An epic return to a galaxy far, far away

Rating: 9/10 (20 December 2015)

Starting Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens had me thinking that maybe the blockbuster had been overrated. Never have I been so wrong. The movie threw you into the universe that was so masterfully created by Lucas, and makes it even better with new planets, characters and baddies. From the epic space battles to the daunting legions of The First Order, led by Kylo Ren, everything was bigger and better. There was so much that was good about the movie, that I could barely explain all a that I though was awesome. And even though the movie was amazing, I felt that there were some overused clichés and some foreseen plot twists. So, down to the specifics--with no spoilers at all, for the record.
CGI: 18/20: Abrams went with the classic look, making most props, instead of just animating all the aliens and buildings, the actors could be in an environment that really felt like star wars. The space battles and gunfight scenes showed that space isn't quite the same it was 30 years ago. The environments looked like they could've been real, and all the animations were very well done. All the planet's looked amazing, as well as the new "death star", which makes the previous one pale in comparison.
Atmosphere: 14/20 The biggest difference from this movie vs. The last ones is that the epic Jedi domination over the battlefield was gone. There was much more of a focus on the resistance and normal people than that of the mystical warriors of the force. This in some ways made the movie better, but in a lot of ways made it worse. The nostalgia from old characters and locations made it feel a little like star wars, but over all, it just felt like an very well made sci-fi epic.
Acting: 18/20 For the most part, the acting was good. The actors could convey most of their emotions well. From the easily angered Kylo Ren attempting to rise to the same power as the long dead Sith Lord, Darth Vader, to the scared rogue stormtrooper, Finn, who wants only to defeat the First Order, the characters seemed so real. The main characters, a rag-tag group with a rogue Stormtrooper, a scavenger, and two old smugglers, paid great respects to their roles--reprised or new. Harrison Ford portrayed his iconic character flawlessly, using dry sarcasm as humor relief throughout the movie. The only problem is that I didn't feel like the characters had the same amount of development as the original trilogy. They almost seemed static at some points. The main villain was more of a spoiled brat than anything else, and whenever seen without his helmet, seemed like a child. Overall, it was not bad, as far as acting goes--while granted, star wars has never had the best acting ever, but I felt as though the characters themselves could've been better written.
Story: 19.5/20 The story is unlike any of the Star Wars before, with a Jedi not appearing until late in the movie. Starting in the night,is what I believe was one of the few big flaws in their construction of the story. It was hard to see anything, and the characters were barely even able to be recognized until much later. The story itself, though, was excellent. Without going into too much detail, it almost parallels the original episode IV. With a droid holding incredibly important information, and finding its was to a young person who grew upon a Sandy planet. And beside this, it was well done. The story made new characters as lovable as the old ones, and old characters reminded us what we loved so much about the original trilogy. While character development should've been more of a focus, I believe that the next two movies will do well enough to make the characters more dynamic than they were in this movie.
Lasting appeal: 19.5/20 From stormtroopers with emotions, to the same old smugglers in trouble again, this movie is high ranked on the all time star wars list-- even on the all time movie list. The action did not fit the same of the classic, with the stormtroopers being better shots, and the heroes being mediocre shots, making it completely different, yet just as good. I felt as though this opening to the new trilogy will forever be in our memories, as one of the greatest space movies ever made. Also, it's broken records already, as far as box office goes. This will be recorded as a blockbuster that should never be missed. It surely lived up to the expectations I had, and even surpassed them greatly. This may just be my favorite star wars yet.
Overall: 89/100 " Amazing"