At the beginning of the film, a Rebel Alliance pilot/spy, Poe, has retrieved part of a map which contains the location of Skywalker and is being held by Lor San Tekka. Nice to see legendary actor Max Von Sidow helming this small role, but it’s “Hi, Max! Bye, Max!” since he is executed by new baddie Kylo-Ren in the films first few minutes. 

Poe is tracked by the First Order, who seem to come into power in the ashes of The Empire, whereby they slaughter all of the villagers. Ren, who also desires the map to the location of Skywalker, takes Poe as his prisoner but not before Poe places the missing map in his trusty droid BB8 and find someone the droid can trust. Sound familiar?  

During the first initial battle, we are introduced to the Stormtrooper, later named Finn, who has become disillusioned by the violence of the First Order. This is one of the elements that make the film interesting. For all these years we know that Stormtroopers can’t hit the side of a Womprat and they sure can’t take a shot, but we never knew they could have a conscious. For some reason, Finn is suffering from sort of post traumatic Stormtrooper disorder because he can not handle the violence unleashed by the new man in black.

One of the films most memorable images occurs when Finn’s helmet is streaked with blood when he tries to help a dying comrade. That’s a new twist on the Star Wars Universe. Yeah, Stormtroopers bleed and have emotions. 

While Finn is going through his catharsis, we are introduced to Rey, a scavenger who salvages parts for old Imperial Star Destroyers in order to survive on the planet of Jakku. She rescues BB8, decides not to sell him for a large sum of rations, and runs into Finn who is recognized by BB8. They escape the clutches of the First Order by stealing none other than the Millennium Falcon, which Rey flies quite well being that she has NEVER been behind an actual ship. 

Later, they are captured by none other than Han Solo and Chewbacca, who have been looking for the Falcon for some time, and this new foursome begin their trek back to the Rebel Alliance for the inevitable Han and Leia reunion. 

The rest of the film is somewhat predictable. The First Order has a new and improved Death Star named Starkiller (an homage to Luke Skywalker’s original name given by Lucas in early drafts of “A New Hope”) that can destroy galaxies, which it handily does, wiping out millions of people and destroying the foundations of The New Republic. Most certainly a plot element that will be addressed in later films.

In the films third act, the rebels blow it up in similar fashion to the Death Star. It’s here where the story falls into the trash compactor for a time. There really is no suspense because there is no doubt that the Rebels will destroy the planet/battleship. They do it in a similar way they did thirty years ago by hitting a ventilation shaft of some sort. You would think the architects would make sure that they would REALLY fix this problem since they lost two big contracts to the Empire already.

Yes, there are many similarities to the first film but that is not by accident. J.J. Abrams knows what the fans want, and he is willing to give it to them. The films feeds on the nostalgia of the original trilogy. From Rey leaning up against the rusted and destroyed AT-AT Walker in the sands of Jakku to the old claymation monster game in which R2D2 was warned about winning back in 1977, Abraham assures fans that they are in the Star Wars world we all know and love without Jar Jar Binks.

The nostalgia factor ramps up with the arrival of Han Solo and Chewbacca. You can’t help but smile from ear to ear when they come on screen. It’s like old friends you haven’t seen in a long time and you wish would never leave even if they were encased in carbonite.

Harrison Ford easily slips back into the role Han Solo and gives the film the kick it needs at the appropriate time. Yes, Han is a little older (a lot actually) and he still loves his beloved Falcon and sidekick.  It’s interesting that in some way you feel that Solo has seen and been through a lot over the decades past.  He looks worn and exhausted, which would be true to the character once we have learned what has happened in the relationship between he and Leia. I’ll stop there because the rest you might find it a bit disturbing, and I wouldn’t want to treat you unfairly by spoiling some of the major events involving Han and his dark descendants. 

However, the most interesting character is Kylo-Ren , who is the series Darth Vader “wanna be” and even he would make no bones about this claim. The grandson of Vader, Ren literally talks to Lord Vader’s skull and helmet remnants as he confesses his struggle with staying true to the dark side assuring someone psychologist, probably in one of the Outer Rim territories, years of business. 

One of the reasons Ren is so interesting is that he does what is not expected, and as a fan you might find troubling. When he has captured Rey, after discovering the location of BB8, he realizes she has some elements of The Force and does the unthinkable: he removes his mask. Earlier we even see him throwing a temper tantrum after discovering news not to his liking: He destroys the room with his lightsaber with such violence and angst that might make Darth Vader even breathe a little harder and deeper. But this is what makes Ren so interesting and unpredictable. He wants to be evil. He wants to carry on the legacy that his grandfather began even if it means destroying those who love and care about him. The mask, unlike Vader, is not keeping him alive, instead it is transforming him to a machine that wants to harness its power and unleash it on all those who oppose him by his own choosing.

I really didn’t comprehend the relationship between Ren and Snook, an all-powerful entity who reminded me of one of the aliens in Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Not really sure who he is, but will surely be fleshed out in the upcoming films. 

The battle between Rey and Ren (gotta love that fight card) is one that I loved and at the same time was disappointed. To have the fight take place in the winds of a snowstorm was genius. What better way to show the bleakness and coldness of Ren than to have him battle in the depths of the cold. His blood runs cold and you’ll know why before he brands his lightsaber on Rey. The fight suffers from my one major criticism and plot hole in the story–the ability of Rey to quickly harness The Force and use it so effectively and so early. 

When we are first introduced to her, she has no inkling that she has the ability to tap into this mystical power. We get a glimpse of her mad fighting skills when she beats the living power converters out of a group of thugs who want to steal BB8, but we have no insight because she can “just do it” (no, Nike is not endorsed in the film). She even is giddy with delight after she and Finn escape the clutches of the squadron sent by the First Order to retrieve the droid because she never flew a starship in her life. (Note: if you are in the First Order and want to send a squadron, make sure it’s more than two Tie-Fighters and two Stormtroopers to get the job done right. Just sayin’). It’s a stretch. 

The plot hole continues when Rey is called by Luke’s original lightsaber. You know the one that Luke was holding before Daddy cut off his hand? She follows the “calling” of the lightsaber in very much Bilbo Baggins, Lord of the Rings fashion. She grabs it, and is then flooded with visions about her past, Luke, and Kylo-Ren.  Max Kanata, an ally of the Rebel Alliance who looks like E.T. with glasses, has somehow retrieved this item (we don’t know how) and tells her that she can’t go home to Jakku because no one is there for her to return to or save her. The only one who is still here is Luke. 

This is where I believe Abrams and company made an error in judgement. Now call me a Star Wars nerd (I am!), but if this lightsaber called to her and she could have visions of the past and future because it was possessed by Luke wouldn’t Luke had these visions when the lightsaber was passed to him by Ben Kenobi. He would have known everything about HIS father–Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader.

In the same vein, when Luke was under Ben’s tutelage, he only brandished the lightsaber in the Millennium Falcon during the blast shield exercise–that was it! On the other hand, Rey, who has no training, suddenly has the power to face Kylo-Ren with pretty impressive lightsaber skills. And defeat him? He was trained by Luke! Really? I had a hard time trusting my feelings on that one.