J.J Abrams had already successfully rebooted the STAR TREK franchise in 2009 with Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto as Kirk and Spock in their early years – and the temptation to go from where no man has gone before to a galaxy far, far away was irresistible.
A decade after REVENGE OF THE SITH ended the prequel trilogy, THE FORCE AWAKENS brought us into the future, thirty years hence, with the ‘First Order’ led by the evil Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) aiming to crush a resistance led by Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) , now a General.
A rebel First Order pilot, Finn (John Boyega), helps Poe Dameron (Oscar Issac) escape from Ren’s capture on board a Star Destroyer and they crash land with a stolen TIE Fighter on the planet Jakku, where a scavenger, Rey (Daisy Ridley) struggles to survive on meagre portions based on sales of used parts from crashed spacecraft to the local pawnshop owner Unkar Plutt (Simon Pegg)
The three paths are set to cross with help from the Millennium Falcon, now an antique on the planet which Finn and Rey use to escape. On the way they meet old owner Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and the adventure begins in hyperspace….
Well-received and well-liked of the first sequel trilogy, THE FORCE AWAKENS is effectively a combo of all the key elements that made the now-legendary original trilogy so iconic – and Ford provides us with two emotional moments as he returns to the Falcon.