Refreshing and worthwhile addition to the Star Wars Saga

Rating: 8/10 (18 December 2017)

As a life long Star Wars fan, I went into the cinema with an open mind. I'd avoided spoilers and reviews, as I wanted the full impact and surprise of seeing a new Star Wars movie unspoiled and with fresh eyes, not tainted by other peoples opinions. As the movie started with the usual fanfare and crawl, you could feel the excitement and anticipation around the cinema.
The movie did not disappoint! The action set pieces were amazing, and there were large doses of emotion too. As always, there is plenty of humour thrown in also, to lighten up between the more serious plot points.
I thought the pacing of the movie was OK - but the middle part of the movie was a little more slow going. This was more than made up for though, by the first part of the movie. And the final third, oh my word! When this movie got going, it was one hell of a roller coaster ride! It had shocks, twist and high adrenaline - in my opinion it felt 100% STAR WARS!
I've been reading some pretty scathing reviews on here, where the plot and approach by new director came under some very harsh scrutiny - I was quite shocked by the level of what I can only describe as "hate" for this movie. I know some of the more "hardcore" Star Wars fans can be a little bit "militant" - but guys - this is a great action movie - and I found the new approach refreshing and fun - but at its heart, it was still STAR WARS - Good job Rian (and Disney) :)