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Tour de Force

If you want to feel just an inkling of what it must be like to be J.J Abrams directing a new "Star Wars" movie, try writing a review about it. Where do you begin? Do you dive right in to the arcana as the fanboy that you are? Do you imagine an audience that has no knowledge of the previous films? Do you try to judge the film on its own merits or as part of the canon?

The good news is, no matter what angle you take, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" delivers. Mr. Abrams has created a film that stays true to the original series (even, heaven help us, The Prequels) while updating it for a new generation.

Of course this shouldn't be a surprise. Mr. Abrams has proven that he is the go-to person to update a franchise with "Star" in the title ever since 2009's "Star Trek" reboot (the less said about "Star Trek Into Darkness" the better). He has even learned a few things from that experience. "The Force Awakens" treats the material with a reverence and an understanding that feels like (to paraphrase Han Solo) going home. (Warning: you may have trouble with your 3D glasses during the Han/Leia scenes due to the amount of tears in your eyes.)

Mr. Abrams has chosen his cast and crew wisely. He co-wrote the script with "Empire" & "Jedi" MVP Lawrence Kasdan, as well as Michael Arndt ("Toy Story 3"), he coaxed the original actors back into their signature roles, and he cast his new roles well. Relative newcomer Daisy Ridley is rock solid as Rey, a scavenger on a non-Tatooine desert planet, John Boyega ("Attack the Block") loosens things up nicely as Finn, a stormtrooper who develops a conscience, and Oscar Issac brings some Solo-esque swagger to his role as ace pilot Poe Dameron. Only Adam Driver is slightly miscast as baddie Kylo Ren, but that's largely due to familiarity from his previous roles.

The plot is essentially a carbon copy of the 1977 original, complete with secret plans hidden in a droid, a masked villain with an affected voice and a planet-destroying super weapon. In fact, if the film falters at all, it's in the need to stick to those original plot points. The secret plans feel less critical, the masked villain is no Darth Vader, and the Starkiller Base may be bigger than the Death Star, but it also nearly drains your suspension of disbelief like it drains a nearby sun.

But those are minor quibbles. The bottom line is: the "Star Wars" franchise is in excellent hands. And it's just refreshing, for once, to have a film live up to expectations. Those of you concerned that this series was going to be a repeat of The Prequels can rest easy: "Force Awakens" is better than Episodes I-III combined. There's no Jar Jar Binks, no Trade Federation, and a rational use of CGI effects. In fact, if there's one thing that stands out about this new film, it's the choice to use "practical" effects. There's a tangible quality to the droids, the starships and the locations that was missing from Naboo, and the rest of those previous films (the notable exception is a tacked on sequence involving Han Solo, two gangs and some goofy CGI monsters).

In a way, J.J. Abrams has won the Clone Wars. He's found a way to make a copy that maintains the quality of the original. Now the question is, can he and his team sustain the magic through the two sequels? I have a good feeling about this.