'The Force Awakens' meets reasonable expectations; it doesn't have to be a classic!

Rating: 8/10 (9 January 2016)

Many commentators and reviewers appear to have queued for 'The Force Awakens' in the expectation of seeing the next '2001'. When you remind yourself that the 'Star Wars' franchise is and always has been an action- adventure composed against the backdrop of eclectic sci-fi, you'll probably realise that J.J. Abram's latest contribution isn't out of the ordinary, meeting many reasonable expectations and exceeding others. The action in 'The Force Awakens' (there's a lot of it) is markedly better than that of the previous three 'Star Wars' films. The first time a character uses a lightsaber, the viewer is made instantly aware of Episode VII's departure from the prequels. There are no impossibly fast flurries (which makes sense in the context of the story), and the camera-work is easier to follow. As a result, towards the end of the film we're given a fight which I believe is the most well-presented since Kenobi and Jinn's showdown with Darth Maul in 'The Phantom Menace'. (I think the showdown between Anakin and Kenobi is overrated.) However, I couldn't help but notice that the space combat is overlooked a little in this film; we're expected to acknowledge the above- the-clouds action as an unquestioned presence, it seems. Combining this with the absence of a battle on the scale of Hoth's or Endor's may disappoint some viewers who have been awaiting the return of 'Star Wars'; yet, it should be remembered that this is simply the first instalment in what looks to be a promising trilogy. Complementing the action is a highly competent cast of familiar and new faces, a almost-but-not-quite-annoying presence of humour, and an array of imaginatively rendered landscapes. You've probably heard that 'The Force Awakens' repeats old material and rehashes the plot of earlier films; I noticed, too, but I was sufficiently engrossed to not care. (Was 'Star Wars' *ever* adored for its narrative? Stripping it down to its bare premises reveals a plot hardly more enthralling than that of 'Flash Gordon'!)