Star Wars: The Force Awakens

The force is calling to you. Just let it in.

Well, it's been a while, but the newest Star Wars movie has finally been released. For fans of the franchise, this is much welcome news. For those non-fans, I ask you this... What is wrong with you? In all seriousness though, I have no problems with people who don't like the films, but come on! It's Star Wars!

Episode VII, or The Force Awakens, is set 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi. The Empire is destroyed, but The First Order has risen from the ashes, with their sole mission to destroy the last remaining Jedi, Luke Skywalker. Only problem is, Luke is missing.

On the other side of the fold, the Resistance is also trying to find Luke, under the direction of his sister, General Leia Organa. And while all this is happening, newcomers Finn and Rey must work together to help the Resistance. All in all, it makes for a very good story.

The Force Awakens feels like a true sequel to the original trilogy, while still being its own story and the beginning of a new trilogy. Director J.J. Abrams, who previously worked his magic on the Star Trek series, has shown once again that he has a knack for science fiction. There are also plenty of references and nods to the previous films, so there is always something to keep your eye out for when you are watching.

The characters are as equally good as the story. The returning characters have just as much spark in them as when we previously had seen them, and the new breathe fresh life into the series. I feel that the new additions were very well cast, so I wouldn't change anything there.

As previously mentioned, there are a multitude of references to the previous films, whether it be returning characters (aside from the obvious) or even just a line spoken by a character. There is definitely a high amount of rewatchability. Hell, Steven Spielberg has seen the movie at least 4 times already! Add to that the numerous cameos that are scattered through through the film, you'll definitely want to see this one a couple times at least.

Episode VII gets 8½ stars

Overall, this is a great movie. It's a welcome addition to the already existing universe (non-canon Extended Universe included) and will surely give rise to a new generation of Star Wars fans. If you can, I'd definitely recommend seeing this one in the theaters while you still can, but if not, rent it as soon as possible. And to those who have yet to see any Star Wars films, I say this to you; Watch them. You won't regret it.

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