Surpassed only by The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, is the second best overall film in the franchise. Naturally, it eclipses all three prequels, and though I have recently defended those much derided films in this series of articles, it remains that they are films of moments; they simply cant compete with the sheer consistent brilliance of Abrams work here. Episode VII too surpasses Return of the Jedi, which I found underwhelming when I revisited it after so very long. Its a toss-up, then, between A New Hope and TFA for second place - and this just edges it. Of course, A New Hope kickstared this whole thing, and it can lay claim to being one of the four or five most influential movies ever made. However, if were going on sheer filmmaking, The Force Awakens is just superior. Not only is it acted and shot better (though this isnt really a competition), but it looks set to begin the same sort of legacy. I strongly believe people will feel about this film the way those who first witnessed A New Hope feel now. Episode VII cant quite touch the woebegone, all-encompassing tragedy of The Empire Strikes Back, and nor can it provide anything as defining as the Luke/Vader father reveal (though it does give it a damn-good go with the Han/Ren stuff), but it can be mentioned in the same breath, and thats some of the highest blockbuster praise you can get.
