Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/620229
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 27 DECEMBER 2015 27 This Week This Week ter Mayhew) delivers some of the most enjoyable fan-service within pretty much two-and-a-half-hours of the same. This may seem like a damning fact, but it's only so to a point. It should be taken as something of a given by now that Star Wars is less of a series of films in and of them- selves, and more of an 'event'. Like James Bond… and indeed, like the Christmas panto, any return to the Galaxy That Lucas Built needs to signpost a few things for the pleas- ure and reassurance of longtime fans. However, did the First Order's key threat really need to be, es- sentially, yet another even 'bigger and badder' Death Star? Did the key transition point of the story really have to take place in what is essentially a stand-in for the in- famous Mos Eisley Cantina of the series' first offering? Abrams is an able pastiche artist in the realm of science fiction and fantasy cinema, and his prowess at marshaling such large-scale projects is what's at the root of the ultimately successful rebooting effort that is The Force Awakens. But one hopes that, come Episode VIII, its director – rising star Rian Johnson – will skip the nodding and winking and just get on with it. For all this, however, the fact remains that Star Wars fans have been given an early Christmas present, and that even newcom- ers to the saga will feel welcome to what is essentially a fun adven- ture romp set in space. Abrams directs with both visual flair and dynamism – the promise to ditch CGI for the most part is honoured – and also keeps things light and funny: there are a couple of gags here that stand as comedy gold on their own. The final verdict? Even if you may have had a bad feeling about this – as you searched your feel- ings – or believed the hype may have been a trap into a wretched hive of cinematic villainy, the fact remains that the film more than just has its moments – many of them – but that the Force is strong with it, indeed. STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (PG) ★ ★ ★ ★ New kids on the (desert) block: Newcomers Daisy Ridley and John Boyega inject a fresh lease of life into the iconic franchise… with some help from the trusty BB-8 "Chewie… we're home": Meeting the characters from the old trilogy is such a delight "Like the original, this is a devil- may-care pulp adventure that makes no apology for its childlike silliness and sense of awe"