Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) User Reviews

Ghost of a Movie. Nothing more than a sociopathic superficial cash grab

[coasterdude44 · 7/10 · 15 April 2016]

This film really is nothing more than an Advertisement. I'll admit the first time I saw it at the movies I thought it was pretty good, and i watched it another two times with friends and family over the course of a month before it finally left theatres.

But after seeing it again, I realised something is off, something is not right about this movie.

It's completely hollow with nothing beyond its visuals

The movie is well shot, I'll say that. It has great looking effects, but it's only there to hide the fact that once you look past all the superficial razzle dazzle to hide the mess underneath. The movie is nothing more than a shadow of the previous movies. Everything about it feels rushed. The characters are so aloof and seem almost brain dead. The dialogue is so shallow and paper thin, it's like the writers just gave up. The characters hardly develop or learn anything and Rey's transition to a Jedi is so fast and forced, you can see how how obvious that the writers were too lazy to even bother to give give her a proper arc and story and make her feel like an actual human we can care about. Because that would be too long and boring, wouldn't it... God forbid challenge people's short attention spans... Who even needs real developed characters... Nobody cares about that anymore... Just give them the razzle dazzle crap or whatever???

It really is sad just how empty this movie is. The third time I watched it, it actually physically left a bad taste in my mouth, thank god for popcorn...

The Force Awakens Review

[oledavidson · 9/10 · 1 May 2017]

When I went to the Cinema to watch The Force Awakens and I was really excited for the comeback of Star Wars films and the result was great one of if not my favourite film with Daisy Ridley as Rey being good. And return of Han Solo unfortunately he died Which was a shock when I watched it at the Cinema but overall great film With a great plot with the 1st Order and the Resistance I really liked Adam Driver as Kylo Ren. With his awesome mask and he was a different kind of character that you don't tend to see in Star wars at the end I thought the bit with Luke Skywalker and was a let down as I hoped to see more of Luke but it was a very good film to watch.

Just doesn't work somehow

[jr-06074 · 7/10 · 19 July 2016]

I don't know what it is, but it just seems like the soul of the Star Wars universe is missing. There is an emptiness that was only emphasized by killing off one of the main characters. It was almost like the director knew something was missing, and had to do this dramatic stunt just to make a surprise/shocking ending to add some sort of life to this shallow film.

It's an empty shell trying to galvanize itself to something greater. If the next movie somehow (miraculously) pulls all of this together (and possibly brings the deceased character back to life) they might be able to continue the series. Otherwise, it's just another MockingJay imo.

The good news is, at least there is a story. Is it important enough to extend the series by three or four more films? It all depends on the next movie. If they blow it in the next film, it's over. In fact, they may actually kill the entire franchise if they pull another "Force Awakens". I feel like I've lost interest in the whole franchise after watching this attempt.

This may seem a little harsh, but I just watched the film, and I am expressing my first impressions precisely. The new younger characters are okay, but not even close to the caliber of Ford, Hamill, Fisher. Maybe it's a problem with what this generation produces and accepts (like Hunger games et al). Shallow is the best way to describe it. And, second-rate seems to be good enough for some evidently.

The force is Average with this one!

[Elcid_Asaei · 2 January 2016]

30 years have passed since the events of episode 6 (beware spoilers ahead), but this film spends virtually zero time establishing the background to what has happened before, and from the very get go of one mindless explosion to another, this is an action packed let- down, with very shallow character development, re-hashed action sequences stolen from episodes 5&6 (father-son confrontations/death star finale), poor comedy timings and poorer dialogue (Finn asking Ray if she has a boyfriend), and really awkward character introductions, such as that first superficial meeting between old flames Leia and Han - really? And what about the new death star: bigger, badder, but in fact much much tamer and stupider, with the very same weak spots as the old death star, which makes you wonder if human evolution in 30 years (where the dark side is concerned), is in genetic reverse. Like most of the film, soft spots like this just felt like generic, copied from, and dumbed down fan service without much thinking in way of originality, substance, and credibility, which is what real fans of Star Wars and fans of good films in general wanted for this incarnation.

However, there are a few pluses here, since this film is still miles better than episode 1-3, and where roles are concerned, the strong female lead in Ray, and the prominent African American male lead in Finn, are commendable. There is still lots of room for improvement here, to prevent these characters from becoming merely token gestures in later episodes. Otherwise from a technical viewpoint, the one other major positive is the special effects. The use of actual effects in animatronics and physical set-pieces are the one aspect that set this film apart from most blockbusters nowadays, and here they are resoundingly successful in their use. Even the virtual effects (CGI), are used sparingly, and meld fluidly into the scene without distracting from the visual prowess. Yet more food for thought, despite this, it just goes to show how amazingly good the previous star wars films episode 4-6 looked, that the visual differences between them and this film are very minuscule.

