Star Wars for a New Generation

Rating: 7/10 (2 August 2016)

Being an avid Star Wars fanatic for most of my life I was incredibly excited when I heard Disney had purchased Lucasfilm and were going to make more Star Wars films. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a solid attempt to reignite the franchise by bringing characters new and old together in an effort to fight evil and restore order to the galaxy, by doing so in a way that strongly echoes stories already told in the original Star Wars films.
This film is definitely designed for a new generation, one that hasn't delved deep into the Star Wars universe before. The fundamental storyline of The Force Awakens is strikingly similar to that of A New Hope, in that both stories begin on a desert planet, a droid is carrying data that's much wanted by all parties, the protagonists find themselves in a watering hole and the climax sees the freedom fighters destroy a weapon of devastating proportions. All aspects shared by both the original and new film.
For the hardcore fans, this film may appear somewhat disappointing as it ultimately does not bring anything new to the Star Wars universe story wise. The new actors and actresses do an excellent job in executing their roles, and the ending sets up a giant cliffhanger that I cannot wait to explore come Episode VIII.
Overall The Force Awakens is a great watch and one that I enjoyed despite my familiarity with the original films. Let's hope Lucasfilm can continue to release films of this magnitude but with a tad more originality.