Ranking The First 30 Minutes Of EVERY Star Wars Movie From Worst To Best

There are those out there who are quick to criticise the first sequel film as being a rehash of 1977's first Star Wars movie. 

And while you can definitely see where they're coming from, you also simply cannot ignore how much of a satisfying ride Episode VII - The Force Awakens unquestionably is before it really goes full A New Hope as the Resistance look to take out their own Death Star.

Somehow feeling both familiar and fresh right out of the gate, J. J. Abrams opts to keep the action focused on the next generation early on as he catapults audiences back into a galaxy far, far away quite different to the one they left behind after Episode VI - Return of the Jedi.

Stormtroopers are now finally quite menacing. A new masked badass was now catching damn blaster shots with the Force. And soldiers of the First Order were interestingly questioning their place in the conflict.

John Williams' latest collection of musical delights are shown off early on, too, as both Kylo Ren and Rey's striking themes once again proved why he's one of the true composing GOATs.

It's honestly the strongest extended stretch of the entire sequel trilogy, with Abrams managing to successfully introduce a whole wave of intriguing new faces, set up what should have been one of the most enthralling arcs in the franchise's history, and unleash a ton of indelible imagery before a single OG trilogy character even pops up on-screen.