It is hard to put to words the feeling I had watching this film. There was an Awakening, and I felt it. We all felt it. and then I felt it again two days later, and I will feel it again later today. I felt it everywhere. It surrounded me, in the form of the palpable excitement of the entire world. It penetrated my feelings, making me feel every emotion an the spectrum. It bound the galaxy together in Theaters across the globe, smashing box office records and leaving us united in the knowledge that STAR WARS IS BACK, BABY!
That being said, I must point out that it was by no means a perfect film, and it was kind of a retread of A New Hope (to be clear, I don't mind that at all, in fact it makes perfect sense). JJ and Co. had quite a tall order to fill, and it seems they did. They made a fan's film, made by the fans, for the fans, but it was Star Wars in every way. The fan service was there, and quite so, but it wasn't so much that you felt like it was fan service. There are plot issues and inconsistencies, as are to be expected in most any film. Interestingly, after all the hate of the political nature of the Prequels, I feel like this film could have used a bit of political exposition. (perhaps here is where we say "Sorry, George.")
The new cast, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Issac, and Adam Driver were SUPERB! Ridley specifically stood out as a future star. Their performances, chemistry, and overall acting ability is what carried this movie. I was as invested in Rey and Finn as characters after just one film, as I am in Han and Luke after four. Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill achieved what I thought was impossible. They were Han Solo and Luke Skywalker, NOT actors playing them. On a slightly different note, it is quite clear the Carrie Fisher hasn't acted much in the last few years. She wasn't bad, and she was definitely Leia, (though that's probably because she wasn't a great actress in the OT either) but her scenes didn't carry the weight they could have.
I have said from the beginning that this movie need not be better that the Original trilogy films, just better than Revenge of the Sith, and it far surpassed that. As the first film in a trilogy, it's plot holes are negligible and most will probably be rectified in later films (or canon material). It falls perfectly in line with the established universe, and tells the story of the natural progression of said universe. It is a Star Wars movie, and a damn good one. BRING ON EPISODE VIII (or Rogue One, that' acceptable too.
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