"Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens" (SPOILER ALERT)

⭐⭐⭐⭐½💖

Now that we are back to the movies, SPOILERS AHEAD.

"The Force Awakens" takes place a few decades after "Return of the Jedi". I am surprised how much I liked this movie this time around. I have seen it a few times and I enjoy it more and more each time. It is indeed a strong start to the sequel trilogy.

The First Order has risen after the fall of the Empire and they are on a mission to destroy the New Republic, with a new weapon larger and more powerful than the previous Death Stars.  With Leia leading the Resistance, the search is on for Luke Skywalker, who they believe is their last hope in restoring peace across the galaxy. A charming rolling ball of a droid, BB-8, has been given a portion of a map leading to Luke's whereabouts and both sides want to take possession of this critical information. (How beautiful it is when R2-D2 "awakens" and eventually provides the missing piece of the map for the Resistance.) Gradually, a team of allies that reminds me of the Avengers join forces to protect the map and take sole possession of it, which leads to the culmination of the film with Rey finding Luke and offering him his old light saber,

Apart from THE villian - Snoke, the other villain in this movie is Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver, who turns out to be the son of Leia and Han Solo. His demeanor, though not nearly as impactful, is similar to that of Darth Vader. This resemblance is easy to accept since he is Darth Vader's grandson. 

However, whereas Darth Vader did not have the heart to kill his son, Kylo Ren did kill his dad. Han Solo's death scene is emotionally powerful for more than one reason, though. Leia senses it, which shows the connection she had with Han. But there's another reason why Han Solo's death broke my heart. I remember in the movie "Solo: A Star Wars Story" when he and Chewy rescued each other and then of course went on to be best buds. When Han was killed, Chew lost his best friend. Now, of course Chew is a couple hundred years old, so he's probably experienced loss in his long life before then, but I have a feeling his bond with Han Solo was like no other. On a positive note, I did feel a spark of hope when he was on the ship with Rey. It seems those two will now form a strong friendship.

Overall, this movie has much about we love about Star Wars. The dialog isn't as deep as some of its predecessors, but it works. It's action-packed, emotional, and even humorous. At times, the First Order overact their parts, but that's a minor flaw. It keeps with the spirit of the original Star Wars, while introducing us to the next generation. I loved the introduction of  Finn's character, played by John Boyega, a former Stormtrooper turned Resistance supporter. He brings a perspective to the Force that nobody else has. Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, is also a very strong (in every sense of the word) female lead. 

Although I've already scene the next two movies, I'm still so excited to once again see how it plays out and experience it all over again.