A good spiritual sequel

Rating: 7/10 (30 December 2019)

The Force Awakens is an excellent film in that it successfully introduces a new era of Star Wars to a new generation of fans.
However it is entirely derivitive of A New Hope. The plot is beat for beat the same and no amount of entertainment value can really raise this film beyond an average 6/10.
Despite this, I gave it a 7/10. My reason for this is that it did what, in my opinion, the prequels couldn't: it captured the spirit of Star Wars. There wasn't a moment in this film that felt as if it didn't belong in the franchise, which is quite the feat to acheive for a franchise as large, popular and divisive as this one.
And although much of the set up of this movie would be botched by the sequels, it is quite apt when looking at it in the context of this film alone and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't engaged by it or in antisipation for what would come when it was first released in 2015. At the time I felt Rey, Finn and Kylo Ren were all well rounded characters that had been established firmly. Their place in the universe seemed very well defined and for that I give this movie praise. So much so that I felt their presence and re-contextualised the plot (barely) enough that it didn't feel like an exact carbon copy of A New Hope; The casting, performances and character writing was very well done in this movie. That is with the exception of Finn's bizarre willingness to murder stormtroopers, despite previously having been one himself and sympathetic towards a friend of his, who had also been a stormtrooper.
The first and best installment of the Sequel Trilogy is always entertaining and very engaging. I recommend seeing this film as it is enjoyable for people who are both Star Wars fanatics and new comers to the franchise.