So to sum up, this is another franchise film in a long line of cash-in follow-ups that are mostly style over substance, and you'll need to suspend a lot of quality control to really like this one, but it also goes to show that you know a film is not doing the right things when its trailer made a better movie than its full incarnation. Thus in conclusion, the force is NOT so strong with this one, and only deserving of a fantastically superficial 5/10.

Star Wars fans everywhere thanking god for FINALLY delivering a quality Star Wars movie!

[taylorbrown-93656 · 10/10 · 10 September 2017]

JJ Abrams did a spectacular job of bringing back Star Wars. I still need watch it again so I can analyze the entire thing and not be completely engrossed (going to be hard to do) in the movie throughout the time I was watching it.

The Force Awakens is a masterpiece, period.

Rey is the first female lead character in any movie that I truly love with no faults. Daisy Ridley hit it out of the park. Harrison Ford also did a solid job. It was hard not to like Poe or Finn because of their intrinsic qualities. Kylo Ren was an astounding villain with so much rage, uncertainty, and raw power in the force.

The movie was a great watch, I'd probably say it's a 9/10 to non Star Wars fans and a 10/10 for ALL Star Wars fans everywhere. They left a lot of things to look forward to in the next film and I simply cannot wait for December 2017 to roll around!!!

New director, new plot, still the Star Wars I loved

[laurabaker-20459 · 10/10 · 10 November 2017]

You might have read other reviews, where a lot of negative feedbacks are given, most commonly you might see "it was a reboot of its past episodes!" (wrong and laughably again), or even more hilariously "it was nothing like George Lucas' Star Wars films!". But fortunately most people by now know that when there is a change of director within a franchise you can always expect the movies to have a lot of contrary, clueless whiny trolls crying about them. Though most tend to die off and go on with their lives the first few weeks after the movie releases.......at least all the ones that actually HAVE lives do ; )

You have to give JJ credit, he did a helluva great job and even managed to SURPASS the original trilogy. How many other sequel directors can say that.....exactly.

There is more humor compared to the other Star Wars, which I believe played a big part in the success of this new installment.

To cap off, this new episode is worth the wait. A new beginning, a new set of characters, but it's still the Star Wars I fell in love with. I have and will watch it again and again, it's THAT good : )

Star Wars The Force Awakens succeeds across the board!

[jodimiller-85863 · 10/10 · 26 August 2017]

As I followed the production process of Episode 7, I was looking for evidence that they were holding to ideals hopefully wayyyyyyy better than Lucas' prequel trilogy.

Going into the new film, I was mostly concerned with them capturing the look and feel of the original movies. I determined that if they got that right, the story could be appreciated more. Since they got Lawrence Kasdan (writer of the Empire Strikes Back, my favorite movie) on board with writing credits along with JJ Abrams and Michael Arndt (both huge Star Wars fans), I was less concerned with the story they wrote than they means they chose to convey it. I was a little concerned about the reprisal of characters from the original trilogy that are WELL ON in years, but I didn't put much thought into it because I knew the story wasn't going to be about them.

I'm happy to say: JJ ABRAMS AND CO DID NOT LET US DOWN.

They built real sets and props, by hand, but weren't afraid to lean on the use of digital technology as needed. The result is a movie filled with gritty, organic places that just plain and simple...feel real. The digital effects, are soooooooo good too. Easily the most real-looking lightsaber effects I've ever seen.

The newest cast members are FANTASTIC. The older actors really shine through as well, a lot more than I thought, honestly. Especially Harrison Ford, he really manages to still capture the same spirit that makes him Han Solo, despite being considerably older.

The new story raises plenty of questions as well, really setting the stage for the following films and what's to come. But, as I've hinted at, I'm thoroughly satisfied with the film on the look and feel alone.

Let's also not forget NEW STAR WARS MUSIC. The newest John Williams score is fantastic, and is essential to capturing the magic of what Star Wars feels like.

I give it a 10/10, though I can understand some people giving it a high 8 or 9/10.

A True Star Wars Movie

[jayreed-94148 · 10/10 · 8 October 2017]

I know this, among many other reviews, will just find themselves lost in translation with thousands of others. But that wont deter me from conveying how simply awesome this movie was. It was truly a Star Wars movie. To have just enough fresh material meshed so fluidly with the old stuff everyone loves is a truly amazing feat.

