General Leia ( Carrie Fisher) continues to hold together what’s left of the Republic, and her hopes are pinned on finding a long-missing Luke Skywalker (played in the original trilogy by Mark Hamill). The Empire has struck back again, with something called The First Order rising to power from the ashes. Skip a few paragraphs if you want to go in completely cold, but either way, I’ll avoid spoilers as much as possible:Īlso Read: Can 'Star Wars' Soar in China Without The Force of Familiarity? There are some slower bits, and an ending designed to leave you wanting more, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a tingle in my neck at the familiar opening of Williams’ score. It’s not a bad strategy - what is “Creed,” after all, if not a contemporary re-do of “Rocky?” - and Abrams and company bring enough verve to the proceedings to create some wonderfully exciting moments alongside the reunions and the revelations. See Video: All 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Trailers Compressed Into 2-Minute Video Abrams has adopted the relatively cautious strategy of essentially remaking the original “Star Wars” (or, if you must, “Episode IV: A New Hope”), which allows him to delight fans by bringing back the original players while at the same time laying down the groundwork of the new good guys and bad guys that we’ll get to know over the course of the next several sequels. Stepping into the pilot’s seat on the gargantuan “Star Wars” franchise, director and co-writer (with Lawrence Kasdan and Michael Arndt) J.J. Old heroes will make way for new heroes to emerge.Īnd it’s all set against a rousing score by Oscar-winning composer John Williams. There’s a giant planet-destroying weapon that must be brought down. There’s a colorful watering hole where aliens of all sorts listen to music and learn vital information that will move the plot forward. Young people discover their connection both to a conflict of earlier years and to the Force.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: A droid is sent to a desert planet so an evil empire can’t get the intel hidden inside of it.

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