Director: JJ Abrams
Runtime: 135 minutes
This is probably both the easiest and the hardest review I have ever had to write. Easy because there is so much to love that I could go on for ages, but the hardest because this film should be seen without so much as a hint of a spoiler. I was extremely lucky and managed to avoid all the internet nonsense that has caused so much controversy over the weekend. I will do my very best to review without ruining the experience of watching the movie.
Picking up thirty years after the Battle of Endor, the galaxy is still not at peace. The evil Empire has now been replaced by the extremely ruthless First Order, led by General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) and the mysterious Kylo Ren. It's up to the Resistance, featuring old and new characters, to stop these new villains.
And that's it. Yes, I know it's not a lot to go on but you have to take my word for it, the less you know, the better the experience will be.
The new characters are brilliant. John Boyega and Daisy Ridley are outstanding as Finn and Rey respectively. Their chemistry is off the chart and leaves the audience begging for more. Oscar Isaac as Dameron Poe, although not on screen as much as originally anticipated, is so instantly likeable it's scary. These three are certain to become legends by the end of this saga.
And speaking of legends, you know you're special when you walk on screen and an entire cinema cheers. That's what happened when Han Solo (and Chewbacca) first steps onto the Millennium Falcon. There is something so very comforting having the original actors back in the franchise, it almost felt like they never went away.
The main villain of this movie is, of course, the red lightsaber wielding Kylo Ren. There is so much I want to say but I won't so not to spoil anyone's enjoyment. Suffice to say, Adam Driver, an actor I'm not normally keen on, nails this part and his character adds so much to the piece that I'm actually glad he was cast (yes, that's my humble pie well and truly consumed).
I have never been in a cinema where 10 words on a screen cause so much whooping and clapping, but from the moment that famous phrase 'A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...' appeared on screen, you knew what was about to happen was something truly special. This film has everything; laughter, tears, gasps, amazing effects, edge of your seat moments and enough action to keep you enthralled to the end.
Is it perfect? No, but it was the perfect beginning to what promises to be an amazing trilogy. JJ Abrams has given the fans what they wanted and it will be a very tough job for Rian Johnson to follow in Episode VIII.
This film has to be watched, and is one of the rare movies that I am gladly going to see at the cinema more than once.