I've read countless reviews that say this movie has lost all heart and doesn't feel like a Star Wars movie and the answer to that is simply........wrong.

From glorious dogfights to scene stealing droids to gritty lightsaber battles this movie has everything I want in a Star Wars film. And more! There are some real moments of raw emotion too that I think the Prequels tried to instill but just couldn't.

The plot is perfection, the new characters had perfect chemistry with the old, the effects were even more mind blowing than the trailers led to me believe, etc etc etc

Please don't even bother reading any laughable negative reviews, simply see this spectacle for yourself.

10

Watchable for nostalgia factor alone. LK, JJ, et al. should be ashamed of this script.

[RockyMtnVideo · 6/10 · 3 January 2016]

First the good… (no spoilers here.)

Rey and Finn: Daisy and John deliver delightful performances, and are extremely likable "new heroes", around which to attempt to re-launch this franchise.

As mentioned in my title, it's hard to argue with the nostalgia thing. For true fans, it's hard not to have your adrenaline level rise, the instant that John William's score kicks in, followed by the perfunctory crawl, giving us the skinny on what has happened since Episode VI, and as "old faces" later begin to make their way into the film, it does start to feel like home.

And, in my opinion, that's pretty much the end of the "good things".

!!!! SPOILERS FOLLOW !!!! !!!! SPOILERS FOLLOW !!!!

But now, the bad…

The problem is that it feels "just a bit too much" like home. If we only consider the "real" SW trilogy ( episodes IV thru VI), and ignore Lucas' foray into unnecessary special effects craziness (episodes I thru III), then we've now endured three out of four films (counting this new one) where the "empire" has constructed planet killing technology, and "the rebels" spend the last third of the film concocting an elaborate scheme to discover, and then exploit (with a "desperate, down to the wire" effort) the "design mistakes" of the empire, in order to "blow up the planet killer", and "save the day".

But for episode VII, it's actually far worse than just that. You pretty much feel like someone took the script from episode IV, and did "search and replace" changes in a Word Processor, i.e. the script for VII is pretty much just a "treatment" on the IV script:

Crash landing on a desert planet at the beginning: "check" As yet, unknown, future hero living on that same desert planet: "check" (but we'll do a gender change on the "future hero");

Cute droid (with secret/important message), who finds its way into the hands of the "future hero": "check";

Bar room scene: "check" (but we'll move it to a "forest planet", instead of a "desert planet", so that it "won't be the same");

"Save the day" hero with a troubling past: "check";

Dark-side-related "father/son problems: "check";

Rebels infiltrate base, and miraculously disable planet killer "shields": "check";

Hero/pilot makes miraculous attack on planet killer: "check";

And on and on.

I mean… jeez… nearly 40 years of waiting (since this all started), and the billions that Disney sunk into this franchise, and the best that we can get out of Abrams and Kasdan is a recycled version of "A New Hope"?

Disney needs to remember that the Star Wars franchise isn't heroin, and we are not just a bunch of crazed addicts. Wait… maybe I'm completely wrong about that? As it will apparently break every box office record in existence, maybe fans are willing to eat anything that gets doled out, but if that's the case, then that is truly sad (and I guess that they deserve whatever they get).

So, I'll go back to my original thought… for me (at least), I am not addicted, and I can "take it, or leave it". In order to continue buying tickets, I want to see some "something completely different". Aside from the core canon, and the requisite characters, somebody is going to need to "tell me a story" that won't leave me with another "been there, done that" feeling. If I want to see the "same old story" again, then I'll just stay at home, and continue to just toss IV thru VI into the Blu-Ray player, and it will be far more satisfying.

I really do like the newly introduced characters, and I really do want to see where this franchise might take them, so PLEASE get off your tails and give us a truly original story in VIII that will leave us all begging for this to go on forever.

All of the best parts of the Original Trilogy, with none of the cheese!

[jesswilson-33283 · 10/10 · 10 November 2017]

The film is easily the best written of the entire franchise; with clever, witty dialogue (for the first time in the series history).

It also has the most humanity, and thoughtful drama. It's surreal seeing Han, Luke, Leia, Chewbacca, and other original cast members, on the big screen again (in a new movie); and I think it was justifiable asking Fisher and Hamill to lose weight, for their parts (it's necessary to the roles they're playing). The new characters are also extremely likable, and soon to be classic, as well. Ridley is a revelation, and I think she rivals Jennifer Lawrence; for one of the best performances of the year! Driver, Boyega and Isaac are all fantastic as well; and Ford is, once again, classic!

