A beautiful return to a fantastic franchise

Rating: 9/10 (18 December 2015)

***WARNING-CONTAINS SPOILERS-YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED*** SW:TFA is everything that the franchise needed. It has fresh new heroes and a beautifully crafted storyline that delves deeper into the lives of fond characters like Han Solo and Leia Organa, as well as adding mystery to the fate of Luke Skywalker. The film was a nice change to the somewhat rushed prequels (despite what some people say; it's just my personal opinion)and showed the devoted Fannies of the franchise how these characters have progressed since VI and how the galaxy has changed with them over time, shown by the emergence of the First Order from the ashes of the Sith.
Daisy Ridley encapsulates the essence of this fresh feeling with a beautiful and incredibly powerful performance as Rey. She was the centrepiece of the film and the way her story developed throughout the film alongside the development of the more well known characters was a masterful doing from Abrams. Finn, played by John Boyega, is also a fresh new side to an old tale due to his experience in the First Order as a front-line soldier and his subsequent disillusionment with the ideals of the organisation. It was nice to see these two characters who we have never met or seen before being thrown into the deep end if you will and being the focus of the film (normally it is focusing on Jedi Knights etc.). Abrams did this well, showing us how their paths cross early on and how they slowly intertwine with one another.
Of course, you couldn't have Star Wars without the biggest faces of the franchise, and Harrison Ford brought me on a nostalgia trip with yet another great portrayal of everyone's favourite cocky pilot, Han Solo. Speaking of nostalgia, the cleverly subtle references every now and then to events from the previous original titles provided a warmth and a great feeling, a feeling of fondness in a way. TFA wasn't short of comedic relief either, with some of the dialogue making me have a sly laugh every now and again.
On the contrary, the darker, more seedy elements to the film showed how Abrams didn't change the ideals of the franchise and the portrayal of Kylo Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke (Adam Driver and Andy Serkis respectively) showed how the First Order may have differences to the Empire, but it is still showing the same chilling conviction they once did. In particular, Kylo Ren has elements of Vader running in his blood (quite literally, he is Ben Solo-Han and Leia's son, which means Anakin/Vader is his grandfather), and shows how chilling and menacing he is when he kills his own father in cold blood as the rest of the characters watch on helplessly. This event in particular drives the audience's anger at Ren and gives them something to hate him for, since we knew nothing really about him at first. The mystery of Ren's fate leaves the audience in limbo, and sets up the sequels nicely.
Overall, TFA is a beautifully crafted piece of film by Abrams and his team. He has managed to revive a somewhat declining franchise like he has done and is continuing to do with Star Trek, and has given Star Wars a lease of new life. The film is something we will truly cherish for a long time to come, and hopefully the planned sequels in 2017 and 2019 will carry on this upward spiral and not tarnish the name of this incredible story.
P.S- This is my first review on any website, so I hope I gave a good and fully explained review.