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

2. It's Really Funny

Although everyone's favourite movie in the franchise is The Empire Strikes Back, the unequivocally darkest entry in the series (yes, Anakin kills younglings in Revenge Of The Sith, but whatever), Star Wars as a franchise isn't really that bleak. The overriding message is one of hope, and there's always been a levity to the films (see: following C-3PO and R2-D2 for much of Episode IV). And The Force Awakens may just be the funniest movie in the series (at least in terms of jokes that land - Lucas clearly intended Jar Jar to turn The Phantom Menace into a comedy), with plenty of banter between the heroes, moments highlighting the ridiculousness of the Empire's all-out evil and a general playfullness in tone that feels incredibly welcome (and rather unexpected), especially when things take a darker turn in the final act. A big shout-out here to BB-8, the ball droid that's rolled his way into everyone's hearts. His gadgets are a little more varied than what we've seen with Artoo, and they're used to great comedic effect, with even the more out there elements still working. He appears a little less in the latter half, but whenever he's on screen it's hard not to smile.