The movie (without question) deserved several Oscar nominations; for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, acting and more. The approach Abrams takes, to the material, is exactly right (it's traditional, old fashioned filmmaking). The film is everything you could possibly expect (or want) from a 'STAR WARS' movie; it's funny, heartfelt, touching and action- packed.

It's far and away the best film in the series since Empire Strikes Back.

The perfect TEN!

Nothing to see here, move along....

[eventtreight · 6/10 · 6 January 2016]

I cannot believe that a supposed Star Wars fan of a director would think that this story was worthy to succeed the originals chronologically. Not only was the story unoriginal but cliché as well.

You would think someone like JJ Abrams, who did a fantastic job with Star Trek, would put as much or more energy into this, but alas, it felt as if they they did not put much thought behind the script. Even the dialogue itself felt clumsy and awkward most of the time.

There are countless stories written by comic book authors that would make excellent scripts, its too bad more directors of existing franchises don't pay more attention to the literature that already exists instead of reaching...flimsily, for content.

Ignore negative, neckbeardy, contrarian reviews. The Force is strong with this awesome movie!

[juliereyes-26085 · 10/10 · 23 September 2017]

This is a great movie. It's also an extremely popular and mainstream movie, and therefore is going to bring out raging nerds that will needlessly nitpick it to death in an attempt to look smart or edgy.

There are legitimate criticisms you can hurl at this or any movie, but people that give it a 1 or 2 out of 10 shouldn't be taken remotely seriously, as they are completely ignoring what the movie did right, and putting a magnifying glass over the irrelevant level of minor flaws included.

Normal Star Wars fans will find a lot to like hear. Great set pieces/locations, excellent costume design, flawed and relatable characters, hilarious banter/quips, dramatic and complex relationships, and a ton of space adventure fun!

It's the best Star Wars film since Empire, hands down.

A Monument to Mediocrity

[gengar843 · 6/10 · 21 June 2016]

From the virtue signaling of social justice, to the cheap-jack plot-line which was easily discerned in advance, to the awful acting which evoked little but hooting from me, I was, as you can see, disappointed, and in some cases outraged. If you dare to join me, I will explain.

I have nothing against diversifying the Star Wars universe, which is why I LOVED Star Wars 1, with its Oriental villains, Jamaican Gungan, Jewish scrap dealer, and more. It was a delight of indulgence which fleshed out characters of charm, making the experience vivid and interesting. But after Lucas received flak for ethnic portrayal, Jar-Jar became boring in Star Wars 2. In Star Wars 7, this pandering becomes intolerable. It's fine that Leah has the force, and it's fine that Rey inherited it, but Finn is gratuitous in his race. I would have nothing against this either but they make Finn formidable with a light-sabre against Kylo Ren. And please don't soft-soap me that love gave Finn the strength and skill to take on a pupil of the force - only hate has that power, the dark side. Otherwise, one must be cool and focused. Given this, I dismiss Finn and therefore it irritated me to watch Kylo Ren sword-play with Finn and not simply crush his windpipe with a wave of his hand, or penetrate his mind, which seems to be Ren's forte. As for Kylo vs. Rey, a bit more believable, but it made Kylo seem almost inept. Really? Rey's raw ability with zero training is tougher than Kylo with training? Not even close to believable.

What didn't I like about the plot? Well, first, aren't we simply replaying Death Star destruction from the first trilogy? Why, yes we are. And it looks like the Supreme Leader made all the same engineering, logistic, and tactical errors as the Emperor, just on a grander scale, including the convenient "having to recharge the cannon" just long enough for the Resistance to "win the day." Yawn. Second, much of the plot was geared to exploit the Skywalker/Solo family tree, and there was no thrill to any of it. Darth Vader is Luke's father - WHOA! I jumped out of my seat. Han is Kylo's father? Zzzz. Even if you wanted to say this was a remake, which it's not, it doesn't have the pizazz, never mind the oomph, of the original. But what does?

But the acting is where I think I really blew my cool. I can understand characters of convenience, and plot-lines of olde being rehashed, but it has to be acted well to pull it off. Even in Star Wars 3, as sappy as it was, the acting was GREAT, IMO. In Star Wars 7, Harrison Ford is just about limping to his finale, Carrie Fisher looks doddering and not commanding, Daisy Ridley grits her teeth so often I thought she was Red Sonja, John Boyega makes a concerted effort to appear naive at every turn (which makes his good fortune all the more unbearable), Adam Driver does not look torn in the least, and so forth.

