The Force is strong with this one

The new instalment in the Star Wars franchise comes a decade after the last film (Revenge of the Sith in 2005) and three decades after the original trilogy (Return of the Jediin 1983). Directed by J J Abrams - famous for his Star Trekmovies and TV show Lost - the film features Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, who also starred in the original trilogy. Besides, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley,John Boyega and Oscar Isaac appear in lead roles.

Ever since the prequels were released, the fans of the saga were divided into two segments: one for whom the original trilogy constitutes the franchise and the other that does not discriminate and loves all six films equally. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens hoped to please both segments.

The Force Awakens begins where Return of the Jedi left off, set 30 years after the events of the latter. The film features nostalgic elements synonymous with the franchise, such as lightsabers, Death Stars and the Skywalker family. However, for those new to the franchise, certain concepts need to be grasped: the Force, an energy that flows through all living beings, can be used for both good and bad and is measured through the number of midi-chlorians, a fictional microorganism, in one's body. There are two monastic orders in the cinematic universe - the Jedi (the light side) and the Sith (the dark side) - who are also at war with each other.

'Star Wars 7' makes it to AFI best films list before release

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is already a big hit with US critics - it has made the American Film Institute’s annual list of movies of the year a full day before its release. 

 

The highly-anticipated new installment of the blockbuster sci-fi franchise had its world premiere on Monday (December 14) and doesn’t hit cinemas until Friday, but the jury of AFI members, scholars, artists and critics have named the movie among the best of 2015, The Hollywood Reporter. 

 

The new “Star Wars” film has already received rave reviews and has broken records in advance ticket sales in the US, with more than USD 100 million for its opening weekend. 

 

The previous record holder was Batman film “The Dark Knight” in 2012, which raked in USD 25 million prior to its release. 

 

The other AFI best film honourees include acclaimed movies “Spotlight”, “Mad Max: Fury Road”, “Carol”, “The Big Short”, “Bridge of Spies”, “Inside Out”, “The Martian”, “Room”, and “Straight Outta Compton”.

The AFI list often mirrors the Academy Awards Best Picture nominations, which will be announced on January 14. 

 

Officials also selected 10 TV shows for its top 2015 picks with returning favourites “The Americans”, “Fargo”, “Game of Thrones”, and “Homeland”. 

 

The rest of the list is comprised of new series “Better Call Saul”, “Black-ish”, “Empire”, “Master of None”, “Mr Robot”, and “UnReal”. 

 

Matthew Weiner, the creator of Emmy-winning series “Mad Men”, which ended its seven-season run earlier this year (15), will receive the AFI Special Award during a luncheon on January 8 in Los Angeles.