REVIEW: The Force Awakens breathes new life into Star Wars franchise

J.J. Abrams has redeemed the Star Wars franchise.

Make no mistake – The Force Awakens is not a perfect movie. Like the original trilogy in the multi-billion franchise, its plot is often moved along by convenient coincidence, interstellar good fortune and storm troopers who couldn’t hit a star destroyer from 10 paces -- though their aim has gotten considerably better this time around.

But oh it was fun to watch.

The movie, which opened in theatres on Thursday to record-setting crowds, could have dwelled on the nostalgia of a generation that grew up on Star Wars, revisiting familiar faces like Han Solo, Chewbacca and Princess Leia in much the same way Netflix is hoping next year to recapture the magic of Full House, 20 years after the show went off the air.

No doubt, many fans wanted a heavy dose of the rebel gang that took down not one, but two Death Stars and restored order to a galaxy far, far away.

That said, we also wanted a whole lot more.

Sure we wanted to revel in their legend, but we also wanted new heroes (and villains) to cheer on.

We got them.

In Finn, played by John Boyega, and Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, the hero torch has been passed and the Resistance, as the rebels are now known, some 30  years after the Return of the Jedi’s was set, appears to be in good hands.

Kylo Ren, repped admirably by Adam Driver of HBO's Girls fame, is the heir apparent to Darth Vader, though much less sure about his place in the evil empire, now known as The First Order.

And of course, there's the adorable BB-8, the snowman-shaped rolling droid destined to be the blockbuster's breakout star.

The little fella doesn’t disappoint – not that C3PO or R2-D2 ever did in the original trilogy.

Speaking of which, Harrison Ford – and I say this with not much conviction of it actually happening – could get an Oscar nod for reprising his role as a (much) older stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerfherder. It’s a role Ford was born to play, as reluctant as he is at times to embrace it.

The cinematography is spectacular and the computer-aided graphics don’t overwhelm like they did in the second Star Wars trilogy, a set of movies that almost sank the franchise before Disney came along and rescued it from creator George Lucas.

The Force Awakens isn't without its faults.

Written by Abams and Lawrence Kasdan – the latter of whom also co-wrote The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi – The Force Awakens fails to drift far from its roots. There’s a desert planet, a villain in black clothing and a black mask and a planet-sized weapon ready to wreak havoc across the universe. There are plenty of scientific liberties taken too, but guess what? The audience doesn’t care.

Star Wars has always been about suspending beliefs and getting caught up in the action in front of you.

And with that as the criteria, Abrams delivered, from the opening battle to the spectacular final shot that leaves the audience counting the days until Episode VIII.

The only question, fans of his rebooted Star Trek series ask, is can he do it again?

Rating: Four stars out of four.