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Consider the impossible assignment director J.J. Abrams signed up for by making a new "Star Wars" movie: Honor the iconic status of George Lucas' 1977 creation, bring back beloved characters while adding new ones to carry the tale forward, reference the past without getting bogged down in fan-service nostalgia, deliver rousing action and wash away the bad feelings left by the inferior prequels.
As someone said a long time ago in that galaxy far, far away, don't underestimate the power of The Force.
In "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," officially Episode VII of the classic space saga, Abrams turns those potential pitfalls into assets.
With the care of a true fan, he melds the old with the new, bringing in fresh elements while reintroducing the characters and themes fans have loved for nearly four decades.
With the opening title crawl — Abrams retains Lucas' nod to Saturday-morning serials — we learn Luke Skywalker, the last of the Jedi knights, is missing. Both sides are eager to find him: the Resistance (that's the good guys) and the First Order, risen from the ashes of the old Empire.
The action starts with the Resistance's hottest pilot, Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), getting some important data. When the First Order's masked commander, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), is about to capture Poe, the pilot entrusts that data with his droid, BB-8, on the desert planet Jakku.
Poe finds unexpected help from a rogue stormtrooper who rebels against his conditioning. The stormtrooper, dubbed Finn (John Boyega), helps Poe steal a TIE fighter that crashes on Jakku. Finn finds himself alone until he meets Rey (Daisy Ridley), a scavenger who befriends BB-8.
Rey, Finn, Poe and Kylo Ren are the most prominent new characters brought in by Abrams in a script he co-wrote with Lawrence Kasdan (who co-wrote "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi") with a polish by Michael Arndt ("Toy Story 3"). We also meet intriguing villains, such as the well-armored Captain Phasma ("Game of Thrones' " Gwendoline Christie) and the arch General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson).
It's not giving anything away to mention the return of the original starring trio of "Star Wars": Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Carrie Fisher as Leia and Mark Hamill as Luke. Other old friends along for the ride are the droids C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) and Solo's Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew). But no self-respecting critic would want to spoil the audience's fun at being introduced to them again.
As he did with his "Star Trek" reboot, Abrams slightly updates the feel of the "Star Wars" galaxy, but not to the point we don't recognize where we are. The villains' spaceports are still gleaming black surfaces, the Resistance's base retains that ragtag cobbled-together look, there's always a seedy bar filled with motley aliens, and John Williams is always providing the stirring theme music.
There's not a moment wasted in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Abrams bounces from energy-filled action sequences to absorbing plot development and back, telling an exciting story that builds smartly on Lucas' good-and-evil mythology with some twists of its own. Not every question is answered before the final credits, but Abrams shows he is a true Jedi master, taking a confident first step into a larger world.
Twitter: @moviecricket —
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'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'
Director J.J. Abrams mixes old and new in this continuation of the beloved space saga, the most rousing chapter since "Return of the Jedi."
Where • Theaters everywhere
When • Opens Friday, Dec. 18, with preview screenings Thursday evening, Dec. 17
Rating • PG-13 for sci-fi action violence
Running time • 136 minutes