters. Daisy Ridley as Rey is truly outstanding. In so many ways I found her more convincing than Mark Hamil, who was always just a little too gangly in the first two Star Wars films to be completely believable as an action hero. The Rey character is everything you felt Luke Skywalker should have been. So would I recommend friends to go and see it? Absolutely, it really is great fun. Will I get the DVD when it comes out? Most probably. Will I go to see the next film in the cinema? Possibly not, more than likely I'll save my money and wait for the DVD.