A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… But not quite as long ago as the last time we were allowed to visit George Lucas’s epic universe. Today is the release day for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Expectations are high, tension is in the air: For a new generation of fans, this is probably the first time they are able to see a new Star Wars film in the movie theatre. Veterans anxiously wonder whether this will still be the franchise they love and with which they grew up, or a shameless cash grab exploiting their nostalgia. The wait is over, and here is our judgement. But please, judge for yourself as well!

In the Star Wars Universe, time hasn’t stopped either. The Force Awakens takes place about thirty years after the Battle of Endor, in which the Rebellion managed to deal a severe blow to the powerful Empire. The second Death Star exploded like an oversized piñata and Emperor Palpatine himself was taken down by his loyal right hand, Darth Vader. At last, peace would reign among the stars!

…Except it didn’t quite work out that way. We have moved on thirty years, and although the remaining forces of the Empire are now called The First Order while the Rebellion, now supported by the Republic, has styled itself The Resistance, there is still an equally fierce battle going on. The heroes of yore have become the stuff of legends while time moves on. Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) has become a general of The Resistance, Han Solo (Harrison Ford) is widely known and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), the mythical last Jedi, well…

About that... (Minor spoilers) Everybody is in fact looking for him. Luke suddenly disappeared years ago. When a piece of a map, which could reveal the whereabouts of the Jedi, suddenly appears, both The Resistance and The First Order become extremely interested. Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), The Resistance’s best pilot, succeeds in obtaining the map, but has to entrust it to his droid BB-8 before he is captured by the menacing Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). On the desert planet of Jakku, the small droid encounters Rey (Daisy Ridley) and the deserted Stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega), firing the starting gun for the race to deliver the map safely in the hands of the leaders of The Resistance.

Star Wars has always been a story about generations. About ghosts from the past, creating a legacy and passing over the torch to the next generation. This theme is also prominently featured in The Force Awakens. Kylo Ren is determined to finish the work Darth Vader started, and Han and Leia, protagonists in the Original Trilogy, now make way for the heroes of a new generation: Rey, Finn en Poe. It is just so aggravating that this new generation of heroes cannot have its own adventures. A droid, which proves to be far more important than its looks would betray, lands on a desert planet, where have we heard that before? How about a mysterious force user dressed in black, who together with a sceptical military leader has to answer to an even more mysterious overlord? Unfortunately, I could go on like this. A New Hope in a new jacket.

A missed opportunity, even more so due to the fact that, while I originally feared the new characters could be the problem with the movie, they are in fact quite interesting and likeable. Daisy Ridley plays Rey as an exceptionally strong protagonist and has won the heart of this reporter. Boyega also deserves special praise due to his talent to procure powerful moments with all his fellow scene partners. He seems to get on especially well with Oscar Isaac. Furthermore, it lifts our hearts that Harrison Ford still is Han Solo, and that his performance, like Carrie Fisher’s, feels natural and not like an acte de presence of two seniors, meant to link this movie to the Original Trilogy.

Obviously, good protagonists aren’t worth a whole lot without worthy opponents. Although the black outfit of Kylo Ren is a clear call-back to Darth Vader – probably a conscious choice, in order to look like his grand idol – the young Knight of Ren has more to his character than that: conflicted, torn between the different legacies he carries on his shoulders. General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) and Captain Phasma (Gwendonline Christie) are cold and efficient and show such a large amount of Grundligkeit that it would even make the Germans proud. Not the kind of people who should own a planet-destroying superweapon, in any case. We are also given the first glimpses of the diabolical mastermind behind the organisation, Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis), who has a truly awe-inspiring screen presence. Yet, who is he, and what are his motivations?

Star Wars would not be Star Wars without the musical genius of John Williams. Once again, the maestro has delivered a wonderful mix of new material and recognisable cues of the iconic musical themes of the Original Trilogy. He succeeds at defining The Force Awakens as a new chapter in the saga, a movie with its own merits, but still undoubtedly part of the larger whole. It always feels a little bit like coming home…

It shouldn’t be surprising that The Force Awakens is a visual masterpiece as well. Especially breathtaking are the wide, panoramic shots, like the mighty ruins of a crashed Star Destroyer towering over the horizon of Jakku, or a look at the forces of The First Order. It is hard to pinpoint, yet this movie succeeds at depicting the entire Star Wars-universe much more realistically. The docking bay of a spaceship is the docking bay, and does not feel like just a setpiece. The story might be lacking, they have unmistakably nailed the feel of this movie.

Letting go…and making way for a new generation. These days, it is more than ever the leitmotif of Star Wars. The rebel leaders of yesterday make way for the heroes of today and a young Knight of Ren continues the work of a feared Sith Lord. Wonderful actors, raised and bred on years of experience, roll out the red carpet for the same kind of young talents they used to be. George Lucas himself has entrusted his creation to the skill of J.J. Abrams. In the end, even we fall prey to it. Here, at the start of a new chapter of this modern epic, we need to be able to let the previous movies go. To leave behind the heritage of triumph (The Empire Strikes Back) or failure (The Phantom Menace) and to trust in what tomorrow brings. Right now, it is still unclear how we will look back at this third trilogy. But it needs to be given the chance to make mistakes, to learn from them, to find its own way and finish its journey. It is just such a shame that The Force Awakens does not want to seize this chance, but falls back on what has worked before. Never change a winning formula? Please, do so.