I can point to hundreds of interesting and thrilling moments from the first six episodes of Star Wars which makes a complete weekend binge-watch, over and over again. Star Wars 7 does not add to that excitement. The tech seems standard, the CGI a little too self-conscious, the nostalgic cheese forced, the push forward too bossy and not natural. Still, I give this film a 6 in the hopes that Star Wars 8 will push the envelope once again.

More of a remake than a sequel, it relies on nostalgia and spectacle over actual characters and story.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 5/10 · 10 April 2018]

In essence a remake of 'A New Hope' as opposed to a proper sequel, the check-box resemblance this long-awaited revival shares to its franchise's debut is genuinely uncanny and sadly staggering since this was the perfect opportunity to try something new considering that the 'Star Wars' moniker is a powerful enough box-office draw to recoup any budget, apparently no matter how exorbitant, and withstand more than a few bad apples (*cough* the prequels *cough*). What's here in 'Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)' is based on nothing more than nostalgia, a series of slightly sickening "remember this thing"'s and "this guy still looks the same but he's grey now"'s that become incredibly tiresome increasingly quickly. If you take away the franchise underlayer you're just left with a hollow, characterless piece that gives you no reason to care and very little actual information despite all its endless exposition. In the end, I was honestly bored even during all of its high-flying fanfare. 5/10

The First Star Wars Movie that I will not Watch Again

[kia77-441-809117 · 7 January 2016]

Most of the problems have already been listed by other reviewers so I will try to be short. My biggest problem was the cast.

Why would anyone choose this actor for Kylo??? Adam Driver does not have the face, the moves, the skills you need for this role. François Arnaud would have. Honestly, Disney, you need to discover this actor- he is your man. I missed the necessary one hottie from this movie and he could have just been the one.

The main female character is way too weak too. Not a good choice either. And her counterpart, the young black man? I'm sorry but he was a joke. Funny, but not like Han Solo.

The only actors who could have saved the movie were Harrison Ford but Han Solo gets killed (a great shock and totally uncalled for) too soon; and Mark Hamilton, but he only appears at the very end. Why???

Me and my family have been watching Star Wars all over, again and again, and now we all feel let down by the franchise. I don't know if it is because it is impossible to do SW without George Lucas but the people in charge of the casting (Nina Gold, April Webster, Alyssa Weisberg) should definitely be replaced. (along with the main characters)

And I am all for strong women (I am one) but enough of the girl power. Star Wars is and should be about so much more than that.

Now THIS is Star Wars!

[melissahopkins-32575 · 10/10 · 24 October 2017]

This movie is amazing, entertaining, and well crafted as a film in general

The film is incredibly exciting with humor, action, references and a beautifully written plot.

This movie will blow you away, as both a Star Wars fan and a movie fan. If you actually like Star Wars you will love this film, end of story.

It is safe to say that J.J Abrams has fulfilled his mission in bringing back Star Wars to its former glory! Cannot wait for Episode 9!

Rating: 10 out of 10

Far and way the greatest film of 2015!

[harryparkes-92758 · 10/10 · 31 August 2017]

Star Wars The Force Awakens is a beautiful film. It's the Star Wars film that we've been waiting for for 30 years, the film that the prequels failed to deliver. It is full of gorgeous visuals, memorable characters, and genuinely funny lines but above all, it truly felt like how a Star Wars movie should feel. Wildly entertaining, at no point during the film did I feel removed from the action, or that I was waiting for the next scene to happen. The movie is very fast paced, with very few slow moments. That being said, the action flows together perfectly and somehow manages to never feel rushed. For me, by far the best part of The Force Awakens were the characters. And I don't mean Han, Luke, and Leia. While it was great to see the original three back in action, and Harrison Ford gave another brilliant performance as Han Solo, the ones that really stole the show were the new characters. The story centers around Rey, an independent, resourceful scavenger on the planet Jakku. Rey has clearly endured many hardships throughout her life and yet somehow, she remains hopeful about her future and maintains a strong optimistic attitude. As the movie progresses, we see Rey begin to discover her powers with the force and how to use them. But only towards the end of the film do we realize how powerful she truly is, and I am very excited to see what's in store for her in episodes 8 and 9. Part of what made Rey such a believable, effective character was the spectacular acting performance by Daisy Ridley. No other actor could have done a better job. The majority of the comic relief in this film comes from Finn, an ex storm trooper who encounters Rey in the desert after he crashes while trying to escape the First Order. It was fascinating to see a little inside the life of a storm trooper, something we never really saw in any of the previous films. Finn is equally as believable a character as Rey, and John Boyega's performance was spot on as well. Part of what made these two characters so great was the on screen chemistry between them, something that the prequels failed to deliver with Anakin and Padme.

