Star Wars: The Force Awakens

is exactly what fans want it to be, and good enough that non-fans will want to see it, too.  With enough action that you're never bored and enough character development that all the main characters feel at least somewhat like real humans, the movie delivers a near-perfect combination of sequel and reboot.  I left happy about having seen it and ready for the next one.

I credit a great deal of this to J.J. Abrams, who knows how to work with modern myths, as he has shown with his reboot of the Star Trek series, and Lawrence Kasdan, whose script blends a new story arc with a great deal of fan service.

Is it a great movie?  No.  It is, however, one of the stronger entries in the Star Wars catalog, and that's enough to make it both hugely entertaining and a blockbuster hit.

On the off chance that you haven't read anything about the film, I'm not going to indulge in any spoilers.  If you're already a Star Wars fan, you must head to the theater now.  If you're not, if by some miracle you've never even heard of Star Wars, go see The Force Awakens and expect to have a fine time watching a good space opera.

It's now definite:  I'm ready for J.J. Abrams to make Jon & Lobo movies.

I haven't bought advance-sale tickets to a movie

in more time than I can recall, but I'm considering doing it now.  The reason?  This trailer, which for me is just that good.



I was modestly interested in the new Star Wars movie before.  Now, I can't wait to see it!