Galaxy of stars land in London for Star Wars premiere

The Force has truly awoken again in New Zealand tonight, with the latest Star Wars film launching into local cinemas ahead of the rest of the world. The result is that The Force Awakens is genuinely full of surprises, so much so that even someone who’s studied every single bit of footage released to the internet will be wrongfooted. The original Star Wars had laughs. Leading the fight against the First Order is the Resistance who are desperately trying to find Luke Skywalker who has mysteriously disappeared and is reputed to be the last surviving Jedi.

“I didn’t really know what I was auditioning for”, the actress revealed yesterday (Dec 15) during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

While it certainly helps, and is recommended, to have some familiarity with the previous films, the seventh installment stands on its own as one entertaining night at the movies.

The adorable droid is more than just a sidekick for ace pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), often finding itself rolling around in the thick of the action.

Chewbacca and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) make the scene in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”.

Rey and Finn get caught up with Solo in the search for Luke, who has gone missing in the story set about 30 years after the events in Return Of The Jedi. Episode VII is such a worthy successor to the original trilogy that it’s hard to imagine how it could have turned out much better.

“The Force Awakens” is chock-full of battles (both in the sky and with the lightsaber), but what Abrams and fellow screenwriters Lawrence Kasdan and Michael Arndt have made strides in creating strong dialogue and emotion from the characters.

The fiercely guarded plot of “The Force Awakens”, co-written and directed by J.J. Abrams, centers on scavenger Rey’s (Daisy Ridley) search for her lost family and rogue Stormtrooper Finn’s (John Boyega) desire to escape his past. “My understanding is that all of those outlines have been abandoned by Disney when they paid $4.5 billion for the “Star Wars” franchise”.

The secrecy has prompted a backlash against the film’s fearsome publicity machine. Driver is not on screen a ton – and he’s behind a mask most of that time – but you can not take your eyes off him.

For those feeling apprehensive about the new cast, don’t worry.

“Everyone knows we keep it secret for the right reasons”, she said.

The premiere will be followed five hours later with the first public screening in local cinemas at midnight.

Actress Geena Davis let out a whoop from her seat in the second row of the Dolby Theater balcony as soon as the film ended.