Luke Skywalker has disappeared. After seeing his attempt to recruit new Jedi to protect the galaxy destroyed by an apprentice attracted by the Dark Side, he retires without a trace. Determined to find him, his sister Leia, now a general, is on the trail of valuable information hidden on the planet Jakku. While the threat represented by the First Order, the successor to the Empire headed by a mysterious leader and his apprentice Kylo Ren, is becoming clearer, Rey, a scrap metal scavenger, and Finn, a rebel Stormtrooper, are caught up in the cause of the resistance...

How do you revive the Star War franchise 38 years after George Lucas’s cult movie was released, making sure it will result in a third trilogy and more (a spin-off, Rogue One, is already due out in 2016)? The answer is easy: by reusing the same formula (a character is saved from their dreary existence on a desert planet thanks to an encounter with a robot that contains valuable information; rebel fighters try to destroy the monstrous creation of their totalitarian enemies) and key characters (Han Solo, Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2), adding new heroes (the excellent Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac) and bad guys (Kylo Ren and his unique light saber, the mysterious Snoke) to retell a thrilling story that is funny, light and spectacular. The seventh episode in the franchise, The Force Awakens perfectly meets the challenge with a simplicity and an energy that puts it at the same level as the original trilogy – far from the stodgy kitsch of the prequels. There are many little flaws – plotlines that are a little too broad, a certain lack of imagination and daring – but it becomes clear in the final moments of the movie Star Wars is far from dead and buried. All the better.

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