No Ewoks, No Jar Jar, No Kidding

Rating: 9/10 (28 December 2015)

Note: Even though I checked "might contain spoilers," for the benefit of those who haven't seen this yet (which was me until today), I'm going to try not to give too much away here.
Wow..after 38 long years, they finally got it right. Yes, I know I'm in the minority in that I liked the first Star Wars better than Empire, and to be fair, Empire was also a very good movie. But since then, Star Wars movies had lost their way..introducing those gawd awful little fuzzy muppets in Jedi, and those even worse CGI/cartoon characters in the "prequels"(i.e. Jar Jar Binks, the single worst character in Star Wars history). George Lucas had forgotten (or maybe never really understood) what made the first two Star Wars movies so good. This was painfully evident in the three "prequels," where the story, dialogue, and characters took a backseat to all those dazzling effects and CGI coming out of Skywalker Ranch. In a recent interview Lucas revealed that he saw the Star Wars saga as a soap opera..which sums up nicely why I didn't like the last 3 Star Wars flicks in particular (didn't much care for Jedi either). Behind all those neat special effects, that's exactly what those movies were: Episodes of a bad soap opera, with bad writing and bad acting. Thankfully, JJ Abrams captured..masterfully..what was great about Star Wars in the first place (I was actually concerned about what Abrams would do with Star Wars, since I did NOT like what he did with Star Trek, but boy, does he get it right here).
The Force Awakens not only brings back the familiar characters we already liked (Harrison Ford does an especially good job as the older Han Solo), but the new characters are likable too. The story is the best since the early days as well. I think it's supposed to be set 30 odd years after Jedi. You get glimpses of what has happened since, but you don't get everything..I have a feeling there will be more bits and pieces revealed in the next two installments. But the dark side has re-emerged..personified by the character of the evil..yet conflicted..Kylo Ren (in a terrific performance by Adam Driver..Hayden Christenson should take some notes). The Empire has been replaced by the evil "First Order," and standing in their way is the "Resistance." The First Order has an ultimate weapon even more horrifying than the original Death Star, and they ain't afraid to use it. The young character on the "light" side of the force is Rey, played well by Daisy Ridley. By the end, she's still a bit of a mystery..you're left wondering exactly how she figures into all this. Again, I think we'll get the answers in subsequent movies.
What I loved about the original Star Wars movie was that it was the quintessential illustration of what I believe movies should be..a 2+ hour escape from reality. This latest edition of Star Wars also epitomizes this. Yes, there are a few small plot continuity inconsistencies from the previous flicks. Do yourself a favor and don't worry about them. Just sit back and enjoy.
I'm glad it's back. :-)