As for Kylo Ren, aka Ben Solo, it was awesome to see such a complex character that has so many layers as the villain. We learn more about Kylo Ren's back story and personality in this one film than we do about Darth Vader in almost all of the original trilogy. The light saber temper tantrums, the side punching, the conversations with Darth Vader's helmet, Kylo Ren is the perfect balance of emotional kid and pure bad-ass. Star Wars The Force Awakens has brought back everything that I loved about the original Star Wars while at the same time, adding an element of mystery that did not exist in the originals. The movie is pure fun to watch and is so entertaining that I didn't notice any of the issues until my second viewing. If a massive grin didn't spread across your face when Han and Chewy burst through the doors of the millennium falcon, or if you didn't get goosebumps when Finn ignited Anakin's light saber for the first time, then you were never a TRUE Star Wars fan to begin with.

Facts and even more facts. You're welcome ; )

This IS the sequel you're looking for

[jaredkelsch · 10/10 · 31 August 2017]

Words cannot describe the perfection that is this film. JJ Abrams did a fantastic job, better than anything Lucas could. Solid cast, action, effects, everything.

I'm still stuck on deciding which is better between this and The Empire Strikes Back, which speaks for itself. Go see this film, even if you're not a Star Wars fan, you will become one. I cannot wait to see the future of Star Wars in Episodes 8, 9 and all the spin off movies. And thankfully, there isn't any Jar Jar Binks or young Anakin Skywalker. Instead we have interesting, diverse and excellently played characters.

What a film!

Yes, it really is that good.

[samphillips-38315 · 10/10 · 23 September 2017]

This movie does everything right.

Right from the start, I was sucked into the story. There are so many ways this could have gone wrong, and I'm so glad they did it right.

I was afraid that perhaps the new characters would not grow on me, but fortunately that wasn't the case. Finn's role is just perfect, plus it allows the movie to give the audience more insight into the structure of the empire, and what being a Storm Trooper is all about. This is the world building I was talking about earlier. The movie answers a lot of questions, even the simple ones. Rey is also a great character, but the exact opposite of Finn. Plus I really enjoyed the way the movie dispels common damsel in distress tropes with her. I think Rey's character makes the Star Wars universe more accessible to a young female audience, and that thought makes me smile a little. The movie does its best to show us that Rey is perfectly fine at saving herself.

The opening shot of the original Star Wars had its audience literally ducking in their seats, and thus succeeded at making you feel the oppressive rule of the empire with a mere visual. But The Force Awakens nails that too. Rather than steal those shots, they have new shots to achieve the same thing. A lot of the shots of imperial ships are shot at an angle from below, so they look really big.

The special effects in this are also amazing. There is so much use of real sets and practical effects. Tons of creatures are puppets, animatronics, or suit- characters. -Even some of the really big creatures are puppets, I suspect. This makes the world look real. Sure, when it comes to big battle scenes there is also liberal use of CGI. I also really like the way they show the interior of various ships, and show how the technology works. It makes it all feel real.

Plot wise, the movie succeeds at making the First Order feel threatening, by showing the cruelty of the empire early on. This is something that the old movies never really succeeded at. They always made the Storm Troopers look like bumbling cannon fodder, -but not so in this movie. They also have some fun with the villain, which is welcome. He isn't just some two dimensional character.

Another thing that surprised me, is how they expand on the lore of The Force. We get to see new ways in which the Force can be used, and they focus more on the mystical elements of it, and don't even mention the midichlorians from the prequels. And we get to see the Force being used a lot. If you think about it, Darth Vader didn't use the Force all that much in the original trilogy, and neither did Obi Wan. But in the Force Awakens, we see liberal use of it.

If you have children you owe it to them to take them to this movie. I mean it. Take them to this movie right now! They will love you for it! Come on! And if you are still a child at heart, then go see it as well.

