The Force Is Strong With Us

We had a big family treat the other night - well, it's a treat if you're a nerdy family like we are.

At last, after months of anticipation, we took the kids to see Star Wars 7 'The Force Awakens' at the cinema.

We lined up with everyone else, handed over our tickets to the lady at the door, filed up into the cinema and took our seats. We waited slightly impatiently through the countless ads, listening to packets rustling and people chatting behind us (we were near the front).

Finally, the lights went out and that first familiar line appeared on screen. 'A long time ago in a galaxy far, far, away....'

In that moment, you could have heard a pin drop. The expectation in the room was something I don't think I've ever experienced in a cinema before. Then, the signature music blared out and I'm pretty sure we all 'sang' along ... something like 'barm barm, ba-ba-ba-baarrm barm, ba-ba-ba-baarrm barm, ba-ba-ba-baaarrrm'.

That whole line would make no sense to anyone who isn't into Star Wars, but for us it was a real fan moment!

From that moment on, everyone was hooked. I'm not into giving away spoilers, so I won't say anything about the plot. I will say that the whole feel of the movie was much closer to the original trilogy (if it had been another one like the 'prequels' I wouldn't have been impressed). It was also nice to see some familiar faces in the cast - although some maybe haven't aged as well as others - and the new characters are all interesting too. There was no one who was instantly irritating (no Jar Jar Binks here!) and the plot twists kept everyone on the edge of their seats.

I sat between my youngest son (aged 8) and my daughter (aged 14) and, at various times during the movie, we would nudge each other excitedly, anticipating what would come next, or lean over and whisper about something that had just happened. I believe my husband and other son, a couple of seats over, were doing similar.

If I could justify the cost of another trip to the cinema, I'm pretty sure we'd have been back there to see it again already. In short, we loved it, and can't wait to see where the story goes from here.

As confirmation, my littlest Caveman turned to me as soon as the end credits began, to announce with a big grin, 'I want to watch Star Wars 8!'