Star Wars: The Force Awakens - 8/10
Caught this in the theaters and am so happy it didn't turn out to be a dud. To be honest, the prequel trilogy that started with Phantom Menace in 1997 had lowered the bar so much that my expectations with this one were very low. In fact, part of the high rating that I give it is due to my sheer joy at the movie not being as bad as the prequel films. This is not to say that this is an average film; in fact I would call it a very good film even when compared to the original three films.
There is a whole lot of nostalgia released to viewers at regular intervals. The story is never lacking in pace or direction and most importantly, action sequences and CGI effects were a revelation in the sense that I enjoyed them in a movie after a long time (thanks to the too much CGI crap). Acting is fine from everyone especially Ford who manages to retain that twinkle and mischief in his eyes even at 73. Special mention for the fresh-as-a-lily Daisy Ridley and the ultra-cute BB-8 droid. JJ Abrams does a good job of not letting fans down.
Criticism if any is that for a true fan, the story-line becomes predictable. But then again, since they are setting this movie up for upcoming sequels, I have no qualms. Rian Johnson (of Breaking Bad's Ozymandias episode fame) is writing and directing the next installment so a darker theme can be expected
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I wanted to say something about the main antagonist but am nor sure it is possible without spoiling anything. So i'll skip that. If there are any other spoilers in the above lines then they were unintentional and my apologies for the same.
And watch this one in the theaters guys. Although 3D is something I don't like, watching this one on the big screen is really really worth it.