'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' review: Hits the right notes & won't disappoint fans

Rating: **** 1/2

Genre: Space Opera

Cast: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac

Direction: JJ Abrams

Language: English

"Chewie, we are home." It may be the iconic Han Solo mouthing it, but it's what legions of fans must also be feeling when they see their favourite space smuggler and his wookie first mate back on the still-running Millenium Falcon.



Considering the bitter taste left behind by the prequel trilogy of the much-beloved original Star Wars, the burden of being JJ Abrams is unimaginable. He has already revitalised and rebooted the Star Trek series for the millenials, so it was an ambitious gambit that he serve the palate cleanser for this franchise as well . Thankfully, he is well up to the task. Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits all the right notes, while simultaneously raising the stakes and managing to satiate its most ardent fans.

The film also introduces and fleshes out new characters — mainly scavenger Rey (Ridley), former storm trooper Finn (Boyega), ace Resistance pilot Poe Dameron (a criminally underused Isaac) and most importantly, a new villain in Kylo Ren (Driver under the Vader-esque mask).

So we pick up 30 years after the first trilogy where the Galactic Empire has now been replaced by the First Order. The Alliance is now the Resistance and Jakku serves as the stand-in for Tatooine. There are more than enough parallels — for one, the humour and the feel of its origin is back — but The Force Awakens also moves the story forward organically.

Considering the legacy they are inheriting, Driver's villian has a fantastic screen presence while the chemistry between Ridley and Boyega is charming. Yet, it will be Ford's Solo that you will be thinking about long after you have left the theatre. Abrams has managed to successfully combine the past with the present. With it, he has not just brought forward the canon for its older fans, but again, introduced it to a whole new generation.

Poor * Average ** Good *** Very Good **** Excellent *****


Also Read: Star-studded premiere for 'Star Wars' in India

Click here for pictures from the European premiere of 'Star Wars'