Better then the Prequels

Rating: 8/10 (12 January 2016)

One thing is for sure, Star Wars is back and J.J. Abrams shows he can direct a film with so much hype and expectations. Seriously, I have never seen a film in all the years I've been around them that had this much hype. The pressure must have been immense for Abrams to deliver a Star Wars film that shows us why we love it in the place. It was also no surprise that this film made so much money. One thing was for certain that everyone who worked on this film whether it was Abrams or the clean-up crew, they knew they were going to get a good paycheck. I won't say how much it made, but trust me it made a lot. Now the real question is: Does this film live up to the expectation? Well, let me say this, that people are going to grip and complain and nit-pick at something to make it seem like a bad film. However, realistically this film is what I'd expect from a film titled Star Wars. I admit the pacing in the first half is a little slow with not much going on, but that's generally where you have character development. Since, a bunch of new characters are being introduced and old ones are being reintroduced, its all the more necessary. But this film wasn't afraid of getting down to business. When the last half kicked in, I was emotionally drawn in more ways then one. I must say as a huge positive is Daisy Ridley is amazing and so is John Boyega, they are for sure the next great characters to come about from this franchise. This film had some clichés but not a clichéd romance which I was glad for. No sappiness like in Attack of the Clones. This film will fit nicely with my Star Wars collection amongst the originals and Revenge of the Sith. This isn't the best Star Wars film, but it certainly runs all over the prequels especially Phantom Menace, and Attack of the Clones. Lets hope the next films deliver more of the same. Now to grade this film. Directing: A (Considering all the pressure for Abrams, he did a marvelous job.) Acting: A- (Ridley and Boyega, along with the majority of the cast did a good job.) Characters: B (Some were underdeveloped like Luke, but I'm sure the next film will bring more of that.) Music: B- (Not the awesome score I was hoping for from John Williams, but nice to hear the old scores again.) Special Effects: B+ (Not Avatar material, but good.) 3-D: C+ (I saw it in 3-D and honestly I would have had the same affect in 2-D, How to Train Your Dragon was more impressive in 3-D.) Sound Effects: A+ (Always nice to hear the nostalgic sounds again like the light sabers and gunshots.) Overall: A-