It's Santa! and The Force Awakens #NoSpoilers

The big day arrived! No not Christmas, The Force Awakens was released at midnight today (in the UK). I'd watched the first six films over the last couple of days and was all set to see the latest Star Wars Film. I'm not a big enough fan to queue up or go to the first showing (at midnight).

I wandered along to Ocean Terminal mid morning and saw Santa in his sleigh meeting little kids.

I climbed up to the cinema (for some reason all the escalators were not working) and bought a ticket to see the 2D version of the film which was starting in a few minutes. The cinema was almost deserted, I guess the hard-core fans went to see the midnight showings (they had it on all their screens) and mid-morning isn't a popular time for the more casual viewer. I guess some people would also be going to see the 3D version or the IMAX at cineworld. For those considering these options, only one sequence was filmed in IMAX and the 3D was all done post-production, I decided it was better to watch it in it's original format.

So, was it any good? Yes! If you're a fan of Star Wars it IS very similar to the original, with a new original plot. To start with I thought the editing was a bit irritating and jumpy, but I guess they had to introduce the new characters and set the scene. There's also a couple scenes that dragged out a bit but they did have 30 years of history to fill in (to some degree).

The film is led by the new characters but our old favourites are cleverly stitched into the fabric of the plot without detracting from the new. There are lots of nice surprises along the way and the trailer's have cleverly been put together so you rarely know what is going to happen next. There are a couple scenes where you will think "this has been done before" but for a fan of the original I found myself feeling some-what nostalgic and they have clearly been done deliberately as a nod to the original.

The three new lead characters Rey (Daisy Ridley) , Finn (John Boyega) & Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) are wonderfully played and pull the plot along nicely as we get to know them. And of course the new droid BB-8 is adorable :-)

The special effects are for the most part excellent, unlike the "prequels" the CGI is well done and do not detract from the feel of the film. It does feel like the original where things are run-down and not all "shiny" and they've avoided spending time explaining all the politics. There are a number of plot points that are not explained clearly but you don't really care too much about those.

Lots of weird aliens running around, awesome dog fights, light sabre battles and blaster gunfights galore! This is a great Star Wars movie and fans will love it. They've opened up the Star Wars universe for a new generation (both in real life and the characters). 

What's next?

The next sequel (Episode VIII) is in development and due to be released May 2017, there is also a spin-off Star Wars movie (Rogue One) scheduled for December 2016 which is set between Episode III & Episode IV and is the story of how the plans for the Death Star were acquired by the rebels, it is unlikely to star any of the major characters we are familiar with. Another spin-off is scheduled for 2018 (possibly about a young Han Solo and/or Boba Fett) and the final sequel is scheduled for a 2019 release.