4/ EPISODE VII – THE FORCE AWAKENS. 2015. DIR: JJ ABRAMS.

And here I said that Return of the Jedi was on repeat. Rey, a scavenger on a desert planet, comes across droid BB-8 and former stormtrooper Finn. Hunted by the First Order, the two discover that BB-8 has part of a map to the missing Luke Skywalker. On their quest to find him they meet Han Solo, encounter the sinister Kylo Ren and must destroy a planet destroying planet called Starkiller Base. Just remember the plot to A New Hope and you have the rest of the story.

Like everyone else and their dog, my biggest problem here is that they have essentially remade A New Hope to an almost shameless degree. This famously annoyed Lucas and it’s easy to see why. It might be the best way to start a new series safely, but it makes for what feels like a cynical marketing ploy to get more bums in seats. But, for its faults, The Force Awakens does mostly save itself by being a fun and well made movie.

Characters like Rey and Kylo Ren are very interesting and welcome new additions to cast. Ren is a villain the series has not seen before, and offers great promise for the series’ future. The action is thrilling, even if the space battles are a little underwhelming. JJ Abrams’ well documented attempts to follow the production values – camera, sets and make-up – of the original trilogy while also adding the effects and stunt work of the modern day was more than welcomed.

It’s very fitting that this came out the same year as Jurassic World, as the two share a lot in common. Despite the very admirable attempts to bring back the joy of the originals, and mostly succeeding, the film just can’t escape the fact that it is a ‘soft-reboot’ – better known as a sequel that is also a remake. It really is a shame because I do enjoy it. I like some of the things it brings to the table. It’s just the repeat and some questionable choices and motivations. You can almost feel the focus group’s presence and the artist’s absence. But the promise is still there. It’s up to Rian Johnson to deliver on it.