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...

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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.