Star Wars: The Force Awakens Reviews Round-Up

Early this morning, the review embargo for Star Wars: The Force Awakens was lifted and writers from around the globe shared their thoughts on J.J. Abrams re-launch of the franchise.

If the reviews were bad, we were all still going to the movies this weekend to watch this movie, but that doesn't matter. The reviews are good. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is sitting Certified Fresh with a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Here's what some critics have to say...

"The mystery surrounding the film's story, the return of the original cast, and masterful marketing mixing nostalgic homecoming with epic images of joyous fun combine to turn this into an unstoppable convergence of unprecedented hype, expectation, and fulfillment." -Forbes

"Sure, the movie definitely downshifts into autopilot at times, but we hardcore fans will still lap it up." -Guardian

"The new faces up there on the screen are as compelling as the familiar ones because they remind us that in the world of Star Wars, as in our world, life goes on no matter what." -RobertEbert.com

"2015 has saved its best for last." -Movies.com

"Star Wars has come roaring and soaring back with a fabulous, bountiful, richly rewarding payoff for anyone who's been waiting, patiently or otherwise." -Parade Magazine

"The Force flowed through that theater tonight. It ran through all living things present. We felt each others' pain and triumph, and found something new to love." -ComicBook.com

"God forbid the story should move slow enough for anyone to wonder what purpose it serves the First Order to obliterate every habitable planet in the galaxy." -Cinemalogue

"You can choose to understand The Force Awakens as an embrace of the mythological tradition, in which the same stories recur over and over with minor variations. Or you can see it as the ultimate retreat into formula: 'Let's just make the same damn movie they loved so much the first time!'" -Salon

"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 Hollywood Reporter

"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." -Variety

"Although it would be impossible to overtake the emotional experience of seeing the original 1977 Star Wars for the first time, Abrams together with his screenwriters Michael Arndt and especially Lawrence Kasdan have captured the heart, soul, wit, adventure and wonder of what it is that makes Star Wars such a phenomenon in movie history." -Deadline

Make sure you share your thoughts with us in on the message boards once you've watched The Force Awakens.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters December 18.