On a path of destruction

[ssvfolder-1 · 6/10 · 24 March 2016]

Ever since I was a kid, I loved this franchise. Even episode 1, by far the worst in the series, had that "star-wars feel". Mostly thanks to great casting of Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor, awesome new dark side character and dual light saber. So despite extremely high expectations, the series wasn't ruined and effectively picked up in dark episode 3. Then Disney followed up with this one, with J.J.Abrams at helm, which once again rose the expectations. Well it's not good. Especially the casting and acting of younger stars. Even Harrison Ford and Chewy can't save this mess. It may be a blasphemy, but unfortunately Ford can't pull off ' "the cool". Sorry guys, he's a bit too old, so some action scenes look out of place. The casting of young stars was atrocious. Simply bad. Bad chemistry, Bad looks (ecpecially the Kylo Ren character), badly choreographed fights, Bad everything. On top of which, Abrams took the period as a remake of original which should not be touched! At all. Due to stunning (as expected) visuals, and a personal love to the universe, this movie can be watched, but if this awful trend continues, even special effects and millions of fans won't be able to save the series.

With the hardest job in the world, JJ Abrams... I salute thee

[terribriggs · 10/10 · 17 September 2017]

J.J Abrams has without a doubt constructed and delivered the best Star Wars film since Return of the Jedi. Better yet, the best Star Wars film after Empire.

Evidence of this is by the wonderful cast of familiar and new characters, particular stand outs are Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley. The action was great, the story worked wonders. J.J added his genius, unique touch. As he did with Star Trek 2009 + Into Darkness.

It did a wonderful job bridging the gap to a new story. Practical effects were 10/10. The older fans are just butthurt that more people are exposed to a new generation of incredible/better movies.

TFA is simply perfection, as much as those laughable online trolls don't want you to believe ; )

Oh dear the Force is Weak With This one .

[comps-784-38265 · 6/10 · 30 January 2016]

Oh dear what a disappointment !

All the other Star Wars films are part of 'The Saga' adding to and explaining, the original story. How the Empire came about, where Vader came from etc etc. I expected this offering to show 'what happened after'. I expected an exciting original film which would take it's rightful place in the great saga that is 'Starwars'.

'The Force Awakens' adds nothing to the saga. Nothing at all, There is nothing original.

it just recycles and re-packages the classic scenes from the preceding films. It is a blatant and cynical method of making money from the 'brand'.

In fact if you haven't seen any of the previous films you can just watch this one.

Darth Vader is now a petulant teen with a different mask and name

He is no longer Luke's father, He is now Hans Solo and Leia's son.

The Evil Empire is now called the New Order

The Emperor is now a giant cgi 'Gollum' and nowhere near as sinister or evil.

The young Luke Skywalker is now a girl called Rey.

A certain droid has vital info for the rebellion (now called the resistance) which is a map that shows the location of a former jedhi knight OB1 Kenobe, now called Luke Skywalker.

The evil empire (i mean the 'New Order') has a death star, now rebadged as a planet, with the capability to destroy planets (just like a death star)

Hans Solo is let out of his care home to go disable the shields with chewbacca (sound familiar) now accompanied by a renegade storm trooper (who was actually quite a good character but under used)

Leia is let out of re-hab to be a general of the resistance (apparently she's no longer royalty)

In short they destroy the planet sized re-badged death star, everyone cheers because evil is defeated, and the film ends with Rey discovering the almost mythical Luke Skywalker (who looks a dead ringer for Oliver Reed)

Another film where the hype bears no relationship to the substance. The film makers clearly set out to make a lot of money standing on the shoulders of classic films. They achieved their aim and made a lot of money.

Sadly the only notable thing about 'The Force Awakens' is that ( by a long long way), it is the worst film of all the Star Wars films.

Don't bother paying to see it at the cinema. It will be on TV very soon and be at the Supermarket in the DVD bargain bucket.

The Force didn't 'Awaken' for me. It just went back and re-hashed old story lines and characters.

Unoriginal, unimaginative, uninspiring. What a shame!

How do writers with so little talent, get employment on such big projects?.

Seeing the 10 stars reviews I can only assume some are paid to give such glowing reviews. Others must be under the influence of a Jedhi Mind trick (which does effect the weak minded). I presume those giving scores of 1 or 2 are a backlash to this.

It is a very mediocre offering and certainly did not live up to my expectations or the hype/advertising around it. 6/10

They obviously will be making the follow ups but after this I doubt I will pay to see them. very disappointed.

Freaking amazing!

[virginialaffer · 10/10 · 17 September 2017]

I simply cannot comprehend how anyone would give this a bad review. It was, without a doubt brilliant.

