To be quite frank, I am not one of those mad Star Wars fans. Maybe because Episode 1, 2 and 3 were mediocre films and those are the films I grew up watching! Apart from the fact that it had Natalie Portman in it, I didn't find it too interesting. After watching this film, I would suggest that if you haven't seen any of the Star Wars films, it is best that you don't watch any and start afresh with this one. Yes, you might not understand a few character references but that can be sorted out by a quick glance over the wikipedia pages of Episode 1-6.
Here's why Episode 7 is one of the most fun Sci-Fi movies and you really don't need to be a geek to enjoy it:
1) The Masala is with you: Director JJ Abrams does a great job of picking the best plot elements of the first 3 Star War films ( Episode 4-6), removing the worst from the slow, gruelling prequels ( Episode 1-3) and packaging it with ample masala to make it palatable to the average movie viewers.
2) A Rey of Hope: Probably the best thing that JJ Abrams does is get 2 exciting British youngsters together to play the lead characters. Daisy Ridley (Rey), a relative newbie in the acting world and John Boyega ( Finn) of Attack the Block fame are exceptional as the lead pair. They comic timing is perfect, their chemistry electric and while their characters are extremely ambiguous, their screen presence more than makes up for the lazy character development. Even, Adam Driver as Kylo Ren ( Darth Vader wannabe) gives the villain an emotional vulnerability that makes Ren an extremely complex and driven force to be reckoned with.
3) The return of the Solo: Star Wars felt incomplete without its enigmatic hero Ford, who along with Chewie gives an extremely adventurous feel to the whole franchise. His return, along with a few others liike Carrie Fisher ( Princess Leia) and Mark Hamill ( Luke Skywalker), makes the movie a little more familiar.
4) The Screenplay strikes back: What made Episodes (1-3) boring was their lazy screenplay. JJ Abrams fixes it with a film that is filled with action, comedy and masaledaar drama. The film starts off at a frenetic pace and keeps it up throughout. The first hour, especially, is brilliant, with entertaining action set pieces and exceptionally written dialogues.
But then not all is well with this film, if you wish to nitpick:
While the casting breathes fresh air into the franchise, the story itself seems like the khichdi of what worked in the past. A father goes up against his son and a big nasty ship is blown up by the resistance. Also, there are too many convenient twists in the plot - which might be attributed to the FORCE by its ardent fans. In the entire galaxy, how does Solo manage to find the Millenium Falcon suddenly? How can Rey control her powers even though she is untrained? How can the entire republic be destroyed in one brief instant without any justification? Well, there are many more but then I will be giving out a lot of spoilers. Watch the film and then we can discuss those.
Like I said, if you wish to nitpick you can find hajaar faults, but the entertainment makes up for everything! So if you haven't seen the film, watch it today. It's total paisa vasool, dhamaal fun movie with a fantastic lead pair and a cozy familiar feeling to it. Go ahead, buy a ticket and a big basket of popcorn, and reach for the dark side coz resistance is futile!
Rating: 7/10