First-rate entertainment.

Rating: 10/10 (2 February 2016)

This movie is excellent. The reason is because it has strong acting and an original story. This movie is not a rip off of earlier Star Wars movies. It is something new. The movie is engaging. It grabs and keeps that audience's attention. The characters evoke empathy. The story contains an element of tragedy. The director, J.J. Abrams manages to avoid using special effects to fill in story gaps. For once, special effects are actually ancillary to the story line. Some scenes contain real elements of drama. Abrams manages to avoid depicting the good guys and bad guys as caricatures. The most interesting character is Kylo Ren played by Adam Driver. The reuniting of Han Solo and Princess (now General) Leia is dramatic without being sentimental. It's good that they are together again. Of course, the Solo-Leia-Ren triad drives the story. However, this movie is not an overblown soap opera. Rather it is a well put together science fiction adventure that provides first-rate entertainment.