Awaken by the Force, here is my take on Star Wars Episode VII

It felt like years since I’ve watched a movie in a cinema and if there’re any MUST watch movies this year, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has got to be one of them. I could forgo Spectre but I can’t miss this - just because everyone was saying Luke Skywalker will succumb to the Dark Side in this movie. I had one too many times argued against it. Nonetheless, the best way to find out was to watch it! 

The movie started off just like any other Star Wars with the standard opening sequence and the crawl text introducing the episode. You can also expect to have at least one very dusty and hot desert scene. :) 

With such a title, one would most certainly come to realise it was about the rise of the Jedi… heck it was how each trilogy started off anyway. The newbies in the movie did a great job portraying their first steps from trying to escape the past to the discovery of the Force.

The story was something you would come to expect of Star Wars - lots of stuff about the Force, lots of tension between the Republic/Resistance and the remnants of the Empire now known as the First Order, X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter battles (I was hoping 30 years would bring new fighters but I guessed wrong), weapon of mass destruction and the journeys of new (and young) characters. I was glad there was BB-8 - no doubt just as fun to watch as R2-D2. There was even an oversized Gollum-like Snoke that was, coincidentally, played by Andy Serkis.

It was a good move to bring back the veterans, namely Han Solo (oh yes! My favourite actor Harrison Ford may have aged, but he still portrayed Han Solo well), Princess (now General) Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2 and, of course, Luke Skywalker. This would then certainly mean the continuation of the Skywalker family thread. And this was what the marketing of the movie was leading fans to think of - Luke’s turn to the Dark Side by not having Luke Skywalker in the trailers except for one scene that showed his robotic arm on R2-D2’s head.

And out of 5…

4/5: If you are a Star Wars fan, you would love this and there is no doubt this movie is better written than Episodes I, II and III. 

4/5: Anything with Star Wars, you can expect excellent CGI. One note - BB-8 is real. If you just came out of a cave, you can even purchase BB-8 from somewhere out there.

4/5: If you are an action fan, you will never feel bored in this movie. Action right from the beginning. Blasters blazing, trademark light sabres humming and hissing, classic X-Wings and Tie-Fighters battles and X-Wing trench run-like scenes.

4/5 Overall: Star Wars fans will love this. It’s Star Wars at one of its best though there are plot holes that I can’t quite fill up (but if I talk about it, then it will be spoilers). Maybe these were intentional?

3/5 Overall: Non-Star Wars fans might be puzzled about what was all the hype about and might not appreciate the continuity of the movie from previous trilogies.

Errr… so… did Luke Skywalker follow his father’s footsteps? Did any of the veterans die? That’s for you to find out!