It is astounding how much better this is than any Star Wars film George Lucas ever made. The dialogue is good and believable (shocking!), the characters are flawed and relatable without being annoying, and C3P0 is actually funny for the first (and maybe only) time in the series. Everything we love about Star Wars is in this movie, and there’s almost nothing that doesn’t work. A truly incredible work of mythology — and the apex of cinema can do. (The fact that the only other series to reach these heights is Lord of the Rings, and those are based on existing novels, makes this film a particularly compelling and incredible achievement.)
George Lucas comes up with some great ideas, but I am so glad he wasn’t around to execute on them with this one.