Lived up to the hype, and in some places, beyond.

Rating: 8/10 (13 December 2017)

The visual aspects of the film are stunning, the use of colour, beautiful landscapes, and gorgeous lighting, for me, the best looking Star Wars film to date, really adding to the spectacle, I cannot stress enough that you must watch this on the big screen. It fills you with nostalgia and immerses you into the universe again
The film once again introduced us to some new characters locations and animals, some of which are a direct scheme to sell some more merchandise and toys, but luckily that does not spoil these creatures at all. The only critique on the additions is the new character, Rose, who provides us with some rather 'cheesy' acting and moments, but other than the acting, she added nicely to the narrative, further increasing some character arcs. The only other critique to the film I have is I found the battle sequences quite repetitive, where we would see one side get battered, until there was little hope, then bang! Hope is restored by an emerging saviour.
The acting overall was really good, Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, was excellent, and Carrie Fisher was beautiful. Daisy Ridley as Rey performed her demanding role very well, much better than her previous Star Wars film in my opinion.