“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” A Love Letter To Series Fans

I don't need to sell the new Star Wars to you.  If you're a Star Wars fan, you very likely have plans to see it, if you haven't already.  But let me tell you this: You don't need to worry!  This is NOT another Prequel situation.

The latest in the decades running Star Wars mega-franchise, "The Force Awakens" follows 1984's "Return of the Jedi", after balance had supposedly been restored to The Force.  But come on, we know that's never true.  Peace doesn't sell tickets!

Since it's a sequel, we see many of the familiar faces back for another adventure, chief among them Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Carrie Fisher as Leia Organa, and Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker.

But there are plenty of fantastic new heroes as well, like Finn, played by John Boyega, and Rey the Scavenger, who's played by Daisy Ridley.  I have a soft spot for an old wise alien voiced by Oscar-winning Lupita Nyong'o (Imagine Yoda but more motherly).

"The Force Awakens" truly doesn't disappoint.  One of the main criticisms I heard for the Star Wars Prequels was that they were too slow, but that is not a problem with Episode VII.  Right off the bat, we're dropped in as Stormtroopers invade a desert planet (No, it's not Tatooine!) at the behest of the new Big Bad, Kylo Ren.  And there's plenty of action to drive the whole thing forward.

But that doesn't mean it's a brainless, Michael Bay-eque film without a plot, either.  "The Force Awakens" contains a story that hearkens back to the Original Trilogy, without seeming rehashed.  It's full of interesting landscapes, complex characters, and surprises that made me and the whole theater gasp.

I won't go much further than that, because I feel like ruining the new Star Wars movie for someone who hasn't seen it would be considered a crime by many people.  All I can say is, if you're on the fence about seeing "Star Wars: The Force Awakens", don't hesitate.  Go, watch, and enjoy before everyone else has, and they're all talking about it without you and ruining the plot!

"The Force Awakens" may not erase what harm may have been done to the franchise by the Prequel Trilogy, but it certainly washes the bad taste out of the mouth of this fan.