'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Review Roundup (Spoiler Free)

The review embargo on Star Wars: The Force Awakens was just lifted and tons of outlets are posting their thoughts on the highly anticipated film.

We decided to compile some of the reviews from the top film sites to give you a little taste of what the critics are thinking. Don’t worry, we have included absolutely no spoilers!

After reading the reviews, watch the Star Wars cast sing the theme song a capella style with Jimmy Fallon.

The Hollywood Reporter: “The Force is back. Big time. As the best Star Wars anything – film, TV show, video game, spinoff, what-have-you – in at least 32 years, Star Wars: The Force Awakens pumps new energy and life into a hallowed franchise in a way that both resurrects old pleasures and points in promising new directions… The franchise is indeed reawakened.”

Deadline: “J.J. Abrams has taken George Lucas‘ baby and reinvented it for true fans of the early films. [He and his team] captured the heart, soul, wit, adventure and wonder of what it is that makes Star Wars such a phenomenon in movie history… [Abrams] brought back what was great and merged it with compelling and likable new characters who can carry it forward.”

Click inside to read more excerpts from Star Wars reviews…

Variety: “If the first Star Wars (1977) hadn’t already been rebranded A New Hope, that optimistic title might have applied just as well to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, by any measure a rousing, even restorative seventh chapter in the immortal space-opera saga established and now relinquished by George Lucas… Marvelous as it is to catch up with Han Solo, Leia and the rest of the gang, fan service takes priority here over a somewhat thin, derivative story that, despite the presence of two appealing new stars, doesn’t exactly fire the imagination anew.”

TheWrap: “J.J. Abrams has adopted the relatively cautious strategy of essentially remaking the original Star Wars, which allows him to delight fans by bringing back the original players while at the same time laying down the groundwork of the new good guys and bad guys that we’ll get to know over the course of the next several sequels… Abrams and company bring enough verve to the proceedings to create some wonderfully exciting moments alongside the reunions and the revelations. There are some slower bits, and an ending designed to leave you wanting more, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a tingle in my neck at the familiar opening of Williams’ score.”

Indiewire: “Snazzily directed by J.J. Abrams with vibrant effects and a busy plot that sets the whole franchise in motion all over again, The Force Awakens delivers on expectations with a fun, polished space odyssey that embraces the appeal of the originals. The hype is strong with this one, but brace yourself: The Force Awakens does have flaws. It’s a little hokey in parts and at times distractingly self-referential, but that itself speaks to the nature of the material.”

Entertainment Weekly gives it a B+: “The Force Awakens delivers exactly what you want it to: rollicking adventure wrapped in epic mythology, a perfect amount of fan service that fires your geekiest synapses, and a just-right cliffhanger ending that paves the way for future installments… When The Force Awakens ends, it feels bittersweet simply because you so badly want to get to the next chapter. So, yes, the wait is over. But now a new waiting game begins…”