Perfect Base for what is left to come

Rating: 9/10 (22 December 2015)

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" was one of the most anticipated movies of 2015 and lives up to its high expectations.
The 7th entry of the Star Wars series on the big screen is set 30 years after the destruction of the second Death Star. At this point Luke Skywalker has disappeared while the First Order, the follow-up movement of the Galactic Empire tries to gain back its former power. In order to stop them, the resistance, military force of the Republic, does everything to find Luke Skywalker before the enemy can do so.
The movie was cast excellently. Daisey Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Adam Driver in their respective roles as Force sensitive scavenger, deserting Stormtrooper, Resistance pilot and commander of the First Order, all more than satisfy. Especially Adam Driver as Kylo Ren offers the most interesting Star Wars villain since Darth Vader due to his premature, insecure and bratty personality. The old stars of the saga do not disappoint either, with the exception of Carrie Fisher whose acting seems stiff at times.
In the first half of the movie, all new characters get introduced and brought together in a well paced, coherent manner through the downright adorable droid BB8 who carries part of the map that leads to Luke Skywalker uniting first Poe and Finn, then Rey and Finn to bring him to the Resistance. On the way there they get captured by Han Solo who spotted his stolen ship the Millennium Falcon in which Rey and Finn escaped from Jakku. After learning the information BB8 carries, he decides to aid Rey and Finn in their mission. Harrison Ford performs very well and portrays the charming smuggler convincingly. Towards the end the Plot is largely copied from "Star Wars: A New Hope", but logically updates it in some regards: The weak point of the so called Starkiller Base, a more destructive version of the Death Star, was revealed by former Stormtrooper Finn who now works for the Resistance due to his reluctance towards the First Order's cruelty while its shields could only be penetrated after Finn and Han Solo forced Phasma, captain of the First Order, to deactivate them.
The similarities to A New Hope are the only actual weakness of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which becomes most apparent during the planning on how to destroy the Starkiller Base, a scene Fans now see for the third time in basically the same way. Despite the resemblance the movie still feels novel through its inventive characters and differences in details.
The special effects and images are breathtaking, but the 3D effects are utterly useless and more often than not diminish the experience instead of enhancing it. John Williams score is on point, but not the best of the series. Rey's theme on Jakku stands out as one of the better ones.
Overall, Star Wars: The Force Awakens maneuvers the franchise back to its original atmosphere while offering fresh characters and updated visuals. That being said, the next two movies have to be more daring, in order for this sequel trilogy to cement its own identity.