The directing was amazing, to the point where you're so immersed in the scenes, I actually felt giddy during some of the flight scenes, it feels like you're actually IN the ship. The special effects are tastefully done, and are a perfect follow on from its predecessors. Nostalgia rules in this thrilling film, we felt like applauding several times throughout, and got goosebumps in some amazing scenes. It was also surprisingly humorous, (in appropriate amounts), and the balance of new characters versus returning characters and story lines was brilliant.

10 out of 10 for me!

JJ Abrams is overrated

[culmo80 · 6/10 · 9 April 2016]

I was pessimistic when I learned JJ Abrams was going to be taking on Star Wars. While he was "successful" in the reboot of the Star Trek films, he seems incapable of directing a film without a contrived plot that is about as coherent as something written by a 5th grader.

Okay, I had no problem having Finn crash land and run into Rey and BB-8. It's everything after that. Amazing that the Millennium Falcon just happens to be on the same planet in the same village that these two need to escape from. Amazing that they get picked up in space by non other than Han Chewy. Amazing that Han and Chewy decide to take them to the same backwater world where there is a wise ... individual who just so happens to have Anakin/Luke's lightsaber. Yeah, I get it, the Force works through everything, but come on. This isn't the Force at work. We've seen this sort of collection-of- coincidences-equals-plot in the Star Trek reboots. When looked at with a critical eye, this sort of plot is about as sturdy as a cardboard box in a hurricane.

The rest of the story was pretty simple. There's a giant planet- destroying base (quite original) and it's going to destroy the Resistance. This is the third such super-weapon plot device in the Star Wars franchise. They've ceased to become impressive, especially given how easily they are destroyed.

And the characters? Han Solo ... the best you could do was make the hero of the Galactic Civil War reverting back to a smuggler? It's like his character did absolutely no evolving in the 33ish years since we first met him at that cantina. Rey was fine, but I think we all sort of can predict her future. Why not giving us her full name or showing us who her parents were, that means you're hiding something. I wouldn't be surprised if she is a Skywalker. What a great story to pit two descendants of Anakin against one another? Finn. A bit over the top, and it didn't necessarily fit in with the Star Wars universe. They should have toned down his character a bit. Kylo Ren. Not bad. I think everyone was expecting a Vader clone and we got a guy who is still learning. Captain Phasma. Who? Everyone got excited about the chrome stormtrooper. All she did was walk around issuing orders and then get taken prisoner. That stormtrooper with the shock stick thing was more of a bada^^ than Phasma. General Hux. Definitely not on par with previous villains. Too young. They could have cast a much older actor and the role would have done better.

I'm glad that Abrams ISN'T running the next installment. Maybe we'll get more story--a more complete story

depressing

[evansharvey · 1/10 · 6 January 2016]

You should only watch this if you don't care or want to see the 'old gang' back together and as you would imagine them to be 30 years on.

Going in to this I had a relatively short list of what I hoped the movie makers wouldn't do. The main one being break the team up...and what do you read in the opening crawl...they've broken the team up. Why? Because of lazy writing and because they wanted us all to love the new and shiny characters they've foisted on us. so they made the old characters act like complete and total losers, like others have said Han goes back to smuggling and ripping people off, he's left his wife, Leia's back to being cranky and she's got no relationships left except for the droids and seriously that red arm is just dumb.

We've got another Skywalker as the bad guy, Han and Leia broke up and Luke's gone off on some yoga retreat. And don't get me started on the supposed bad guy...what a joke. Equipment is expensive but apparently the 'first order' (whatever the F that is) don't care that he routinely smashes all their expensive equipment.

The Force is treated with no respect at all. On one hand it doesn't seem to work ie Leia can't find Luke and Kylo can't sense his father three metres away, but then it works all the time for our new 'heroes' but I'm sure Disney will dismantle them too when they want to sell more useless bits of plastic.

It's like Disney figured everyone complained about too much 'story' in the prequels and to make it easy on people (cos they figure we're all stupid) they'd get rid of the history totally. The easiest way to bring in a new baddie is to make him a Skywalker, make him responsible for the downfall of the old heroes and then get him to kill one. Star Wars was originally about redemption but I don't really see what message it sends that someone can murder their father in cold blood to then be redeemed (assuming that's the direction they go in).

This movie will be forgotten very quickly and Star Wars is just a new Transformers/Avengers type franchise. Nothing special anymore. Not a moral tale, seriously how inappropriate was Han's death for a movie for kids? It will get recast and remade over and over. No one will love these new characters as much as the old ones.

Disney has wasted a golden opportunity. I don't consider this movie Canon. Bring back George