The franchise has awakened

This note is as spoiler-free as it could be, and in general shouldn't really give you any new information if you have seen the trailers of Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens

It took me suprisingly long to write a note about a movie I care about so much. I have seen the new Star Wars movie twice and I am glad I did - one viewing is just not enough to appreciate how rich and beautiful it is. There are many people in the Internet pointing out, or even raging about it's shortcomings - but I think it is just what I hoped it would be.

As you can guess by the trailers, there are several new characters in the movie: Rey, a tough-as-nails junk scavenger hailing from a desert planet Jakku (it's interesting story is all but omitted in the movie, unfortunately), Finn, a soon-to-be-ex stormtrooper, and dashing rebel pilot Poe Dameron (my personal favourite). Of course, as every movie in the franchise, this one comes down to the archetypical battle between good and evil, the latter represented by Kylo Ren, who seems like your typical mask-wearing villain ... but is it really all that simple? Of course, we also see a return of some of the old friends.

Without spoiling anything, Imay only say that all those new characters are psychologically consistent and well motivated, and satisfyingly complex. Rey, for example, is a perfect of how a feminine characters should be presented in a movie: she's strong and smart (or at least street/desert-smart), and we can clearly see that she's so much more than a potential romantic interest for a male protagonist. 

I was also astonished by The Force Awakens humour: that's the area where, at least in my opinion, the new trilogy failed the hardest. Episode VII, in contrast, has numerous scenes and lines that are genuinely funny (the scene where Finn and BB-8 reach an agreement is absolutely brilliant. If you've seen the movie, you'll surely remember it).

It goes without question that the audiovisual effects are top shelf - it would really be disappointing if they weren't, right?

So, just go see the movie - even if you do not like it as I did, it's surely worth seeing, at least you'' be able to (dis)agree with all the people on the internet.