amazing star wars for a new era, but Disney's controlling string are noticeable.

Rating: 8/10 (2 January 2019)

Right so having seen this film several times both in cinema and now more recently 3 years on (can't believe it right) It stands up to the test of time especially after a sequel in the same time period has been made.
One of the things i want to get off my chest before i go into how much i like my film is probably its biggest flaw and although most people already know it i believe it is worth mentioning as it partly defines the film.
Similarities with ep4/5
yes i know its part of the skywalker saga but the problem arises when you realise how much the similarities are and were they so obvious when making it?
here is my list.
inheriting anakin's lightsaber
Old war hero helping main protagonist on getting away from their old life and sacrificing themselves while confronting an old close relationship enemy after helping get rid of shields on a massive battlestation
planet destroying battlestation with one spot weakness to blow up. with countdown to it firing
protagonist living poor on a sandfilled backwater planet.
droid with important information finding protagonist.
bad guy with mask and cape.
bag guys boss appearing as a hologram teasing future encounters, (a let down to be)
the list could go on and on but there are a few really annoying ones,.
okay so to finish off my negatives. the lightsaber is definitely misunderstood in this film. although Finn and rey can't use it properly and kylo is hurt, they should not be that effective at being able to wield it even with force sensitive powers. episodes 1-6 explain why no one else wields a lightsaber, due to requiring years of training to use.
there may be some other negatives but beside what i've mentioned and po and rey apparently never meeting it is mostly good for the following reasons i'll list a few and then talk about why
Special effects both cgi and practical look the best they ever have and are put to good use
main character castings and characteristics are amazing, finn rey poe even kylo are easy to believe and understand (i'll explain more on ren later)
inclusion of han solo chewie r2d2 c3p0 Leia Ackbar is a good thing for continuity and nostalgia.
xwing's and star destroyers albeit updated is great to see.
jakku takodana, resistance base, star killer base all look amazing as locations.
battle of jakku remains of imperial fleet looks amazing and ties in with the fall of the empire expertly.
Story line is easy to follow its skips around planets a bit but jumps between characters feel natural and progress the story and arent forced.
the story of rey and finn becoming something greater as individuals is perfect space opera in my opinion as is there growing as characters throughout the film.
Okay so to talk bit more about why i like this film.
Kylo is flawed but still menacing, from the moment he takes his mask of you realise he is pretending to be sith to both scare others but to convince himself. and this turmoil both makes him volatile but also vulnerable which is nicely shown when rey reads him mind during her interrogation. His lightsaber which looks very volatile sums his thoughts up perfectly.
Han solos death is a good reminder that this film is not about the old characters and old ones help propel new ones along much like that of obi wan in the originals , still an iconic character but was around for less than a third of the original trilogy.
Poe is a good character that shows that hope exists in the galaxy and he is a good reminder that the first order conflict is real he is also a good reminder of how inspiring leia is and how she rallies troops.
Rey is the best part of the film in my opinion, Her character is that of someone who is strong in their comptencies and beliefs but is thrust into a world of the force and greater conflict. her natural grasp of the force is a great thing to see much like how luke started off although her use is more visual and a bit quicker in how she uses it.
She denies her destiny in the flashback scene which i think visually is great. her connection with finn is fantastic and they bounce off each other amazingly as does the subtle notion that she can handle herself as a woman and why shouldn't she? which i think is a great message not being over the top but very inspiring for young viewers.
I like the fact that the movie is happy to say the rebellion won in ep6 but turmoil is stil part of this universe, (it is star wars after all)
Luke's disappearance is a good reason for this as is the rise of kylo ren
The amazing thing about this film is that it sets up for the send two films perfectly although the cliff hanger ending does unfortunately say there can be no time jump something every star wars film has had however small.
it also sets up snoke the knights of ren and luke traning rey as well as kylo ren becoming stronger and an epic battle between the first order and the resistance.
without talking about the last jedi too much looking back i am disappointed much of this potential is wasted and i get reminded about it too much watching tfa which is a real shame.
on that note the only problem with phasma is that the was hyped up too much before the release of the film. the reason a boba fett character worked was that he became a favourite despite his lack of involvement in the films which means phasma was being set up to fail.
to sum up this film i would say that the effects are amazing and are pure star wars for me, the planets and ships all look amazing and its nice they're new. the old characters do their part well in passing on the baton as do the new characters in cementing their part in the world,
You really root for the good guys in this film and although you mind always says its not as good as the originals it stands well on its own. unfortunatley disney probably said it needs to be a bit and star wars for a new generation which meant jj abrams felt complied to make it like the original to play it safe,
i don't mind it too much but it probably the only thing stopping it being a 9 or a ten for me.