Star Wars Episode VII: the Force Awakens

The space opera franchise returns with a massive cosmic bang as co-writer/director JJ Abrams takes George Lucas's once moribund brainchild and guides it firmly towards a healthy series future. Winning newcomers Daisy Ridley and John Boyega take on the respective roles of scrap metal scavenger and renegade stormtrooper who escort a droid carrying an intergalactic map to where last remaining Jedi knight Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) is in hiding from the evil First Order who want to extinguish the last vestige of the Force. Keeping the spirit of the original alive, while tweaking its basic story, Abrams creates a fun mix of space opera cheerfulness, vibrant charm, cosmic cliffhangers and nonstop epic action executed with impressive technical virtuosity. Key hints of series nostalgia along with returning classic cast members only add to the ingenuity, remarkable deftness and irresistible draw of this visually compelling and completely dazzling fantasy spectacle.