Movie Reviews: What critics are saying about 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'

The Guardian

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian loved The Force Awakens and has nothing but praise for it. The best aspects of the first trilogy is brought back to the sequel, he said.

He also enjoyed the returning characters like (Luke Skywalker) and General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), as well as Rey and Finn. In particular, he praised Adam Driver as the new Dark Lord, Kylor Ren, saying he delivered a good performance.

"The Force Awakens is ridiculous and melodramatic and sentimental of course, but exciting and brimming with energy and its own kind of generosity. What a Christmas present," Bradshaw said.

IGN

IGN's review praised the movie as well, saying it lived up to the hype: "It's the movie it was promised to be, with great new characters, a respect for the original trilogy and a strong understanding of what makes this franchise click with fans."

While the Daisy Ridley shines as Rey, and Finn and Poe brought humor to the movie, the villains other than Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) weren't explored too deeply. The review acknowledged that these characters will be explored more in the future movies, but not getting enough of them feels anti-climatic because they're stories that have already been kept secret for so long. (See how 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' stars reacted to new trailer)

The visuals of The Force Awakens are also great, according to the review, because of both the creatures and the battle sequences.

Wired

Adam Rogers on Wired thinks that "the real Star Wars" is back.

Adam praised the visual effects of the movie, saying, "Every new planet, and I lost count of how many the movie has, looks like a real place that you could visit if your hyperdrive was working."

At some points, many of the same themes and tropes from the first trilogy are repeated in The Force Awakens. "In fact, that at times The Force Awakens feels less like an Episode VII and more like a remake of Episodes IV through VI," he said. However, the best parts of the movie are the new parts – Finn, Poe, Rey, and BB-8, the new droid, he added. (A look at the new 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' toys)

The Hollywood Reporter

The Hollywood Reporter says that The Force Awakens has reawakened the franchise.

Critic Todd McCarthy calls this film the best Star Wars "anything" in the past 32 years, as it mixes old with the new, promising exciting new material for the future. 

{source}<iframe width="100%" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sGbxmsDFVnE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>{/source}

"If a good part of the task The Force Awakens sets for itself is the introduction and establishment of these two new characters as capable of carrying the renewed series forward, then it's pretty well succeeded," Todd said of Rey and Finn. Meanwhile, there's a lot of potential for Kylo Ren, with regard to both character and performance. Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong'o) is another one of the standout characters.

"In the end, Star Wars: The Force Awakens feels like the work of a very capable student, one who has studied his subject so diligently and thoroughly that he knows what to do and what to avoid," says the review.

The Independent

The Independent rates The Force Awakens 4 out of 5 stars, saying, "This is the film fans were hoping for, and it's an indisputable improvement on the abhorred prequels."

Critic Christopher Hooton said that the effects aren't overly done, and while the film does have a lot of unanswered questions, you won't be leaving the theater unsatisfied.

As with the other reviews, Christopher praised the new characters, saying, "Adam Driver is refreshingly different, Daisy Ridley is a blossoming star, while John Boyega does an okay job."

Overall, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the best Star Wars movie of the franchise yet, he said.