Star Wars: The Force Awakens - 6 Things That Were Perfect (And 3 That Were Disappointing)

5. It Has The Best Opening Crawl

By far my most anticipated part of The Force Awakens was the opening crawl - this was it, the return of Star Wars, and nothing announces that more than the requisite introduction. And not only did J.J. fully honour the franchise tradition (which was itself honouring the Flash Gordon serials that inspired the whole franchise), he actually provided the best version of it. That's right - I'd hazard this is the single best opening crawl. Putting aside the sheer thrill of seeing the words "EPISODE VII" in all their yellow glory, it's a tightly written, focused piece that handles the very tricky job of setting up the film and filling in thirty years of unseen history brilliantly. Also, the pan down to a desert planet, seeing its moon first, then having a Star Destroyer block out the screen, but it in a new way, is a great way to immediately symbolise the whole old/new rhyming structure. Oh yeah, that old chestnut...