An absolutely marvelous, thrilling film

Rating: Null/10 (21 December 2015)

Perhaps the most anticipated film of the decade, this is an absolutely marvelous, thrilling film. While I do like the prequels, this film does a considerably better job of recapturing the tone and atmosphere of the original trilogy. It has a great spirit of adventure, a compelling emotional core and it does a very good job of further fleshing out the "Star Wars" universe. The characters, both old and new, are very well treated. The film has a very strong script by J.J. Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan and Michael Arndt and Abram's direction was excellent. He is certainly much more suited to "Star Wars" than "Star Trek". It hits all of the right notes. It is my third favourite film in the franchise, after "The Empire Strikes Back" and "A New Hope".
Approximately 30 years after the events of "Return of the Jedi", a new Republic exists in the galaxy but things are far from peaceful as the First Order has arisen to fill the power vacuum left by the defeat of the Empire. Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and their compatriots in the Rebellion have achieved a mythic status comparable to King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. This is rather appropriate since Obi-Wan Kenobi was essentially Merlin in the original trilogy. Some people even doubt that they ever existed. However, those in the upper echelons of the First Order are not among them as they are on the hunt for Luke, who went into self-imposed exile years earlier and has not been seen since. In any event, Kylo Ren knows from personal experience that Luke and Han are very real.
Of the returning actors, Harrison Ford has the most substantial screen time and he fits right back into the role of Han. In some respects, he has changed very little as he is still the same wisecracking, scruffy looking, nerf-herder that he was three decades later. In others, however, he has changed a great deal as he is suffering a great deal of pain emotionally speaking due to his less than stellar relationship with his son. He becomes a father figure to Rey and perhaps he even starts to think of her as a surrogate daughter. Carrie Fisher does not have a great deal to do as General Organa, the erstwhile Princess Leia, but her first scene with Ford is her best. It is implied that they have not seen each other in years but there is still the old chemistry between them. They may not have lived happily ever like many fans had hoped but they still love each deeply in spite of everything and that says a lot. Mark Hamill's appearance is kept until the end of the film. This was a very intelligent move as it built the anticipation very effectively, not only during this film but for Episode VIII.
Of the new characters, my favourite was definitely Rey, played wonderfully by Daisy Ridley who has a very bright future ahead of her. As is demonstrated throughout the film, the Force is strong in Rey and she is able to take care of herself. She is fiercely intelligent, loyal, kind and principled. She is very adaptable and takes everything in her stride but she is vulnerable in one sense as she was abandoned on Jakku many years earlier. The fact that she can kick ass is very cool but I would not have loved Rey nearly as much as I did if she was not such a strong character in terms of her personality. Adam Driver is excellent as Kylo Ren, who is more trained in the ways of the Force than Rey but less adept. He is very quick to anger and throws several tantrums throughout the film. He idolises Darth Vader and longs to be as strong as him. He is a deeply conflicted character, which makes him very compelling. John Boyega is great as Finn, the former stormtrooper with a conscience. At first, Rey does not think much of him in spite of his claims to be with the Resistance but she gradually becomes extremely fond of him. They have a nice, sweet relationship. Not only that but Finn has some of the funniest moments in the film, particularly when it comes to his interaction with Han. The film also features nice appearances from Anthony Daniel as C-3PO, Kenny Baker as R2-D2, Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux, Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron and the great Max von Sydow as Lor San Tekka.
The special effects are unsurprisingly excellent from the fantastic opening shot onwards but I liked the fact that it made use of practical effects in some cases as opposed to the wall to wall CGI of the prequels. Maz Kanata was the best of the CGI characters though. The film had a great undercurrent of humour, much of which was provided by Artoo's heir apparent, the adorable BB-8. The extensive use of the Millennium Falcon was my favourite of the many callbacks to the original trilogy.
Overall, this is a brilliant film which was everything that I ever wanted from a "Star Wars" film and more. It has given the franchise a new hope, to coin a phrase.