Well it’s finally here – the film many have waited over 20 years for. Episode VII – the story of what happens after the Jedi return. Unfortunately all isn’t going well for the Rebels as evil was only delayed by the actions of Luke, Han and Leia. 30 years on, the Galactic Republic is a democratic government to the galaxy, but the First Order have risen from the fallen Empire to strike back and have some pretty evil plans of their own. The Resistance is fighting against them, with the aid of the Republic and searching for a new hope with the missing Luke Skywalker.

The opening, wonderfully familiar rolling text tells us that Resistance General Leia (a promotion from Princess?) has sent her best pilot Poe (Oscar Isaac) on a secret mission to find a map to Luke’s whereabouts. He went into self-imposed exile after one of his students fell to the dark side and wiped out his brand new Jedi Academy. Unfortunately for the Resistance, the new face of evil, Kylo Ren (Driver), has also heard about the location of the map.

We then follow the adventures of the resourceful and surprising Rey (Ridley), the newly reformed former stormtrooper Finn (Boyega) and the wonderfully human droid BB-8. I’m not going to ruin anything, but there are twists, old faces plus spectacular highs and lows befitting a space opera. The effects support the telling and enhance it; the fight scenes work wonderfully and John Williams’s iconic music rises and falls as it should. It’s a fantastic movie without a Jar-Jar in sight and well worth your time if it’s the first, second, third or even seventh time you’re watching it. Luckily we also won’t have two decades to wait for the next one!